What Does a Fence Painter Do?
As a Teen Fence Painter, your job would be exactly that: painting fences. Although this sounds like a simple job, there is preparation work involved. As a Teen Fence painter, you will have to consider a few factors:
● Has the fence already been painted? If so, will I have to scrape the paint off?
● What materials do I need to prep the fence with?
● How large is the fence?
● How much paint will I need to paint the fence?
● How long will this fence take to paint?
Painting fences will not only help you make some extra cash, you will also be helping your local neighbors who want to spruce up their yard. You may even help an elderly person who doesn’t have the capability to paint their fence, so it is a job you can feel great about!
How Much Does a Teen Fence Painter Get Paid?
As a Teen Fence painter, you could be paid many different ways. Your customers could pay you by the foot, which averages .50 cents to .90 cents per foot. You could be paid by the hour, which averages $8.00 per hour to $15.00 per hour depending on experience. Lastly, you could be paid by the project. This is when you and the customer sit down, figure out how large the fence is and come up with a total price for the entire fence. It all depends on how you and the customer feel you should be paid. Either way you figure, you will be paid at least $8.00 an hour if you paint quickly and effectively. Always keep in mind, you are allowed to set your own hourly/per foot wages.
How Can I Get Started as a Teen Fence painter?
1. First and foremost, it is crucial that you ask your parents for permission. Painting fences is hard labor and holds the potential for long hours in the day. Make sure your parents are okay with you doing this.
2. Before setting out on your adventure as a Teen Fence painter, first you must assess your experience with painting. Have you painted before? Do you have a certain style of painting? Do you know how to clean your rollers and paintbrushes? If you do not know how to clean your supplies, look up some ways to clean them online. This will be essential for saving you some money on supplies. After doing some research, we have figured out you can normally use a roller (not the handle, but the actual replacement piece that the paint goes on) roughly 2-3 times before having to toss it. Paintbrushes can be used roughly 3-4 times before having to be thrown away. Make sure if you are going to stop painting for the day or you are going to take a long break, toss your rollers and paintbrushes in some water and soap. This will keep the paint from drying into the paintbrushes and rollers, making them easy to clean.
3. Next, you will need tools to paint with. You can choose from a paintbrush, a roller, a spray gun, etc. Or you could use them together. We recommend a roller and a paintbrush to start with. This way you can cover a large area with a roller and a paintbrush for the small areas. We recommend the Stanley Premium Paint Kit 8 Piece from Amazon. It comes with two different sized rollers, a metal paint tray and a paintbrush. This is a simple, easy set to start painting with without costing you a fortune. We also recommend purchasing some extra plastic paint trays you can throw away when you are done. This way, you can use your sturdy, metal paint tray over and over again and simply line it with a plastic tray. The Linzer RM 4110 Plastic Trays on Amazon are cheap and have fantastic reviews.
4. Eventually, you will most likely have a customer with a fence that has been previously painted. When you have a fence that has already been painted, you must remove all the old paint before laying a new coat on the fence. The easiest and quickest way to do this is to purchase the Klean-Strip Paint Stripper from Amazon. This paint stripper can be brushed onto the surface and removes all paint without damaging the wood, metal, etc. You can use sandpaper to remove all the old paint off the fence, but this proves to be time-consuming and even exhausting.
5. Before painting a fence, you must first prepare it for painting. If you are unsure how to prepare the fence, we will give you some quick tips:
- As mentioned in number 4, make sure there is no old paint left on the fence.
- If there is tile, wood, etc. nearby or underneath the fence, it is a great idea to get a large tarp or piece of plastic to put on the ground. Just in case paint drops or splashes, nothing will get ruined.
- Make sure the fence is clean. Clean any dirt or fungus off the fence to ensure where you are painting is going to get a clean, smooth coat of paint.
- Before painting, it is essential to apply a coat of primer onto the fence. Primer helps the fence from molding or rusting and also acts as an adhesive for the paint. Primer also helps to create a smooth surface for the paint to go on to.
6. Once you have purchased your supplies, now it is time to spread the word! Print out some flyers and post them around your neighborhood. You could even have your parents or other family members spread the word to help increase the amount of people reached. Get creative with the flyers; add pictures of things you’ve painted before to show how great your work is.
7. Congratulations! You have started your own fence painting business. Be sure to do a great job so your customers will recommend you to other people!
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Helpful Resources
- Amazon.com: If you’re looking to get the materials to become a teen bike mechanic, they are listed below.
