Painting has the worst revenue consistency of any home service. I've seen it from every angle — as a business owner, a business broker who's bought and sold home service companies, and a franchise consultant. Plumbers have emergencies. Lawn guys have weekly contracts. Cleaners have recurring appointments. Painters? Painters have big weeks and dead weeks. Feast and famine. Over and over.
Here's what the cycle looks like: you land a $5,000 interior job. Two weeks of solid work. You finish, collect the check, feel great. Then... nothing. Two weeks of marketing, quoting, following up, waiting. Maybe a $1,200 exterior touch-up comes in. Then another gap. Then suddenly three jobs close at once and you're working 14-hour days trying to keep up.
Sound familiar? You're not bad at running a business. You're running a business model that's structurally inconsistent.
The fix isn't more marketing. It's diversification. Adding complementary services that fill the gaps between paint jobs, increase your average ticket on the jobs you do land, and create reasons for past clients to call you back sooner than "when the paint starts peeling."
Here are six add-on services that painters are using right now to break the cycle — each one leveraging skills, equipment, and client relationships you already have.
Why it fits: Every paint job starts with wall prep. You're already patching nail holes, filling cracks, skim-coating imperfections. Drywall repair is just doing more of what you already do before you paint — but as a standalone, billable service.
Skill Overlap: You already know how to mud, tape, sand, and texture. Drywall repair is paint prep scaled up. If you can make a wall paint-ready, you can repair drywall.
Training Needed: Minimal for small repairs (holes, cracks, water damage patches). For larger repairs (full sheet replacement, ceiling work), plan for a few YouTube deep dives and 2–3 practice jobs at discounted rates to build confidence.
Equipment Cost: $200–$500
Average Job Value: $150–$800 for repairs. Small holes and patches: $75–$200. Water damage repair (patch + texture + prime): $300–$800. Whole-room skim coat: $500–$1,500.
How to Sell It: Every estimate you write for a paint job should include a drywall repair line item if the walls need it. Don't absorb it into the paint quote — call it out: "Drywall repair and wall prep: $350." Clients understand that damaged walls need fixing before paint. Separately, market drywall repair as a standalone service: "Holes, cracks, water damage? We fix it — and we can paint it to match, too." That last part is your competitive advantage over a general handyman.
The Revenue Smoother: Drywall repair jobs are typically 1–4 hours. They fill the gaps between larger paint jobs perfectly. A $300 drywall repair on a Tuesday between a Monday paint finish and a Thursday paint start is the difference between a productive week and a week with two dead days.
Learn more about drywall repair services →
Why it fits: Wallpaper is having a comeback — accent walls, powder rooms, dining rooms. And wallpaper removal is one of the most-hated home improvement tasks in existence. Homeowners will happily pay someone else to deal with it. As a painter, you already understand surface prep, adhesion, and finish work. Wallpaper is a natural extension.
Skill Overlap: Surface preparation, attention to detail, working with paste/adhesive, clean edges and seams. Your painter's eye for straight lines and pattern alignment transfers directly.
Training Needed: Moderate. Wallpaper installation has techniques that differ from painting — matching patterns, booking paste, handling seams. Take a manufacturer training course (York, Graham & Brown, and others offer free or cheap training). Practice on one room in your own home or offer a friend's project at cost. After 3–5 installations, you'll be confident.
Equipment Cost: $300–$700
Average Job Value: - Wallpaper removal: $1–$3 per square foot, average room $300–$800 - Wallpaper installation: $2–$5 per square foot, average accent wall $400–$1,000 - Full room installation: $800–$2,500 - Removal + new wallpaper + paint the rest of the room: $1,500–$4,000
How to Sell It: Position yourself as the complete wall-finish specialist. "We do paint, wallpaper, and everything in between." When a client calls for a paint quote, ask: "Have you considered an accent wall with wallpaper in [room]? It adds character, and we can install it as part of this project." The upsell from a $2,000 paint job to a $3,500 paint + wallpaper job is a 75% ticket increase from one question.
Learn more about wallpaper services →
Why it fits: Kitchen cabinet refinishing is one of the hottest home improvement services right now. A full kitchen remodel costs $30K–$80K. Cabinet refinishing costs $3,000–$8,000 and makes the kitchen look brand new. Homeowners love the value proposition, and painters are uniquely qualified because cabinet refinishing is... painting. Just precision painting on a different surface.
Skill Overlap: Spraying, brushing, prep work, primer, topcoat, finish quality. If you can cut a clean line on a ceiling and spray a door, you can refinish cabinets. The difference is in the prep (degreasing, sanding, priming) and the products (cabinet-specific paints and hardeners).
Training Needed: Low to moderate. The technique is painting — you already have the core skill. What you need to learn: proper cabinet prep (TSP cleaning, scuff sanding, bonding primer), the right products (Benjamin Moore Advance, Sherwin-Williams Emerald Urethane, or spray lacquer), and hardware/hinge removal and reinstallation. Watch 5–10 detailed YouTube tutorials, then offer your first job at a discount to build your portfolio.
Equipment Cost: $500–$2,000
Average Job Value: $3,000–$8,000 per kitchen. Average is $4,000–$6,000. Bathroom vanity refinishing: $500–$1,500. This is one of the highest-ticket add-ons available to painters.
How to Sell It: Every time you're in a client's home for a paint quote, look at the kitchen. If the cabinets are dated, mention it: "Have you thought about refinishing these cabinets? Same paint project, new kitchen — for a fraction of a remodel. I can include it in the proposal." Also: before-and-after photos are everything in cabinet refinishing. Build a portfolio on your website and social media. One stunning kitchen transformation will generate more leads than any ad.
The Revenue Impact: One cabinet refinishing job per month at $5,000 adds $60,000/year to your revenue. That's not a side service — that's a business-changing add-on.
Learn more about cabinet refinishing →
Why it fits: Garage floors, basement floors, commercial floors — epoxy coating is booming. It's a paint-adjacent skill (you're applying a coating to a surface with a roller), but it commands premium pricing because homeowners perceive it as specialized work. The margins are excellent.
Skill Overlap: Surface prep, rolling technique, working with coatings, understanding cure times and environmental conditions. If you can paint, you can learn epoxy in a weekend.
Training Needed: Moderate. The application isn't hard, but getting the prep right is critical — diamond grinding or shot blasting the concrete, moisture testing, crack repair, and proper product mixing. Most epoxy manufacturers (Rust-Oleum, ArmorPoxy, Epoxy.com) offer training programs. Invest in one before your first job.
Equipment Cost: $1,500–$5,000
Average Job Value: $1,500–$5,000 per garage (1-car to 3-car). Average 2-car garage: $2,500–$4,000. Basement floors: $2,000–$6,000. Commercial/industrial: $3–$8 per square foot.
How to Sell It: Market to homeowners who are investing in their homes — the same people who hire painters. "Transform your garage from storage dump to showroom floor." Facebook and Instagram ads with before-and-after garage photos perform extremely well. Also: partner with realtors — epoxy garage floors are a popular pre-sale upgrade that adds perceived value.
The Revenue Impact: Epoxy jobs take 1–2 days and pay $2,500–$5,000. Even at one job per week, that's $10K–$20K/month from epoxy alone — and it fills your schedule during slow painting weeks.
Learn more about epoxy floor coating →
Why it fits: Here's what almost every exterior painter already does but doesn't charge properly for: pressure washing. You pressure wash siding, decks, and trim as prep before painting. You're already doing the work. You're just not selling it as a separate service.
Skill Overlap: Complete. You already own a pressure washer. You already know how to use it. You already understand surface types and pressure settings.
Training Needed: None for basic pressure washing. For soft washing (chemical cleaning for roofs and delicate surfaces), invest a few hours learning proper chemical ratios and techniques.
Equipment Cost: $0–$1,500 (you likely already own a pressure washer; upgrade if needed)
Average Job Value: House wash: $300–$600. Driveway: $150–$300. Deck: $150–$350. Full property: $500–$1,200.
How to Sell It: Two strategies. First: charge for the prep wash separately on every exterior paint job. Don't bundle it into the paint quote — break it out as a line item. "Exterior pressure wash and prep: $400." Clients understand that clean surfaces need to be washed before painting. Second: offer standalone pressure washing when you don't have a paint job lined up. A $500 house wash takes half a day and fills an otherwise empty Tuesday.
Learn more about building a pressure washing service →
This deserves its own section because it's a revenue multiplier hiding in plain sight.
Most painters quote exterior projects like this: "Exterior paint — $4,500." The client sees one number and shops it against every other painter's quote.
Smart painters break it out: - Power washing and surface prep: $500 - Caulking, patching, and repair: $400 - Primer (2 coats problem areas): $300 - Paint (2 coats, premium paint): $3,300 - Total: $4,500
Same price. But now the client sees the VALUE in each step. And here's the power move: offer the prep work as a standalone package for clients who want to DIY the painting or wait on the paint job.
"We can do the full wash, prep, and repair for $900 — gets your house ready to paint whenever you're ready." Some clients take this option, you make $900 for a day's work, and 60% of them call you back within 6 months to just do the painting too.
Even better: offer a "Complete Exterior Refresh" package that combines pressure washing + painting + deck staining + gutter cleaning. A $4,500 paint job becomes a $7,500 property refresh. Higher ticket, more value, and the client only deals with one contractor.
Why it fits: You already stain interior surfaces — cabinets, trim, doors. Exterior staining of decks and fences is the same skill applied outdoors. And unlike painting (where clients wait until things look bad), deck staining has a regular maintenance cycle: every 2–3 years for most decks. That means repeat business.
Skill Overlap: Application technique, product knowledge, surface prep, weather awareness. You already know all of this.
Training Needed: Minimal. Understanding wood types, stain types (transparent, semi-transparent, solid), and application methods (spray, brush, roll) is a short learning curve for any experienced painter.
Equipment Cost: $200–$600
Average Job Value: Deck staining: $600–$1,500 (average deck). Fence staining: $3–$8 per linear foot, average fence $450–$1,200. Deck + fence combo: $1,000–$2,500.
How to Sell It: Every time you're doing an exterior paint estimate, look at the deck and fence. "While we're doing the exterior, want us to refinish the deck too? It'll look amazing next to the fresh paint — and we can do it the same week, no extra setup." The combo close rate is high because clients are already in "home improvement mode."
Recurring Revenue: Deck staining needs to happen every 2–3 years. Build a database and send reminders: "Hey, it's been two years since we stained your deck. Time for a refresh? Here's your loyal client discount." This turns one-time jobs into a predictable cycle.
Learn more about deck staining →
For painters, the answer depends on your current pain point:
If you need to fill gaps between paint jobs immediately: Drywall repair. Lowest startup cost, shortest learning curve, and it directly fills the dead days between projects. You can add this service tomorrow.
If you want to dramatically increase your average ticket: Cabinet refinishing. One kitchen per month at $5,000 changes your year. The skill transfer from painting is almost 1:1.
If you want a complementary seasonal revenue stream: Power washing as a standalone service. Spring is power washing season, and it bridges the gap before exterior painting season kicks into gear.
My honest recommendation? Start with drywall repair this week (you already have the skills and most of the tools), then spend next month learning cabinet refinishing. Those two additions alone can add $5K–$10K/month to your revenue.
The feast-or-famine cycle isn't just a revenue problem — it's a systems problem. When you're busy painting, you stop marketing. When the job ends, you scramble to fill the pipeline. When you add new services, you need new processes, new pricing, new follow-up sequences.
That's exactly why the franchise alternative model exists. Instead of reinventing everything from scratch for each service you add, HomePro gives you ready-made systems for every vertical — painting, drywall, cabinet refinishing, pressure washing, deck staining, all of it. Your membership covers every service line. No extra cost. When you're ready to add cabinet refinishing or epoxy coating, the systems are already built.
The painters who break the feast-or-famine cycle aren't the most talented painters. They're the ones who built systems around multiple revenue streams so they never depend on any single project to make their month.
Your HomePro membership includes systems for all of these services. No extra cost. See what's included →