Car repaint workshop with spray booth

Private car owners, insurers and their approved repairers, panel beaters, car dealers, and fleet operators.

Quoted price per panel or per full repaint, plus materials. Repeat work from panel beaters, dealers or fleets helps keep the booth busy.

• Automotive painting and refinishing
• Colour matching and finishing
• Quoting and job scheduling
• Managing a small team and workplace safety

• Spray painting often needs council planning approval and may need environmental approvals, so check with your council and state EPA
• Your state may require a motor vehicle repairer licence, so check with your licensing body
• Isocyanate and solvent exposure, ventilation and fire risk need strict safety measures under your state's work health and safety rules
• Public liability, property and workers compensation insurance once you hire
• Insurer-approved repairer work may require standards and audits, and payment can be slow
• High upfront costs for the booth, lease and paint stock

Startup costs are typically estimated at around $80,000 to $250,000, depending on the spray booth, your lease and your paint stock. These are the main upfront costs, so get quotes for each before you commit to a unit.

Monthly revenue is typically estimated at around $10,000 to $40,000, depending on job volume, whether you take direct or subcontract work, and how quickly insurers pay. These are revenue estimates, before rent, paint, wages and other costs.

Things to check: council planning approval and any environmental approvals with your council and state EPA, whether your state requires a motor vehicle repairer licence, and your state's work health and safety rules on isocyanate and solvent exposure, ventilation and fire risk.