Painting contractors can easily increase their profits by adding fence staining to their list of services. Fence staining is an easy service for most painters to add because they already have the necessary equipment to get the job done. This article will cover some basic strategies for finding fence stain jobs, some of the best places to get fence stain, and a breakdown of just how profitable these jobs can be.
If you are a painter who is “on the fence” about adding fence staining to your services, consider these facts. You likely have all the necessary tools already. You or your crew already have experience in masking and applying coatings. Most fence stain jobs are quick and result in fast profit. Hopefully, that is enough to convince you to give fence staining a try.
If you are wondering where to start lining up these kinds of jobs, here are some great options. The first place to look would be at the jobs you are already doing. Fence staining makes a great add-on to an exterior paint job. Since you are already at the house with your equipment and crew it is easy to stain the fence while you are there.
In many areas where wooden fences are commonly stained, the fence contractors do the staining. It goes without saying that the tools and skills needed to stain a fence are very different than what is needed to build it. A good first step to finding fence stain jobs would be to approach fence contractors. Fence stain really should be applied by someone with experience and the contractor may appreciate your expertise in applying coatings. They are the ones who are installing new fences that need to be stained every day. You could either work out a deal with the fence contractor to subcontract for them or offer them a finder’s fee for referring work to you.
Another great opportunity for finding fences that need to be stained is to visit new construction neighborhoods in your city. Each of these homes will likely have a new fence that needs to be stained. You can knock on the doors and offer free quotes if that is legal in your area. Or you could pass our door hangers in the area.
As with any local service digital marketing is a great way to get new jobs. If you have a website, you can have your developer add a service page about fence staining to attract new customers. Also, Facebook and Google ads are an opportunity to get new business if you have the marketing budget for them. Working with a local SEO expert is a great way to increase your online visibility and get more jobs. Of course, once you sell these jobs, you need to get the stain to use on the fence.
Most painters will default to getting the fence stain at their paint store. It is worth it to look into other sources for fence stain as well. Namely, fence material wholesalers often sell fence stain along with their other fencing materials. For example, Master Halco is the largest fencing supplies wholesaler in the US. They sell a fence stain brand at a price that will beat most paint store pricing. The product they sell is easier to apply than the top US paint supplier’s stain.
While there is no guarantee that you will like the stain available at the fence supplier near you better than what you get at the paint store, it is worth it to at least check. If you do find a better product or price at the fence supplier you will have a bit of an advantage over the other painters in your area still going to the paint store.
To give an idea about just how much of a profitable advantage your business can have with fence staining consider these facts. When using the right products, a fence can be stained in 2-4 hours by a two-man crew. That means one small crew should be able to easily stain two to three fences in a day. One stain company in the Midwest reports that their average price for a fence stain job is around $1500. That means that fence staining could potentially add $3000 to $4500 in daily revenue to your company. These numbers would likely be higher in a more expensive market.
With potential profits like these, and with no additional equipment to buy, every painting contractor should at least consider adding fence staining as a service. This service can be the opportunity that gives you a competitive advantage over your competition. In today’s world, there are plenty of resources to learn all about the process of fence staining and tips and tricks to get the jobs done quickly and efficiently. There is truly no excuse for not giving it a try.
Writer Bio:
Matt Stone is the owner of Hometown Painting LLC which he founded in 2018. He has been staining fences for over 8 years and staining now makes up over 40% of the gross revenue for his company.
