Here’s why you should consider curb painting this summer

2009
Flickr | Anthony Citrano

Do you need a little extra cash this summer? Have a few hours a day to spare? A steady hand and a can of spray paint? Then you could rack up serious cash curb painting. Seriously—painting house numbers on street curbs is good business, and it takes almost no overhead.

To start your curb painting career, all you need to do is buy the following supplies: a wire brush to clean the curb, number stencils, tape and spray paint. All of this should run you under $30 at your local hardware store. Or, you can buy a starter curb painting kit for about $19 from many online suppliers.

Once you have your tools, you’ll need to drum up some business. First, your pitch: all houses should have their numbers spray painted on the curb so that emergency services (and pizza delivery) can find the address quickly and easily. Pitch people in neighborhoods where many homes already have their curbs painted—proof that it’s a good idea.

It’s also important to make sure you have pictures to show that you can actually do what you say and make it look good. Nobody wants a sloppy, painted mess at the foot of their driveway. Tell your customers that you’ll accept payment upon completion of the job—between $10 and $20 is a recommended price to charge for your services. Then, get to work!

Important: make sure you check with your local city, county or state clerk to obtain the proper licensing or permit. It’s likely that you’ll need permission from your city’s public works department to legally paint any curbs.

Ultimately, if you can get 10 to 15 customers a day, that’s a few hundred bucks worth of work for only a few hours. Make sure you watch some tutorials on YouTube before you get started, and happy curb painting!

[h/t: The Penny Hoarder]

About the Author

Jessica Suss

An aspiring food and health writer, native Chicagoan, and nut butter enthusiast. Jessica is also the creator of BiteMeBlog, but don't call her a foodie More.

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