Turn This Dreaded Homeowner Task Into Steady Cash

Interior painting is one of the most dreaded home projects homeowners have to deal with. People put it off for months, sometimes years, because it’s messy, time-consuming, and can be physically demanding on someone who isn’t used to the work.

But that’s exactly why it makes a great service business. Most homeowners would rather pay someone to do it right than deal with the hassle themselves.

I’ve put together some popular, high-demand home painting business ideas you can start with to make a full-time income by mastering just a few basic skills.

Interior Painting Services

This is where a painting business usually starts. You offer the kind of work most homeowners need but don’t want to take on themselves. It’s about doing clean, steady work that makes a visible difference.

Begin with single-room repaints like bedrooms, kitchens, or bathrooms. You can also offer full interior repaints for people moving into a new place or getting a rental ready.

Other jobs might include accent walls, cabinets, trim, and touch-ups after drywall repair.

Additional services can include:

• Cabinet and vanity painting or refinishing

• Popcorn ceiling removal and repaint

• Color consultations and sample testing

• Trim and baseboard repainting

This is the type of work people will pay for when it’s done right. You don’t need to offer every service at once. Start small, focus on the details, and build your reputation from there.

To save time when quoting jobs or matching colors, a tool like Color Muse can be a big help. It lets you scan a wall or surface and instantly get the paint code you need, so you can order with confidence and avoid extra trips to the store. With over 1,000 reviews on Amazon, it’s a smart tool to keep in your kit.

Exterior Painting Services

Exterior painting is where your work gets noticed from the street. It takes a little more prep, but the jobs pay well and make a big impact.

Depending on where you live, the changing seasons may not always allow for exterior painting services year-round. But this is always a great option to offer as an add-on to your interior services when the weather permits.

This is a great next step once you’re confident with your tools and your timing.

You can start by offering whole-house repaints or focus on smaller, faster jobs like fences, decks, and porches. These are the jobs homeowners often delay, especially when they don’t have the tools or time to do it right.

Services can include:

• Fence and gate painting or staining

• Deck painting or refinishing

• Garage door painting

• Porch railing and trim painting

• Shutter and front door refresh

• Power washing before painting

You can build this business one project at a time. Focus on clean prep, solid finishes, and showing up when you say you will. That alone puts you ahead of most people in the field.

Specialty Finishes and Decorative Services

Once your skills are solid and you’re confident in your prep and finish work, you can move into specialty jobs. These take more time and care, but they often come with higher pay and less competition.

These types of projects go beyond basic painting. Homeowners hire you not just to refresh a space, but to create something that stands out.

Services can include:

• Faux finishes like marble, wood grain, or textured effects

• Limewash or whitewash on brick

• Chalkboard or magnetic wall paint

• Murals or custom artistic designs

• Historic home paint restoration

These jobs work best when you build a small portfolio and show examples of past work. If you’re creative and have an eye for detail, this can be a great way to separate yourself from other painters and charge more for your time.

Add-On or Niche Services

As your painting business grows, you can offer small, targeted services that fill in the gaps between bigger jobs. These are quick to deliver, easy to price, and help keep your schedule full.

Some can be offered on their own. Others work well as add-ons when you're already on-site.

Here are a few to consider:

• Move-in or move-out painting for rentals

• Touch-up packages for real estate staging

• HOA-approved exterior refreshes

• Wallpaper removal and wall prep

• Garage floor epoxy painting

• Paint-only handyman services, like door touch-ups or stair spindles

• Color-matching and repaint for insurance repairs

These smaller jobs are often overlooked by larger companies, which gives you a chance to build trust with clients and pick up steady referrals. When done right, these services keep you working even when the big projects slow down.

One more thing worth repeating: having a reliable color-matching tool like Color Muse can save you a lot of guesswork. Whether you’re touching up walls or matching a client’s existing color, it gives you the paint code on the spot so you can get it right the first time. It’s one of those small tools that makes a big difference.

If this kind of work sounds like something you’d enjoy, painting could be a great path. It’s steady, in demand, and the kind of job where you can see the results right in front of you.

For more on these businesses and many others, visit FullThrottleStartUp.com

Tim

Heads up: a few of the links in here are affiliate links. If you grab something through them, I might earn a small commission (at no extra cost to you).