Car respray and bodywork paint workshop

Car owners, insurance companies and accident repair networks, small fleet operators, and garages or dealers that outsource paintwork.

Quoted price per job based on panels, materials and labour, with repeat work from garages, fleets and insurer-approved repair arrangements.

• Vehicle refinishing and spray painting
• Preparation and panel repair
• Quoting and managing jobs

• Planning permission and the unit's permitted use: check with your council and landlord before signing a lease
• Fire safety, ventilation and extraction for spray booths and flammable paint storage: check requirements with your local fire and rescue service and your insurer
• No single trading licence is normally needed to repaint vehicles, but check with your council and the Environment Agency (or SEPA, NRW or NIEA in the rest of the UK) whether a permit or registration applies for solvent (VOC) emissions at your scale
• Hazardous waste such as paint, thinners and contaminated materials must be stored and disposed of through a registered waste carrier; check the current rules for waste producers
• Public liability, employer's liability if you hire, and cover for customers' vehicles in your care
• Equipment and booth costs are high, so check your numbers before committing to a lease

Estimates suggest startup costs typically around £15,000 to £60,000, depending on the unit, the spray booth and the equipment you choose. Equipment and booth costs are high, so check your numbers carefully before committing to a lease.

Estimated monthly revenue is typically around £4,000 to £20,000, depending on the work you win from car owners, insurers, accident repair networks and local fleets. The estimates assume you work around 35 hours a week or more.

Check planning permission and the unit's permitted use with your council and landlord. Also check fire safety and extraction with your fire and rescue service and insurer, whether a solvent (VOC) emissions permit applies, and how to dispose of hazardous paint waste.