🎯 The business: interior rooms and house exteriors for homeowners. Most of the price is labor, so a careful painter with a helper and good prep work can clear a solid income without expensive equipment. The two things to get right before your first job are your state’s contractor rules and the federal lead paint rule for homes built before 1978.
At a glance
| Money to start | ≈ $3,950 to $5,250, using a truck or van you own |
| Time to the first paying job | 2 to 6 weeks, longer if your state requires a license exam |
| Time to a steady calendar | One season of reviews and yard signs |
| Hours | Full days; exteriors in dry, mild weather, interiors all year |
| Skills that matter most | Prep work, clean lines, accurate quotes, showing up on time |
| What a good month can pay | About $9,000 before tax with one helper (worked below) |
Is this for you?
It suits someone patient and tidy who takes pride in finish work. Most of a good paint job is prep: scraping, sanding, filling, caulking and masking. You can learn the basics quickly; speed and a clean finish come with a season or two of practice.
It is a poor fit if you dislike ladders, heat or repetition. Exterior work is seasonal in cold or rainy places, so plan interior work for the winter. Quoting is the hidden skill; underbid a few jobs and you work for free.
Who pays, and what
Homeowners refreshing rooms, people getting ready to sell, new buyers who want it done before they move in, landlords between tenants, and property managers. An interior room often runs about $400 to $800, and a whole exterior on a typical one- or two-story house about $3,000 to $10,000 depending on size, siding and prep.
Cabinet painting, deck and fence staining, and small commercial jobs such as offices and shops pay well and fill gaps between houses.
What it takes to start
| LLC, business license, liability insurance | $1,500 |
| State contractor license or registration, where required | $0 to $500 |
| EPA lead renovator course (example) and EPA firm certification ($300) | $550 |
| Extension ladder, step ladders, walk plank | $800 |
| Entry-level airless sprayer | $0 to $800 |
| Brushes, rollers, poles, drop cloths, tape, plastic, scrapers, caulk | $600 |
| HEPA vacuum for lead-safe cleanup | $500 |
| All-in | ≈ $3,950 to $5,250 |
Paint is not in the table because the customer pays for it in each job. Open a contractor account at a paint store early; contractor pricing and a store rep who knows you are worth more than any tool.
Start to finish: the steps
1. Learn the trade on real jobs. Paint for a company for a season, or help an experienced painter. Learn surface prep, cutting in, rolling, spraying, and how long each takes, so your quotes are based on real hours.
2. Find out what your state requires. Contractor licensing for painters varies a lot. California requires a C-33 painting license for jobs of $1,000 or more in labor and materials, and for smaller jobs if you hire help or the job needs a permit. Maryland and New Jersey license or register home improvement contractors. Many states leave it to cities. Call your state contractor board.
3. Get lead-safe certified. If you will work on homes built before 1978, take the one-day EPA lead renovator course and certify your business with EPA (or your state, if it runs its own program). This applies to one-person businesses too.
4. Make it legal. Form an LLC or start as a sole proprietor, get the business license, open a business bank account, and buy general liability insurance. Many states and customers require proof of insurance. See Choosing a legal structure and Business insurance.
5. Build a quote method. Measure, count doors and windows, estimate hours for prep and each coat, and add paint at the store price. Put scope, colors, number of coats, prep, and what is not included in writing. Take a deposit.
6. Start with interiors. Rooms are smaller jobs, easier to quote, and good for photos and reviews. They also keep you working in the off-season.
7. Add exteriors with a helper. Exterior jobs pay more but need two people for ladders and prep. Payroll and workers’ compensation from the first hire; check whether your state allows calling a helper an independent contractor, because it usually does not.
8. Put out a yard sign at every job. With permission, a sign in the yard while you work is the cheapest lead you will get. Neighbors see the progress and ask for quotes.
9. Collect reviews and photos. Before-and-after pictures of every room and house go on your Google Business Profile.
10. Grow into a crew. When you are booked weeks out, add a second helper or a lead painter so you can quote and manage while work continues.
Pricing
| Interior room, walls only, about 12 by 12 feet | $400 to $800 |
| Ceiling added | $150 to $300 |
| Interior door with trim | $75 to $150 |
| Exterior, one story, about 1,500 square feet | $3,000 to $6,000 |
| Exterior, two stories | $5,000 to $10,000 |
| Kitchen cabinets | $3,000 to $7,000 |
| Lead-safe work on a pre-1978 home | Add the extra hours for containment and cleanup |
These are example prices. Paint and materials are commonly about 15 to 20 percent of the price, and labor is most of the rest. Quote by the job, not by the hour, but build the quote from your hours. See Pricing and margins.
The math
A good month with one helper: two exteriors at $5,500 each ($11,000) and $7,000 of interior rooms, for $18,000 of revenue.
Paint and materials at 18 percent of revenue are $3,240. The helper works 160 hours at $22, which is $3,520, plus about 20 percent for payroll taxes and workers’ compensation ($704), so $4,224. Truck fuel $400, insurance, software and ads $800, and equipment and sundries $300. Costs total $8,964, leaving $9,036 before tax for you.
Rain, a slow winter, or one badly underbid job pulls this down fast. Track your real hours against the quote on every job for the first year. Set aside a quarter to a third of what you clear for tax.
Getting customers
In order: yard signs, a Google Business Profile with photos and reviews, Nextdoor and neighborhood groups, and referrals from realtors, property managers and the paint store. Realtors need fast, neutral-color work before listings. Answer quote requests the same day; many homeowners book the first painter who shows up with a clear written quote.
Running it week to week
Do quotes in the evening or early morning so the crew keeps painting. Check the weather for exterior jobs and the paint’s temperature and humidity limits. Order paint the day before and confirm colors in writing. On pre-1978 homes, set up containment before any scraping or sanding and do the cleaning check before you leave. Once a week, compare hours to quotes, collect final payments, and send review requests.
Rules to check
Contractor license. Varies by state and sometimes by city. California requires a C-33 license for jobs of $1,000 or more, and for smaller jobs that need a permit or where you hire help. Some states license or register all home improvement contractors; others have no state license for painters. Check your state contractor board before you advertise.
EPA lead rule (RRP). If you are paid to disturb painted surfaces in a home or child-care facility built before 1978, EPA’s Renovation, Repair and Painting rule applies unless the paint has been tested and found free of lead. The firm must be certified (EPA’s fee is $300 for five years), a certified renovator must be assigned to the job, and you must give the owner EPA’s Renovate Right pamphlet before you start. It applies when you disturb more than 6 square feet per room inside or more than 20 square feet outside. Lead-safe work practices, cleanup and records are required, and some methods, such as open-flame burning and power sanding without a HEPA attachment, are banned. Some states run their own version of the program.
Other. Ladder and fall rules from OSHA apply once you have employees. Dispose of leftover paint and thinners the way your county allows; many have household or business hazardous waste programs.
What goes wrong
Underbidding is the most common failure; a job that takes twice the hours pays half the wage. Peeling paint months later usually comes from poor prep or painting in the wrong weather. Paint on floors, cars or plants leads to claims. Lead-rule violations carry federal penalties and, worse, can poison a child; do not skip it to win a job. Falls from ladders are the most serious injury risk in the trade.
Questions people ask
How much does it cost to start a painting business?
About $3,950 to $5,250 with a vehicle you own: insurance, any state license fee, the EPA lead course and firm certification, ladders, a sprayer, basic tools and a HEPA vacuum. Paint is billed to each job.
Do I need a license to paint houses?
It depends on the state. California requires a C-33 license for jobs of $1,000 or more; some states register home improvement contractors; others have no state license. On homes built before 1978 you also need EPA lead-safe certification.
What is the EPA lead rule for painters?
The Renovation, Repair and Painting rule. Paid work that disturbs paint in pre-1978 homes needs a certified firm, a certified renovator on the job, the Renovate Right pamphlet given to the owner, and lead-safe practices.
How much do painters charge per room?
Often about $400 to $800 for walls in a typical 12 by 12 foot room, more with ceilings, trim, doors or heavy repairs.
How much does a house painting business make?
An owner with one helper doing $18,000 of work in a month can clear about $9,000 before tax in the worked example above. Weather and quoting accuracy decide the yearly result.
Free help
SCORE gives free mentoring, and your local Small Business Development Center helps with plans, bids and loans. EPA’s lead program website lists accredited training providers and has the firm application and the Renovate Right pamphlet. The Painting Contractors Association (PCA) publishes industry standards and runs training. More in Small business taxes.
Prices are examples. The California threshold, EPA’s lead rule thresholds and the $300 firm fee were checked in November 2026; check your state contractor board and EPA’s lead pages before you take your first pre-1978 job.