Painting Business – 13 Point Checklist of the Essential Tools Most Needed to Start a Painting Business
If you are considering starting a commercial or residential painting business, you will only need some basic inexpensive tools to get started. You can purchase other tools as more jobs come up and with your initial payments. Here’s a list of the most important painting business tools you need to get started.
1.) A quality frame cage – also known as a paint roller. Wooster and Purdy have sturdy commercial cage frames sold at most professional paint stores.
2.) Extension pole – Get a good medium sized fiberglass extension pole for rolling walls and ceilings.
3.) Wall Sander – I always sand walls and ceilings before I roll them. Cleans cobwebs and anything else that needs to be knocked down to make walls and ceilings smooth.
4.) Roller Bucket – I use the Wooster Roller Bucket. It is tall, square and has a lid. It is made of strong plastic and balances much better than a paint tray and washes easily. You must have it.
5.) Cutting Bucket – I like to put some paint in a small plastic cutting bucket. There are small 1 gallon buckets of drywall compound that when empty make a great cutting bucket plus they have a lid. They will last for years.
6.) Ladder – A simple wooden 5-foot ladder is ideal for most homes. If I need a 6 foot ladder, I have an aluminum one for that. Most of the time all I need is my 5′ and I’m only 5’6″ so there you go.
7.) 16′ Extension Ladder – Great for stairwells or ranch style exterior work. I use my 16′ extension ladder more than any other size. I also have 20′ and 24′ extension ladders, but I couldn’t go without my little 16-ft. 8.) Drop Towels – I like to use the runner type the most. They are cheap, light to carry and can be easily moved around the room. I also have a 9 x 12 on hand.
9.) Fluorescent Light – Painting an interior without a fluorescent light is nearly impossible, especially on an overcast day. Fluorescent light is a nice white light that is great for painting and shows colors in their truest form.
10.) Tool Bucket – An empty 5 gallon bucket makes a great tool bucket. I keep my pliers, hammer, razors, caulking gun, etc. in the tool bin.
11.) Small Fan – I bought a fan type fan for $30 made by Stanley Tools at Walmart. It dries walls and ceilings quickly so you can get back to work cutting and moving around the room without it being wet.
12.) Drywall Compound – I hate Spackle. Flashes under paint. I use the Sheetrock brand of 90-minute quick dry drywall compound found at Lowes or other hardware stores for about $11 a bag. It will last me all year. It’s a powder formula and is easy to mix right on the job with water and a small chop bucket. That way you don’t have to carry around a heavy 5 gallon pail that can also freeze in the winter and can get a lot of chunks in it over time.
13.) Caulk Gun – I use painter’s caulk all the time to fill small gaps between woodwork, trim, and walls. Most paint stores have it on hand. I use the 35 year old interior/exterior type.
Here it is. If you are considering starting your own painting business and want to know how much it will cost to get started, this list will help. I would guess on a hand that everything on the list costs around $300. If you already have a step ladder and even a small extension ladder, this will greatly reduce the initial costs.
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