According to experts, automotive painting is not only a proven and stable industry, but it can also be a very profitable business venture. This is because as long as people drive vehicles, there will be wear and tear as well as accidents.
By starting an auto paint shop, you can help reverse the effects of accidents or aging, restore vehicle exteriors to premium condition, and ultimately earn a significant amount of money.
One of the advantages of going into this industry is that there will be a reason to paint your vehicle, either as a result of an accident, worn-out colours, or as a result of regulation. Late last year, the Lagos State government gave an order to commercial bus operators to ensure their vehicles wear the yellow and black colours that are assigned to commercial buses in the state.
One of those who comply with the directive is a minibus driver operating in the Apapa area. He says, each bus operator spends between N27,000 and N35,000 to paint their minibus in the colour the state recognises. A civil servant who lives in Ikeja with a creamy Toyota Corolla car, James Adamu, spent N30,000 when he needed to repaint his car.
Speaking with an auto painter at Mechanic Village, Ajayi Farm, Ikeja, Adebayo Adenekan says auto body work is a field that anyone can go into straight away; even students coming out of secondary school without furthering their education can go into it.
Profitability
Adenekan said the money one makes as an auto painter depends on the magnitude of work the auto requires because all work is not the same and clients are different too. “I make between N30,000 and N40,000 on a vehicle that requires real work. Sometimes, I help more than six clients paint their vehicles in a month, and other times, it could be less. So N40,000 × 6 = N240,000,” he says.
Training
Before you can start auto-finishing work, you need to get some on-the-job experience as an apprentice to make sure you have complete confidence in yourself. You learn how to paint cars by knowing things such as surface preparation, priming, and masking procedures before you think of painting the motor.
Equipment
After training, to be ready for this work, you will need the necessary equipment for your business. You can get high-grade auto-painting equipment. This includes the application sprayer as well as equipment to protect the skin, eyes, and lungs of the person doing the spraying.
Also purchase paint removal and body repair equipment, as vehicles that need new paint jobs often have bent, rusty, and damaged body sections.
Advice
Experts advise that anyone going into the auto painting business should place their shop where mechanics are. This gives you access to the auto repair shop’s existing clientele.
