It’s 2024, and we’re all now back to work and trying to get up to speed quickly after the festive break. While some will be thriving at the new challenges and opportunities being thrown at them, others will be getting that unwelcome feeling of dread being back in the grind, suffering from the same problems and negatives as they did last year.
Look, we realise it’s hard. You would have heard the stories from Ian about when he first started – that overwhelming feeling that made him throw his sprayer in the skip and go back to a roller. But then that wasn’t any more helpful, hence turning to the sprayer in the first place.
So, we’re with you; we feel the pain. But we’re here to tell you that spraying IS the future of decorating. With some of you still sat on the fence, having not taken a course, we know there’s a lot of unreached potential in many of you.
Let’s go back to the basics in 2024. We’ll stop talking about us and instead focus on you and the positive changes your business will experience if you make the switch to spraying. For those of you already spraying, consider this a refreshing reminder of the greatness you can expect in 2024 if you focus, work hard, double down on spraying, and embrace the positives.
So, what is the future of painting.
“We still receive negative comments across social media, with people telling us that spraying isn’t the way, that we’re doing it wrong, and that we’re not real decorators. It’s bizarre, but it’s not new, not to us and not throughout history. Remember Blockbuster told Netflix that no one would ever watch films online. Kodak said no one would ever use digital cameras. And there was a time when no one thought anyone could ever run a 4-minute mile. Okay, the last one might not be as well-known as the first two examples, but it’s important to realise. We live in this strange world where people, en masse, refuse to change. They believe that if they can’t do it, then it can’t be done, and instead of them trying, it’s easier to convince others that it’s impossible. But if we listened to those that refused to change, we’d not be where we are to today.
For those of you who know your history, you’ll have come across the weird fact that there were protests against the creation of electricity, citing it as the future cause of mass deaths. Now, we couldn’t live without electricity.
We also know that a 4-minute mile is possible, digital cameras are not just a thing but have been surpassed by mobile phone cameras, and 100 billion hours of TV were watched on Netflix in 2023.
So, is spraying the future of painting and decorating? Undoubtedly!
Why should you listen to a small UK-based training academy? Well, some of the greatest innovators started small. They just believed.
It’s time to focus on the future and the positives that being a spray painter can bring.
- Efficiency and Speed
The number one reason why spraying is the future of decorating should always be profit. The amount of money a decorator can make compared to using the brush and roller is unbelievable. However, we appreciate it’s a lazy statement to make. Anything can make a profit when used right. So, let’s break it down. Let’s explain why.
Time is money; the longer you spend on a job, the less money you make. Okay, you may be charging a day rate, but you would have told the customers the number of days it’s going to take you. Anything over that is on you. You’re not going to have that difficult conversation with the customer, so you’ll technically work extra for free. But with spraying, it’s different on two counts. One, it’s a game-changer, maybe not for smaller jobs that require a lot of masking, but for 95% of the jobs you do, you’ll shave days off each project, allowing you to fit in other jobs. And secondly, it allows you to charge per job instead of per day.
As decorators, we really need to get away from the idea that the customer is paying per day. If you spend 5 days doing a bad job, the customer isn’t going to pay because it’s not what they wanted; whether the customer admits it or not, they pay for the result. So, sell them the result. We found that some customers would pay more for an express service. It’s why ‘Fast Track’ is a thing in almost every industry and sector.
- Reduced Physical Strain
As we move into 2024, you need to realise that you’re yet another year older. Whether you’re 41 or 61, years on the knees and holding a paintbrush will affect you. We’ve seen many decorators change careers later in life because their bodies just can’t take it anymore. But out of every trade in the UK, painters and decorators are the most likely to work beyond the state pension age. Around 30% felt, when surveyed, that they will need to work past the age of 66, while only 19% of builders felt the same.
Source: insightdiy.co.uk
That’s almost a third of you who feel you’ll be working late in life with a body bruised and battered by painting equipment and movements. Spray painting is different. Spraying doesn’t do that to you. Yes, there’s masking, but we know many companies that employ those in their younger years to help mask, and besides, that doesn’t come with the repetitive strain injuries obtained from brushing and rollering.
- Adaptability
When we got into spraying all those years ago, not even we expected what we have now, I guess we never really thought about it. But I don’t think Netflix ever expected to be the film producers they are today. Everything changes, and we all adapt with the growth of our industry, and spraying is no different.
Spraying in 2024 is still evolving, but even now, at our academy, we offer an Airless Intensive course, Kitchens & Furniture On-Site Spraying, Apply Paint Using HVLP Equipment, Airless Spray Plaster, and we’ve just launched a UPVC course. Everything is adapting to the changing abilities of spray painting. Plus, there’s now more specialist equipment on the market for each type of decorator; Wagner, Graco, and Tritech, to name just a few.
We’ve also heard that drone spraying may soon become a reality. However, don’t get too excited just yet, as the current law in the UK doesn’t permit drones to be equipped with spraying devices. Nevertheless, the sector is growing in the United States, and we all know that trends often follow there. Imagine if that did happen; it could potentially revolutionise exterior and commercial spray projects.
More reasons
Those are just three reasons why spraying is the future of decorating and why decorators need to be more involved in spraying. There are so many reasons that we’ll cover in other blogs.
The best thing you can do now is browse our website and see the courses we offer, or if you’re still unconvinced, head over to our Facebook community and speak to those who have adapted for the future and are making a profit on jobs that you haven’t been able to, to date.
2024 is within your grasp; it’s right there. You can make this the best year ever.
