- Register as a sole proprietor or incorporate with BC Registries (~$40–$380)
- File your Burnaby business licence (~$100+/yr)
- Get general liability insurance
- Set your rates ($50–$85/hr, or room/project rates from $350 to $5,000+)
- Build a brand, website, and online booking
- Set up card payments and simple bookkeeping
- Launch a Google Business Profile focused on Burnaby
A painter's market is their housing stock, and Burnaby's is fast-growing tower communities around Brentwood and Metrotown alongside established 1960s–80s single-family neighbourhoods. Strata repaint cycles in older tower stock plus first-refresh interiors in 5-year-old Brentwood condos keep painters booked across seasons. The skills are the easy part; the business wrapper — registration, a Burnaby licence, insurance, a real brand, and online booking — is what wins the job.
Why Burnaby specifically
Burnaby's tower stock from the 70s and 80s runs on strata repaint cycles, while its 5-year-old condo wave is hitting first-refresh age — a painter here can layer contract work under retail jobs.
For a painter, the practical read is contract layering — strata repaint cycles as the base, condo refresh interiors as the fill.
Where the work is: Strata repaint cycles in older tower stock plus first-refresh interiors in 5-year-old Brentwood condos keep painters booked across seasons. Neighbourhoods like Brentwood, Metrotown, Burnaby Heights each have their own client base — your Google Business Profile and local pages should name them.
The Burnaby startup budget
| Item | Typical range |
|---|---|
| BC business registration (sole prop) | ~$40 |
| Name request fee | ~$30 |
| Burnaby business licence | ~$100+/yr |
| General liability insurance | $500–$1,200/yr |
| Equipment & supplies | $800–$2,000 (sprayer, ladders, drop sheets, brushes) |
| Branding, website & booking setup | $0 DIY – $3,000+ agency |
Government fees change — confirm current amounts with BC Registries and the City of Burnaby. Burnaby issues home-occupation licences for service businesses; if you also work regularly in Vancouver or Surrey, the Metro West inter-municipal licence ($300/yr) can replace buying separate city licences.
What the money looks like
Around Metro Vancouver, $50–$85/hr, or room/project rates from $350 to $5,000+ is the going range. Keep the calendar full and $6,000–$12,000+ per month solo in season is achievable solo — though your niche, service area, and how professional you look all move the number. No trade certification required for residential painting in BC.
Let's name it
Before the tactics, the mindset blocker worth naming out loud. “What if a client disputes the finish, or I damage floors or furniture?” A written scope, photo documentation, a liability waiver, and insurance handle it — every Prontco launch ships with the agreement and waiver professionally written.
Talk it through on a free callPainting Pricing Calculator
Work out what to charge before you quote your first job in Burnaby. Set the job size, condition and the hourly rate you need to earn, and get a defensible number in seconds.
Open the calculator →Your first clients in Burnaby — the painting playbook
- Pitch strata councils on repaint cycles for 1970s–80s towers — one strata contract can anchor a season.
- Target 5-year-old Brentwood condos with a 'first refresh' interior package at a fixed room rate.
- Partner with Burnaby property managers handling tenant turnovers — repaint-between-tenants is recurring work.
The shortcut
None of this requires Prontco — it just requires weeks you may not have. We compress it into about 10 business days: registration, the Burnaby licence, a real brand, a booked-ready website, payments, and accounting — plus 30 days of hands-on support after launch. From $997. Every account is yours.
Related guides
How to start a painting business in BC · How to start a business in Burnaby · The complete BC startup guide · Free calculators & checklists