Category: Trades

15:55:04 GMT • 29 January 2025

How to Start a Painter and Decorator Business?

30 November 2023

•

11 mins read

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Starting a painter and decorator business can be a rewarding venture if you have the skills and passion. It requires time and effort, but there are plenty of opportunities out there to bring in work if you remain committed. You can enjoy the freedom and flexibility of being your own boss and get to flex your creative skills, while meeting a wide range of people.

If you love the idea of running your own company, setting your own schedule and the variety of constantly changing working environments, the profession certainly gives you all of this. You’ll need to take a sustained approach to building a client base and reputation, as patience and consistency are key. Of course, it all starts with offering a high-quality service. However, there’s so much more to building a successful business that will give you an attractive income.

In this guide, we’ll talk you through how to become a painter and decorator, with advice on the kind of money you could earn and ways to eventually grow your business.

Do painters and decorators make good money?

Painters and decorators can earn a good living from their trade. You can work on ways to increase your earnings over time. For example, you could research the most profitable areas to specialise in, charge higher rates with experience, and focus only on your local area to keep travel costs down.

It’s well worth knowing what kind of income you could make from your profession before you decide how to market your business and how you’ll source customers. If you’re wondering how much self-employed painters and decorators earn, you can consult government resources and trade websites for a good indication.

However, as a rough guide, sole traders can earn around £37 an hour, £296 a day, or £54,576 a year, on average. This increases if you set up a limited company, to an average of around £48 an hour, £384 a day, or £70,802 a year; factor in the additional costs from this figure, such as corporation tax. If you employ staff, your outgoings will also include their wages.

Build your business with a methodical approach

Here is a step-by-step guide to how to start painting and decorating for a living. If you already work in this profession for an existing company, you can follow these tips to find out how to set up on your own.

Review your current skills and qualifications

You don’t need to be qualified to be a painter and decorator, but you will need to demonstrate your experience. The first thing you’ll want to do is make sure you have the necessary skills and knowledge in painting and decorating.

If you don’t have any past work under your belt yet, consider taking courses or gaining experience through apprenticeships. Maybe you could take on work for an established painter and decorator before you become self-employed, to give you some stability of income and learn from someone else as you hone your talents.

Decide what kind of services you will offer

Knowing your strengths is key. You can either choose to do more of the type of jobs you love, find out what is likely to be most profitable for you, or understand what type of jobs are most likely to be available in your area.

Here are some examples of painting and decorating services you can specialise in:

Basic painting
Painting with effects (e.g. marbling)
Traditional finishes
Wallpapering (including other materials such as vinyl)
Minor repairs
Carpentry
Tiling
Flooring

Decide who your ideal customer will be

There are a range of ways you can approach this, so you don’t have to rely on guesswork to find out the best way to secure a steady stream of work. Once you know what you’ll offer, you can research your ideal customer base and assess your competition.

Will you offer your services to commercial or residential clients? What type of buildings have the most potential to bring you business and a healthy fee? Find out how many other people are offering those services, and look at what kind of buildings are in your area. If you focus on working in your own region, you can develop a strong local reputation.

Create a solid business plan

A well-thought-out business plan is essential. It will give you a clearer understanding of how you will approach building a company and securing work, while helping you secure financing if needed. At the very minimum, it should outline the following:

Your short-term and long-term business goals
Associated costs, e.g. any requirement investment, training, vehicle, materials and tools
Your specific services
Your target market
Your pricing strategy
A marketing plan outline
Financial projections

Register your business correctly

When establishing what you need to be a self-employed painter and decorator, registering your business is one of the most important first steps. Ascertain the appropriate legal structure for your business (either a sole trader or limited company) and register it with the government. Obtain any required permits or licenses for your area. There are advantages and disadvantages to both, but when starting out it may be more likely that you’ll meet the requirements of a sole trading company.

As a sole trader, you’ll be able to keep everything you earn after tax. You can register as a limited company when your income is over a certain threshold, which could give you more credibility. Some bigger clients may only do business with limited companies.

Invest in the right equipment and supplies

Purchase the necessary painting and decorating equipment and supplies. This includes brushes, rollers, ladders, drop cloths, paint, and wallpaper. Aim to invest more in items where the materials need to be high-quality, which will help you deliver a professional service. For anything that can be bought at a lower price without compromising the results, make sure you shop around for the best value.

Determine your pricing and how you want to be paid

Be intentional with how you will price your services. You can do your research to find out how much others charge, but also consider factors such as the cost of materials, labour, overheads, and your desired profit margin. Use your business plan projection as a guide, looking at how much you’ll need to earn each month in order to meet your desired annual income. Decide on payment terms and methods, including whether you will require upfront deposits.

Start marketing your business online and offline

Develop a detailed marketing strategy that will help you to attract clients through various channels. At the very least, you should create a professional website, set up social media profiles, create business cards and flyers, and network with local real estate agents, builders, and interior designers. Find out what networking events are in your area, and join local and national business federations which encourage referrals between members.

Continously add to your portfolio

Showcase your work through a portfolio of completed projects, which can sit on a dedicated page within your website. You could also post regular updates on sites such as LinkedIn and Facebook to keep people informed on your latest work, encourage conversation about your services and generate enquiries.

Include before-and-after photos to demonstrate your skills and the quality of your work. This portfolio will be a valuable tool when meeting potential clients, as they can easily see what you do rather than taking your word for it.

Familiarise yourself with estimating and bidding

Learn how to provide estimates for projects. This is a useful alternative to giving quotes, as they can’t be changed if the work ends up taking longer or incurring unexpected costs. This can leave you out of pocket and doesn’t establish you as a professional who’s being paid what they deserve, which can diminish the respect people have for your business.

Be transparent with clients about the scope of work, costs, and timelines. Providing detailed and competitive bids can help you win contracts.

Create a reliable template for client contracts

Always have a written contract in place before starting any project. The contract should outline the scope of work, timelines, payment terms, and any other relevant details. This helps protect both you and your clients, giving you both a clear vision of what to expect and what the finished outcome will look like.

Contracts serve the purpose of letting clients know exactly what they’re getting in return for their investment and minimising the chance of any disputes around payments or delivery dates further down the line.

Create a thorough accounting system

Set up a system to manage your finances, including tracking income and expenses, invoicing clients, and paying taxes. Consider hiring an accountant if you need support in this area. If you have the know-how and confidence to take care of your own finances, you can use accounting software to help you stay organised. Read our blog on Accounting tips for small businesses.

Develop your knowledge of safety and regulations

Make sure you are highly knowledgeable about safety regulations and best practices in your industry. Anyone you hire will also need to know these inside out, in order to follow guidelines and prevent accidents. You’ll need to comply with workplace health and safety regulations, as well as exercising fire safety. Pay attention to areas such as the use of equipment, protective clothing, and processes for reporting accidents.

Always provide high-quality customer service

Never underestimate the importance of excellent customer service for your reputation. Satisfied customers are more likely to give you good reviews, which you should always ask for as standard practice. Ask on completion of the work whether they’d be willing to give you a positive review, and include it in your follow-up emails. You could even offer future discounts in exchange for reviews.

People like to get recommendations for painters and decorators, so if you’ve built trust with customers and impressed them with your quality of work, they’ll talk about you and refer you to anyone and everyone, from friends to family and colleagues. Securing repeat customers should also be a priority when it comes to your business strategy, so the happier clients are, the more likely they’ll return to you for future projects.

Grow your business when the time is right

Your marketing plan should incorporate ways to keep scaling your business, so that you can increase your earnings year on year and become an established name in your sector. Once you’re bringing in a steady stream of work and developing a good reputation, you may get more word-of-mouth referrals, but it pays to avoid complacency. As you experiment with new ways to bring in work, you’ll increase the likelihood of scalability, rather than simply aiming for consistent work.

As you start to increase the scale of your work, you can take on additional painters or decorators. Expanding your team means you’re well-resourced to take on bigger projects, which you could charge higher fees for, and reach out to a greater number of potential customers.

Get Painter and Decorator Insurance with Protectivity

Running a professional painting and decorating company needn’t be made more difficult by worrying about claims against your business. While you focus on doing great work that keeps clients happy, liability insurance gives you reassuring financial support in the event that third parties take you to court, employees become poorly or have an accident while working.

Whether someone suffers an injury, illness or damage to property, Protectivity’s Painter and Decorator Insurance gives you a range of options for protecting your reputation and finances, with your chosen limit. Our Public Liability option protects you in the event you are sued by clients or members of the public, while Employers’ Liability includes claims from staff and subcontractors. You can also protect your tools and equipment with our new tools insurance offering.

Our insurance for tradesman is trusted by thousands. Our helpful team are on hand to support you with any queries.

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22:03:45 GMT • 22 January 2025

What Qualifications are Needed to Become an Electrician?

24 October 2023

•

8 mins read

Contributors

My main focus is managing the blog and product content for the Protectivity website ensuring everything aligns wi...

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Britain is suffering a severe shortage of qualified tradespeople, despite the fact that the level of demand means that there are potentially excellent earnings on offer. As well as builders and plumbers, good-quality electricians are extremely sought after right now. And with technology, electric cars, smart homes and domestic appliances all playing increasingly large roles in our everyday lives, the need for electrical installation and repair work isn’t likely to subside any time soon.

If you’re a young person evaluating your career choices, or you’re looking for a change in profession, it can be difficult to know where to start. That’s why we’ve created this guide, so that you can understand what qualifications you need to be an electrician. We’ll cover why qualifications are important, how they vary across the different routes into the industry, and the other key considerations to make as you become an electrical professional.

Why are qualifications important to be an electrician?

We’ve all heard of cowboy tradespeople and bodge-jobs at one time or another, and this kind of poor-quality work, often done on the cheap, doesn’t do anybody any good. Taking the appropriate qualifications for electrical work is vital for a number of reasons to ensure everyone gets the work and service they expect. Let’s break it down into five key areas:

Safety

This is perhaps the most important thing to remember when looking at what qualifications you need to be an electrician. Work that is not done safely can cause serious injury or worse, not only to whoever is doing the work, but to whoever is using the electrics afterwards. Good-quality training will ensure the right attitude and approaches towards safe work.

Specific expertise

Electrical work is such a broad church that there is a wide range of different works, which can vary depending on the work involved. For example, Domestic Installers don’t necessarily require all the qualifications and legal commitments that other electricians might need (more on that later). Different types of qualifications ensure that an electrician’s skill set is suitable for the type of work that they’re doing.

Quality of work

Qualifications ensure that an electrician is capable of doing the jobs they’re hired or contracted to do to the best possible standard. The training involved will guarantee that the right techniques and approaches have been learned along the way, instead of relying on second-hand advice or guesswork.

Customer trust

All three of the points above are important for giving customers confidence that their project is in good hands. Everyone remembers a good electrician, but they’re just as likely to remember a bad one. If a customer feels positive about work before, during and afterwards, they’re far more likely to become a repeat customer for months and even years to come.

Legislation

Different types of work come with different types of rules and regulations, many of them to ensure all the points listed above are adhered to. Qualifications help ensure work that takes place is legal, and that the importance of legal work is understood. In many cases, having these qualifications will be a legal requirement to get certain work and jobs.

What electrician qualifications can I get, and how can I get them?

There are several different ways to get into the electrical industry, and which ones are right for you depend on a number of different factors. These include (and are not necessarily limited to): your age, any pre-existing experience you have, any qualifications you’ve gained in other industries, and how much of your own money you’re able to spend on training. In this section, we’ll cover the main options in turn, and highlight some of the qualifications to work towards:

Apprenticeship

Getting an apprenticeship is probably the most common way to get a foothold in the industry, and in many ways, it can be considered the most traditional. You’ll be able to work on-site part-time, and spend the rest of your time learning in a college of specialist training centre.

Generally speaking, electrician apprenticeships last around three or four years. To be eligible, you’ll normally be expected to have GCSEs at grade C or better in English, Maths and Information Communication Technology. At the end of the apprenticeship, you’ll have either a technical certificate, NVQ or diploma at Level 3, which will enable you to pursue a long-term career in most types of electrical work.

Electrician’s mate

If you work as an electrician’s mate, then you have the chance to gain some working knowledge of electrical installations by shadowing and assisting a qualified professional. There are no formal requirements for qualifications to become an electrician’s mate, although gaining some of the basic credentials at levels 1 and 2 is desirable. Generally speaking, mates will not be able to carry out work unsupervised, which is why they’re generally better suited to larger businesses and sites where there are more people able to assist and provide advice.

Formal qualifications

It is possible to take qualifications in a formal college-based setting, in particular the Diploma in Electrical Installation at levels 2 and 3, or the T Level in Building Services Engineering for Construction. However, these should not be considered everything that is needed to become a fully qualified electrician: practical experience working in the electrical industry (normally around three years) is also required. This is why the apprenticeship (as highlighted above) or company-specific training and development schemes should be considered in tandem with any course.

Approved Electrician status

The Joint Industry Board (JIB) awards the status of Approved Electrician to anyone who meets their exacting criteria. For starters, you’ll need to have completed an apprenticeship or equivalent; but you’ll also need at least two years’ further experience after that; and a level 3 qualification in inspecting, testing and initial verification.

Approved Electricians are able to design and install electrical projects in a high-quality, efficient and safe manner. They’ll also be able to manage projects and understand requirements from drawings and specifications. Therefore, while it may take a long time to get Approved status, it can significantly increase your earning power in the long-term.

Domestic Installer qualifications

In the eyes of the law – specifically Part P of the Building Regulations (Electrical Safety – Dwellings) – Domestic Installers are not electricians, strictly speaking. However, that doesn’t mean that they aren’t professionals in their own right.

Domestic Installers do not necessarily have to go through all the qualifications that electricians need to. Instead, you can get up to speed through gaining a level 3 award that confirms their knowledge of electrical installations. This should also ensure that you are conversant with the British Standard BS 7671 on Requirements for Electrical Installations (also known informally as ‘The Regs’). These awards can be completed in around 100 hours, meaning it’s possible to get what you need in as little as three weeks, as long as you can demonstrate an example installation to an assessor.

Direct application

Many electricians come into the industry from other trades, especially related areas like building or electrical engineering. In this case, some of the qualifications gained to work in these industries can be transferred into working as an electrician. You may find that through your existing credentials, you’re able to get a job at an employer that will then help you gain all the skills and specific qualifications that you’re missing.

Pre-existing experience

If you’ve already been working in the industry for some time and you haven’t reached at least a level 3 qualification, you may be able to get that level of accreditation without going through training. You can take an Experienced Worker Assessment that takes a look at your capabilities and expertise, and works out if you’re already operating at a sufficient level.

Get electricians insurance with Protectivity

Electrical work is vitally important, and it can also be highly dangerous if not done correctly. It’s for that reason that there are a wide range of requirements and legislation in place to make sure that work is always done safely and to a good, professional standard. If something goes wrong, the financial implications can be severe, which is why having the correct insurance is essential. At Protectivity, we now offer insurance for tools to help tradespeople protect their business.

If you’re working for an employer, then you’ll normally be covered by whatever insurance provision they have in place. But if you’re working on a self-employed basis, or running your own electrician business where you’re employing other people, then having your own tradesman insurance in place is a must.

At Protectivity, we specialise in providing electricians insurance to professionals and entrepreneurs just like you. Our cover includes up to £5 million of public liability cover, employers’ liability if you hire other people, and the option for commercial legal protection in case you need support in this area. Find out more about our affordable policies, excellent claims handling, and monthly payment options for our electricians insurance today.

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14:11:07 GMT • 23 January 2025

What clients look for when hiring a painter and decorator

28 September 2023

•

7 mins read

Contributors

My main focus is managing the blog and product content for the Protectivity website ensuring everything aligns wi...

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If you’re starting or growing a painter or decorator business, a big part of your success comes down to making yourself as appealing as possible to prospective customers. Achieving this means understanding the major motivations that customers have when searching for firms, and responding to them in order to stand out from the crowd.

This guide highlights ten key things that your customers are looking out for when working out how to find a painter and decorator that suits their needs. The list comprises practical skills, business acumen and vital documentation, but all of them are critical to the long-term success and profitability of your business.

Experience

Probably the first thing that a customer will look for is information about your experience and qualifications. In particular, they’ll want to know how long you’ve been offering painting and decorating services, what your particular skill sets are, and what stands you out from the competition. They’re most likely to look for your website or social media pages to find this information, as well as any online trader directories that you’re a part of, so make sure your online footprint is updated regularly.

Customer reviews

Alongside researching your credentials, most customers will also explore any reviews that other customers have left for you in the past, and your overall star rating. If you’ve had some negative experiences in the past and received some poor ratings, then this can have a major effect on how you shape up compared to similar painters and decorators. It’s therefore more important than ever to get satisfied customers to leave you positive reviews when you’ve completed their work, to boost your rating and make yourself more attractive to prospective clients.

Estimate visits in person

Customers want to feel valued and that you’re taking your job seriously, especially if they’re looking at spending thousands of pounds with you. And that’s why a thorough estimate inspection, carried out at the location in person, can make an excellent first impression. By conducting an extensive survey and discussing different parts of the work with the customer, you can establish a common ground over what needs doing, how long it will take and how much it’s likely to cost.

Competitive quotes in writing

It goes without saying that you’ll have a better chance of getting more work if you’re able to do it for less than competitors in your local area. At the same time, it’s also good practice to give customers quotes in writing, so that they can be sure of what the price can be and that there is no risk of any ambiguity later on. This quote should take into account all materials and labour, including any extra charges incurred (for example, for working on Saturdays and Sundays).

Quick responses to enquiries

In all forms of retail and services, customer expectations are rising all the time. They increasingly expect to receive responses to their enquiries more or less straight away. In the case of an initial enquiry for a quote, many customers are likely to contact several different painters and decorators at the same time, and go with whichever one gets back to them first. Additionally, they will also expect you to keep in close contact throughout the job so that they’re fully informed.

Comprehensive service

Connected to the previous point, the best painters and decorators will be able to provide a comprehensive and fully professional service. Ideally, you’ll be able to bring several different jobs into a single quote, so that the customer can get large parts of their project done in one go without having to deal with multiple contractors simultaneously. And in professionalism terms, they will expect you to be appropriately dressed and behaved when on site, and with excellent timekeeping (both at the start and at the end of the day).

Specialist skills

General painters and decorators are ten-a-penny, and while they might be good for the basic work where the main differentiator is price, they’ll struggle to pick up the real high-value jobs. To do this, you need to look for more specialist work, such as commercial premises or even heritage conservation, which requires skills only possessed by a relatively small number of tradespeople. If you can develop your CV with skills and qualifications in highly specialised areas, then you’ll be in the running for more lucrative work, and the amount of competition you’ll face for it should be lower.

Clear information

From the start of a job all the way through to the end, clarity is vital in everything you do. Customers never want to feel that you’re pulling a fast one on them, whether that’s through knocking off early at the end of the day, or suddenly saying halfway through that there will be some extra unexpected costs. You should always be as honest and upfront as you can with the customer about the progress of the job, and give them total clarity on timeframe and costs in particular.

Additionally, when providing quotes and estimates, high-pressure sales tactics should be avoided at all costs. Not only are more customers wise to them these days, meaning they will more likely be deterred by them, but the ethical questions around such tactics can really hit your reputation over time.

Flexible payment options

Different painters and decorators take different approaches around when and how customers pay. Some like to get all the money up front, so that they have the capital to buy all the materials they need. Others, meanwhile, will take a proportion as a deposit and then the rest of the payment once the job has been completed. Either way, what is most important here is clarity: customers want to be sure exactly what they need to pay and when, and not to be met with any nasty surprises further down the line.

Proof of insurance cover

One thing that customers hate above just about anything else is uncertainty. This applies to things like enquiry response and timekeeping mentioned above, and it also applies to what happens if and when something goes wrong. For example, if a tin of paint is accidentally spilled over a customer’s carpet, then they (and you) want to be certain that they’ll be able to replace it without ending up out of pocket. The only sure-fire way to do this is with specialist painter and decorator insurance cover. If you’re in the trade looking for cover, get a quote for tradesman insurance today.

Affordable painter and decorator insurance from Protectivity

The last point on this list is especially important. Having painter and decorator insurance is not a legal requirement, and many less reputable operators in the trade may cut corners by not having it. This leaves customers liable for any damage that’s caused, even if it’s accidental, and can quickly lead to a very negative reputation being built up.

This is just one of the reasons why painter and decorator insurance is a must. Take out an affordable, flexible policy with Protectivity and you’ll benefit from cover in several areas to insulate you against any unforeseen financial impact. This includes public liability, products liability, commercial legal protection, and employers’ liability (required if you employ anyone else to work for you).

Starting at just £4 a month, we can give you financial protection for less than a multipack of paintbrushes. Find out more on our painter and decorator insurance policies today.

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10:08:47 GMT • 16 December 2024

How much does a painter and decorator earn?

5 September 2023

•

8 mins read

Contributors

My main focus is managing the blog and product content for the Protectivity website ensuring everything aligns wi...

Get painters and decorators insurance from Protectivity

Tradespeople are in demand across the UK right now, so it’s no surprise that many people want to know ‘how much does a painter and decorator make?’. Whether working in domestic, commercial or industrial settings, becoming a painter and decorator could help you earn very good money, once you’ve got the right experience in place. But what is the scale of your potential in this industry?

This guide takes an in-depth look at how much painters and decorators can earn in the UK. We’ll look at typical salaries for different levels of experience, how much you could potentially make through a self–employed painter and decorator hourly rate, and what you can do to maximise your earning power.

What is a typical painter and decorator salary in the UK?

The amount that you could earn as a painter and decorator varies substantially, depending on a number of different factors, perhaps the biggest of which is your level of experience. We’ve used figures from Checkatrade research to underline what you can expect to get at different stages of your career – and highlight how your earnings could ramp up over time:

If you’re an apprentice

Typical salary: £6.40 per hour (£11,238 per year)

Typical earnings for a painting and decorating apprentice come in at £6.40 an hour, or £51.20 for an eight-hour day. This equates to an annual salary of £11,238, and the good news here is that this is below the income tax threshold, so you would only be liable to make some small payments towards National Insurance. As a result, you can expect to take home £10,869 a year, which is just over £900 a month – a decent amount with which to combine your studies and training.

If you’ve just qualified

Typical salary: £9.50 per hour (£16,682 per year)

Once you’ve got your basic qualifications in place, you’ll start off somewhere around the National Living Wage level, which varies slightly depending on your age. Typically, you can expect to earn around £9.50 an hour, which means £76 a day. This generates a pre-tax salary of £16,682 per annum, which comes down to £14,837 once tax and National Insurance have been deducted. This is just under £1,250 a month take-home, but as you gain experience and a good reputation, your earnings should increase quite quickly.

If you’re employed full-time

Typical salary: £16.50 per hour (£34,320 per year)

Once you’re settled into full-time employment with a painting and decorating firm, you should be able to attract a decent wage. According to Checkatrade, typical earnings for an experienced, employed painter and decorator are £16.50 per hour, or £132 per day. This would generate a pre-tax annual salary of £34,320, which is a good chunk above the national average salary. Your net earnings would be £26,831, for a take-home of more than £2,200 per month.

If you’re self-employed as a sole trader

Typical salary: £37 per hour (£54,576 per year)

If you decide to branch out and start your own painting and decorating business as a sole trader, then the earning proposition is very different. How much you earn will be dictated by how much you charge as your hourly rate, minus any business expenses you incur, from fuel and transport to materials and safety gear.

A typical self-employed painter and decorator hourly rate is £37, which translates to £296 for an eight-hour day and £54,576 a year. Once expenses, tax, and National Insurance have been deducted, you should still be left with around £36,000, or £3,000 a month take-home.

If you run a limited company

Typical salary: £48 per hour (£70,802 per year)

How much you earn running a limited company depends on whether you’re still doing the work yourself, or whether you’re employing someone to do it for you and taking a management role instead. For the purposes of simplicity, we’ll assume the former here.

The average hourly rate that a limited company would charge for painting and decorating services is £48, which works out at £384 a day. This means you could generate £70,802 a year. However, in addition to expenses and your own tax and National Insurance, you’ll also have to pay corporation tax. What you end up with as your net earnings is therefore highly variable, but within reason, your earning power is unlimited!

Ways to improve your earnings

If you want to push those figures up a notch, or you’re thinking that they may be a little low for your personal financial needs or expectations, then there’s plenty you can do to make more money out of the profession. None of them will necessarily make a huge difference, but all are good ‘marginal gains’ that can help you improve your earnings incrementally:

Get more qualifications

When the public are looking for a self-employed painter and decorator, they want maximum confidence that they’re working with the right person for the job. The best way to convince them of your abilities is to gain more qualifications at more advanced levels: ideally, you should adopt a continuous approach to education and constantly be on the lookout for new skills and techniques.

Specialise your offering and skills

If you want to stand out in a competitive marketplace, then pursuing some specialist skills and types of painting and decorating can help. It will give you a niche that not many of your competitors will offer, and also may allow you to charge a premium. This could be anything from particular types of paints and materials, to heritage conservation or commercial premises.

Expand and move yourself into admin

As mentioned above, if you’re experienced and operating as a limited company, you could move into a management and admin role. This means you’ll be involved in quotes, estimates, contract management, design, sales and materials procurement, and you’ll be employing other people to do the actual painting and decorating for you. If you’re employed by someone else, you may find that larger firms also have their own openings for these types of roles.

Raise your rates

Perhaps the simplest way to generate more income is to put your prices up. Far from being an opportunity to grab more cash, many businesses have had to do so to counteract their own rising costs, but this still ensures a greater level of profitability. Raising rates should be done with caution, though: you don’t want to go too far and price yourself out of the market relative to your local competitors.

Look for cost savings

If you don’t feel you can put your prices up, then the best alternative is to look at ways at bringing your costs down. Naturally, you don’t want to compromise in quality of goods or services, but there may well be some efficiencies in your business processes. Think along the lines of more economical transport, using tools and equipment for longer before replacing, or even bringing a packed lunch instead of buying food on the go.

Explore tax efficiencies

If you operate as a limited company, then work with a good-quality accountant, who will be able to advise on ways for you to minimise your tax liabilities within the boundaries of the law. For example, you may be able to reduce your income tax and National Insurance liabilities by paying yourself a small salary and the rest in business dividends. See our limited company tax guide for more details.

Protect yourself against claims

One of the biggest impacts your earnings might face is if you have to deal with a claim for compensation. This could be because you’ve accidentally damaged some customer property, not completed work to the expected standard, or an employee who works for you has got hurt on the job. You should always make sure you’re insulated against these major expenses.

Affordable painter and decorator insurance from Protectivity

At Protectivity, we provide affordable tradesman public liability insurance which is specialist cover for small businesses, sole traders and self-employed trades people.

Our policies include public liability as standard with the option to add employers’ liability if you hire other people and all-risk insurance which can include a combination of plant and tools cover and contractors works insurance. That way, when unforeseen circumstances occur, you and your business won’t end up out of pocket.

Starting from just £4.16 a month, our cover represents a minimal business expense but could potentially save you thousands of pounds in the long run. We now also offer specialist tools cover to protect your tools and equipment.

Take two minutes today to take a closer look at our painter and decorator insurance policies.

Get Painters and Decorators Insurance from Protectivity

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11:36:43 GMT • 12 February 2025

How to become a painter and decorator

17 August 2023

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10 mins read

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Get painters and decorators insurance from Protectivity

Have you ever wondered how to become a painter and decorator? If you love making interiors look great, applying some flair and creativity, and working out and about rather than in an office, it could be the career for you. And at a time when demand for good tradespeople continues to outstrip supply, it’s a chance for you to potentially earn some really good money in the long-term. But if you’ve never explored painting and decorating as a career option before, where do you start?

This guide tells you all you need to know about how to become a painter and decorator. You’ll discover your day-to-day duties, the qualifications and skills you’ll need, how much you could potentially earn, and what you need to consider when setting up a business.

What does a painter and decorator do?

The range of duties and jobs that professional painters and decorators are hired for is huge. That’s because every home and building is different, and every client has different ideas about what they’d like to see.

First of all, when looking at how to become a painter and decorator, it’s important to remember that the job isn’t just restricted to people’s homes. The same services are just as in demand in commercial settings like shops, and in industrial environments like offices. This is good news for you as it gives you the opportunity to differentiate your skills and business, and stand out more from the competition in your area.

From a more practical, day-to-day perspective, your responsibilities may include some or all of the following:

Mixing paint and applying it to walls, ceilings and other materials

Applying primer or undercoat

Carrying out repairs to surface, such as filling cracks

Pasting and applying wallpaper

Stripping old surfaces for new substances to be applied

Surveying and measuring environments, both for quotation and to determine the quantity of materials required

What qualifications do I need to be a painter and decorator?

Technically speaking, there is no legal requirement to become a painter and decorator. However, it’s strongly recommended that you get some formal training and qualifications behind you. Without them, it will be extremely difficult to get a job with a decorating business, which will want concrete evidence of your capabilities. Similarly, if going down the self-employed route, then customers will be more likely to trust you if they can see any reliable credentials of your skills.

The good news is that there is a wide variety of courses and qualifications you can take to get the certification you need. Perhaps one of the most common is the Painting and Decorating NVQ, starting at Level 1. This initial course gives you theoretical and practical experience of using the right materials, best practice in health and safety, the range of products available to you, and being able to mix and apply paints, varnish and sanding.

From this, you can move onto Level 2, which brings in paint and surface preparation, up-to-date techniques, and further information around business and customer management. Level 3 takes these skills to the next level and allows you to gain a Gold Advanced Craft Card, which stands you out as a highly competent painter and decorator.

Alternatively, you can go down the City & Guilds route, starting with the Basic Wallpapering course. From this you can take the Intermediate and Advanced Painting & Decorating courses, and gradually build up the knowledge and practical skills that you need over time.

Some of the courses available do have the option for online learning, but it’s important to check what the facilities are for practical training in your area.

How long does it take to become a qualified painter and decorator?

This depends on the type of courses you take, and whether you’re learning full-time or gaining your qualifications on-the-job. Using NVQs as an example, in most vocational professions it generally takes between one and two years to reach Level 3 from a standing start.

You may find some colleges and training providers offer ‘intensive’ training that allows you to gain qualifications in much shorter timeframes. However, you should never neglect the value of practical experience: you’ll never stop learning as a painter and decorator, and practice will ultimately make perfect!

What skills do I need to be a painter and decorator?

First and foremost, painting and decorating is a practical and hands-on job, so you’ll need to be good with your hands! Perhaps just as importantly, you’ll need to have a strong work ethic: you may well be required to work outdoors, in difficult conditions, and sometimes at unsociable hours like evenings and weekends.

One skill set you might not associate with the profession – but can be a real differentiator – is computer proficiency. That’s because the planning of painting and decorating is becoming increasingly digitised, with digital colour charts and paint mixing apps taking some of the guesswork out of the job. So, if you’re good with computers, it can add another useful line to your CV. Painting and decorating also requires a decent level of mathematical skills, so that you can work out quantities of materials, and formulate quotations.

If you intend to work on building sites at any time, then it will also be a legal requirement for you to gain a Construction Skills Certificate Scheme (CSCS) card.

What tools and equipment do I need?

You’ve probably already worked out that you’re going to need paint, brushes and rollers if you’re going to be a painter and decorator. But that’s only a small amount of the equipment that you’ll need. Other equipment and tools required includes (and is not necessarily limited to):

Trays for brushes and rollers, and materials for cleaning them

Dustsheets and other measures for protecting items from paint damage

Sandpaper and other abrasive items that help prepare areas for decoration

Stanley knives, spirit levels and stepladders

Suitable clothing and footwear that will keep you clean and safe

A first-aid kit in case of an accident or injury

This is by no means an exhaustive list, and you may have further requirements depending on the environment you’re working in. For example, on a building site, steel-capped boots and a hard hat will be mandatory, even if the work you’re doing isn’t especially dangerous or heavy-duty.

If you’re taking a job with a professional decorating firm, make sure you check in advance how much equipment is going to be provided. Some may lay on everything you need, while others may expect you to bring some of your own stuff with you.

How much can painters and decorators make?

The range of potential earnings on offer for professional painters and decorators is substantial, and there are two main reasons for this. The first is that the public is willing to pay a premium for access to good-quality workmanship with an excellent reputation, especially as skilled tradespeople are in particularly short supply at present. The second is that your earning power is potentially limitless if you’re self-employed or run your own business, rather than earning a fixed salary working for someone else.

According to the National Careers Service, a full-time employed painter and decorator can expect to earn anywhere between £17,000 and £32,000 a year, depending on location and experience. But if you’re running your own business, your rates (minus expenses and overheads) are up to you, meaning your earnings can increase by a substantial margin.

Business formation

Firstly, you should decide the legal status of your business, and there are two main options open to you. The first (and simplest) is to operate as a sole trader, which is preferable if you’re intending to work on your own. This means that your income and expenditure is directly tied to your own personal finances, and are assessed for tax when you fill out your Self-Assessment every year. But there is a downside: if you fall into debt, including if a claim for compensation is made against you, then you are personally liable for the bill. In the worst case scenario, your home could be at risk if you have no other way of settling the bill.

The safer, but slightly more complex option, is to set yourself up as a limited company. This means you have a degree of separation between your business finances (operated through a business bank account) and your own affairs. It also means that any debts are the responsibility of the business rather than you personally. This can make things much clearer from an operational point of view if your business will be relatively complicated, and especially if you intend to hire other people to work for you.

Setting prices and rates

The next step is to work out how much you intend to charge per hour for your services, and there are two defining factors at play here. The first is how much other firms in your area charge: you may want to charge a little less to attract business to begin with, but this will naturally limit your potential profitability.

The second consideration is your expenses, from your wages and earnings, through transport to different sites, to the materials, tools and equipment you need to do the job. When you quote for different jobs, it’s vital you take materials into account as well as labour, so that there is a decent amount left over for yourself.

Marketing and promotion

Your ideal starting point for marketing your services is to set up a simple website that details your skills and services, and link it to some social media platforms on which people can find you and enquire. However, don’t neglect the usefulness of more traditional forms of marketing: flyers, posters and adverts in your local newspapers are still often relied upon by people looking for reliable tradespeople.

Legal and insurance

When you run a business, you’ll be required to comply with a range of different legal frameworks, health and safety perhaps being one of the most important. But there are others to take into account, too, especially if you’re employing other people: you’ll need to pay Employer’s National Insurance, and take out a tradesman insurance policy that encompasses cover for employees. In any case, covering your business with specific painter and decorator insurance is always a good idea, given the potential for an accident or incident that can be disruptive and expensive.

Affordable painter and decorator insurance from Protectivity

Even the best and most experienced painters and decorators get things wrong at times – nobody is perfect, after all! The only problem is that from a business perspective, mistakes, incidents and accidents can become expensive.

At Protectivity, we provide affordable painter and decorator insurance cover specialising in small businesses. Our policies include public liability, products liability, commercial legal protection, and employers’ liability if you hire other people. That way, when unforeseen circumstances occur, you and your business won’t end up out of pocket. We now also offer insurance for your tools to help protect you should they be stolen or damaged.

Take two minutes today to take a closer look at our painter and decorator insurance policies.

Get Painters and Decorators Insurance from Protectivity

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