How to start a painting business
A plain checklist: registering, licensing, lead-safe rules, insurance, pricing your first jobs and finding customers — without the income promises.
Who it suits
Painting is quick to start — the tools are modest and many painters already work for themselves. What it asks for is careful prep, tidy job sites and estimates that match the hours, because most of the price is labour.
1.Decide what you paint
Residential interiors, exteriors, cabinets and commercial repaints are different work: different seasons, different equipment and different buyers.
Most painters start residential and add exteriors and cabinets as they build a crew.
2.Register and check the licence
Choose a structure — sole proprietor or LLC are the usual starting points — and register with your city or county.
Some states license painting contractors or require registration above a job value. Check your state contractor board before your first paid job.
3.Get lead-safe certified if you work on older homes
Paid work that disturbs paint in homes, childcare facilities or preschools built before 1978 requires EPA Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) certification for the firm and a certified renovator.
The rule includes record-keeping. Keep your RRP records in the form EPA or your state requires.
4.Insurance
General liability covers damage to a customer’s home. Commercial auto covers the van and what is in it.
If you hire, workers’ compensation is required in most states.
5.Equipment
Ladders and planks, drop cloths, brushes and rollers, masking, a sprayer when the work calls for it, and a vehicle that carries them.
Rent big ladders and lifts until the work justifies owning them.
6.Price your first jobs
Painters price by the room, by the square foot of wall, or by the hour, with trim by the linear foot and paint as its own line.
Time your first jobs, prep included. Prep is where estimates go wrong.
7.Find your first customers
Claim a free Fixerlane listing so homeowners searching for painters nearby can find and message you.
Photograph every finished room. Before-and-after photos and reviews are what the next homeowner looks at.
The trade in numbers
326,900 people work as construction and maintenance painters in the US, and 31% of them are self-employed.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2025
Paid work that disturbs paint in homes, childcare facilities or preschools built before 1978 must be done by EPA RRP-certified firms.
Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Lead RRP Program, Current
About 219,542 painting and wall covering contractor businesses operate in the US (third-party estimate).
Source: IBISWorld, Painters in the US, 2026
Your first customers, free
List your painting business on Fixerlane at no cost. Homeowners searching for painting in your area can find you and send enquiries, and replying is free. When the work picks up, the tools to quote, schedule and invoice are a 7-day free trial away.
Common questions
- Do I need a licence to start a painting business?
- It depends on the state and sometimes the job value. Most places require at least a business licence, and pre-1978 homes need EPA RRP certification. Check your state contractor board.
- How much does it cost to start a painting business?
- We do not publish a figure. Tools, insurance, certification and registration vary by state and by what you already own. Price each one locally before you commit.
- How do I price a painting job?
- By the room, by the square foot of wall or by the hour, with trim and paint as their own lines. Whatever you choose, check it against the hours your first jobs actually take.
- How do I get my first painting customers?
- A free listing where homeowners already search, people you know, and photos and reviews from every finished job.
- How much do painters earn?
- We do not promise earnings. The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes real wage figures for painters by state and metro area.