November 14, 2025 • 29 mins
In this episode of The Profitable Painter Podcast, Daniel sits down with Amy Stewart, a third-generation painter from Oregon who transformed her lifelong craft into a boutique, high-end finishing business specializing in Venetian plaster, faux finishes, murals, and tadelakt showers.
Amy shares her remarkable journey, from learning meticulous craftsmanship as a child, to discovering Venetian plaster in the early 2000s, to traveling to Italy for nearly a month to study authentic lime plasters and old-world techniques.
If you’ve ever wanted to niche down, elevate your craftsmanship, or build a business purely around what you love doing, this episode is packed with wisdom, experience, and practical inspiration.
Tune in to learn:
- How Amy shifted from general painting to a high-end artistic niche.
- The health and longevity benefits of true Venetian and lime plasters, and why mold can’t grow on them.
- Lessons from training in Italy and working with authentic materials.
- What homeowners, designers, and builders don’t know about plaster quality and contractor selection.
- How word-of-mouth helped Amy build a business that’s booked for years.
- Why following your passion and continuing education truly pays off.
If you're a painting contractor looking to stand out, raise your craftsmanship, or explore the world of decorative finishes, this conversation is a must-listen.
Subscribe and get inspired — one episode at a time
For being a loyal listener, I want to send you a copy of my new book Profitable Painter. Inside, I’ll show you the exact frameworks that have helped painting businesses save big on taxes, increase profits, and scale with confidence
Head over to profitablepaintercpa.com/book and grab your copy today. Don’t wait — this is my gift to you for being part of the Profitable Painter community.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_01 (00:00):
Welcome to the Profitable Painter Podcast.
The mission of this podcast issimple: to help you navigate the
financial and tax aspects ofstarting, running, and scaling a
professional painting business.
From the brushes and ladders tothe spreadsheets and balance
sheets, we've got you covered.
But before we dive in, a quickword of caution.
While we strive to provideaccurate and up-to-date
financial and tax information,nothing you hear on this podcast
(00:22):
should be considered asfinancial advice, specifically
for you or your business.
We're here to share generalknowledge and experiences, not
to replace the tailored adviceyou get from a professional
financial advisor or taxconsultant.
We strongly recommend youseeking individualized advice
before making any significantfinancial decision.
SPEAKER_02 (00:42):
Welcome to the Profitable Painter Podcast, the
show where painting contractorslearn how to boost profits, cut
taxes, and build a business thatworks for them.
I'm your host, Daniel Honan,CPA, former painting business
owner, and your guide tomastering the numbers that drive
success.
So let's dive in and make yourbusiness more profitable one
episode at a time.
So today I'm super excited tospeak with Amy Stewart out of
(01:03):
Oregon.
Welcome to the podcast, Amy.
SPEAKER_00 (01:06):
Thank you.
Thank you for having me.
SPEAKER_02 (01:08):
I'm super excited to get into it.
I've uh really you I think youhave a really interesting
background, and um I'm I'mexcited to get in the
conversation.
Could you and to give folks moreof an idea of where you're
coming from, could you let folksknow how did you get started in
the painting business?
Uh how did you get started inthe painting industry and what
have been in some majormilestones along the way?
SPEAKER_00 (01:30):
Absolutely.
So I got started in theindustry.
Um, I'm a third painter, thirdgeneration painter.
Um, my father was a carpenterand painter, and he hired us
when we were young children, um,how to paint.
And um he was very specific, ithad to be done meticulously.
(01:53):
So we learned early on.
Um, by the time I graduated highschool, I had a pretty
significant savings just fromworking for my father.
Um fast forward to being in myearly 20s, uh, it really took
um, well, even in my teens, ittook more of an artistic
(02:13):
approach.
Um and I started, you know,painting furniture, painting
murals in kids' bedrooms, um,painting cabinets.
And in 2003, I started workingwith Venetian plaster.
Back then it was um just asynthetic plaster that I got at
(02:39):
Home Depot.
Um, just honestly garbage.
It was um, it doesn't produce umthe look of an authentic line
plaster at all.
But that's how I got started.
Um and I was doing thosefinishes in my home.
And my brother was over andsaid, you know, Amy, you could
(03:00):
you could really make money withwith your skill set.
And I kind of chuckled at it andI was like, no, really, I don't
think so.
And he said, Yeah, he's and sohe's a painter as well.
And he said, the next time weget a call for um someone
wanting Venetian plaster, I'dlike you to go out and, you
know, give them a bid and do it.
So that's how I got started.
(03:21):
Um, and then other homebuilders, designers, you know,
would see my work.
And so um it it just kind ofgrew from there.
Um, I will say I did a lot ofpainting, you know, whole house
painting, exteriors.
I did everything um in my 20s,30s, even into my 40s.
(03:46):
And um, it's just been probablythe last five years that I've
decided I'm really going tofocus on doing what gives me the
most joy and what I really enjoydoing, which is um allowing me
to to express my creativeoutlet.
So we focus mostly doing fauxfinishes, high-end um finishes
(04:13):
like uh primarily Venetianplaster.
We still do cabinet paintingbecause that is um it's
definitely an artistic um skillto get it done right and to look
very high-end.
Um we do custom trim finishes,we do a lot of um hoods above
(04:37):
ranges, and that could beanywhere from a patinaed finish.
It's really popular to have themplaster nowadays.
Um, murals is a small part of mybusiness.
Um, and then we do a lot oftadillac plaster showers.
Uh, I would say in the lastthree years, that's become
really popular.
(04:58):
It's always been popular in ourEurope, and now the US is
recognizing the value in it.
So you don't have uh tile that'syou know constantly needing to
be regrouted, you don't have therisk and danger of mold.
It's a very organic finish andit will not allow mold to grow.
(05:21):
So it's um to me, that's youknow, you you you can't put a
value on that.
I've had health problems due tomold.
And so for me, both of myshowers are tadillac plaster and
might not.
SPEAKER_02 (05:38):
Yeah, we just had uh a mold inspector come in our
house and the shower, rightbehind the shower, they found
some mold.
So it's like super common.
I mean, in especially UnitedStates with all of the drywall,
from my understanding.
Mold just it's like mold food,basically.
We've built all our houses outof mold food, and so a lot of
(06:00):
homes uh suffer from mold.
And so this this product itbasically is mold resistant or
just does not get anything, anykind of mold on it, and it's and
it sounds like it's that'd beperfect for bathrooms as it's
always wet in there.
SPEAKER_00 (06:14):
It is perfect, it just cannot grow on it because
of the composition of it.
SPEAKER_02 (06:20):
So that's that's pretty cool.
So I I know you you you know yougot started in 2020 or 2003, so
over 20 years experience, andyou you started playing around
with like a synthetic plasterand and then from there kind of
build built from there.
I know you spent some time inItaly uh actually training.
(06:44):
What did you learn goingoverseas to train?
Well, it well, one, I guess,what made you actually make that
jump?
Because that's pretty that's ahuge, you know, most people
haven't left the country, uh letalone going overseas um and
training for an extensive periodof time on you know your your
(07:04):
craft.
So what made you make that jump?
SPEAKER_00 (07:08):
Um, research.
So uh research is something Ienjoy doing, whether it's
health-related, decorativefinishes, plasters.
And so I was researching, youknow, the I'd heard of the
authentic lime plasters, whichback then were not available to
me.
Um and so I started doingresearch and I learned of a
(07:29):
training there.
And so I went.
That was in 2007.
2007 business was really, reallygood for me.
Um, so going um wasn't an issue.
It was crazy expensive, but um,I was able to swing it and um
just fell in love with theauthentic limes because
(07:53):
basically, you know, when youhave a true Venetian plaster,
you're essentially getting alayer of stone on your wall.
It's slaked marble and lime,this emulsion that trowels on so
much better than a synthetic.
Um, you're able to burnish itand just play with it in a lot
of ways that you definitelycould not with a synthetic
(08:17):
Venetian plaster.
And so um, just the beauty of itand the feel, like when you rub
your hand over it, I mean, itjust feels like marble.
So it's very, very beautiful.
You're a lot, you're it allowsme to create a depth.
Um I just met with uh a builderlast Friday, and what she was
(08:39):
referring to as texture isreally more the depth.
So we met, she saw samples andshe was like, Oh no, this is
what I'm looking for.
I thought she wanted texturebecause that was the word she
used, but um it's a depth thatyou're able to achieve, but have
a very smooth, soft, luxuriousfinish.
(09:00):
So it could be texture.
There, there are plasters thatuh, for example, Piatto, which
has a a um thicker aggregatethat you know could be more and
it can be burnished smooth aswell.
But there's so many differentplasters that I work with now,
and there's differenttechniques.
So primarily what we're doingfor most designers is um a
(09:24):
smooth finish on the walls, butthere's there's just a wide
variety of what's available, youknow, it could be stucco, for
example, which absolutely has atexture, and those, you know,
are lime-based as well.
SPEAKER_02 (09:37):
So it's and so you're you're training in Italy.
How long was that?
And it was basically focused onlearning about working with the
lime plasters.
Um, so how long were you there?
SPEAKER_00 (09:52):
Um, so it was lime plasters and murals.
There was a pretty good focus onmurals.
Um, I was there for a month.
So just short of a month, 27days.
SPEAKER_02 (10:05):
No, that's that's awesome.
I mean, that's a long time to beoverseas training.
Um, and so what are in the thekey takeaways?
I know you're you're obviouslystill doing lime uh plastering
and murals, so it's still partof your business, you know, even
almost 20 years later.
Um is there anything that you'reyou learned in Italy that is
(10:27):
like not even considered or apart of what the way we do
things in the US?
SPEAKER_00 (10:36):
I would just say not so much with the murals as much
as, although mine are more likeum old-world Italian style.
I also love to play around withabstract art um and have sold
art pieces.
Um but as far as what I learnedin Italy, I would say how the
plasters are made and um youknow what you're able to do with
(11:01):
them and also the focus onhaving a healthy home.
So a lot of homes in Italy arebuilt with stone and brick and
they last centuries andcenturies.
And Venetian plaster is very,very common there and it ages
beautifully, and you just don'tsee that here in the US and in
(11:21):
the US.
Probably I don't know if I woulddare say nine out of ten homes,
but it's a very high percentageof homes that suffer from mold.
So, like I said, also with thehealth issues, um, it was very
important to me to start havingum finishes that are going to
(11:44):
you know be organic and ensure ahealthy environment.
SPEAKER_02 (11:49):
Yeah.
Yeah.
I mean, I think that's I mean,the beauty, those things look
amazing, but uh I I don't thinka lot of people know that it's
also a huge health benefit, too.
SPEAKER_00 (12:02):
Huge.
SPEAKER_02 (12:03):
So and that is I think it's starting to become
more of a thing, like wherepeople are starting to realize
that they're living in a deathtrap.
SPEAKER_00 (12:13):
Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (12:14):
There's just mold uh everywhere.
I I just was l yesterday.
Um Chris Williamson, he he has auh uh a really big podcast, and
he just released this wholething where he for like a year
he was struggling with mold inhis home, and he had all these
physical issues like fatigue andhe couldn't focus for long
(12:38):
periods of time.
It just ruined it.
I think a lot of people areprobably f suffering from those
type of symptoms, and they don'thave they don't have any idea
that it's from mold.
You just kind of feel tired andyou just don't feel yourself and
brain fog, that sort of thing.
Yeah, but I think people arestarting to realize that this is
something they should be payingattention to.
(12:59):
I know it's for me, it was justover the last couple of years.
But uh is that something thatyou're seeing that like you the
cons the folks that you'reworking with, are they are they
just I want it to look reallycool and pretty, or are they
also kind of coming at it from ahealth perspective too?
SPEAKER_00 (13:18):
Um there's a designer that I would say is
she's uh my bread and butter, soto speak.
Um she's very um healthconscious and you know likes
organic finishes in the home.
And she loves all the walls,ceilings to be Venetian plaster,
the showers to be tadillacplaster or um marble slabs.
(13:43):
So just materials that are notgoing to fail us in any way.
Um and you know, there's othersthat are catching on now.
SPEAKER_02 (13:55):
And I'm I'm guessing the the reason why, well, one,
we probably didn't quite knowabout the dangers of having
drywalls everywhere.
But I would also guess thatdrywalls probably just a lot
cheaper to to build and and toto install.
(14:16):
Are there any uh I'm and I'mobviously Venetian plaster, I
would assume, is you knowsignificantly more expensive,
but are there any other typesthat are more um price conscious
but still have the benefit ofnot you know being holding on to
mold or creating mold in yourhome?
SPEAKER_00 (14:34):
Like for a wall finish?
Yeah, not that I'm aware of.
And um, I want to touch onsomething you just said.
So I recently had uh someonereach out to me.
Um they're building, and shejust got her sheetrock done and
everything, and she wantsVenetian plaster, but she said,
(14:54):
you know, she just knows it's somuch more expensive.
There are plasters out therethat are equivalent to the same
cost as a gallon of paint.
Uh, for example, SherwinWilliams um gallery paint, you
know, that's well over$100 agallon.
It's a great paint.
I love it for cabinets.
(15:15):
Um, but you can get Venetianplaster in that same price
range.
Now it's the labor, of course,that is going to cost more than
paint.
But your finish is going to lastfor centuries.
So paint your walls, and theyneed to be repainted perhaps
every few years, every 10 years,depending, you know, if there's
(15:38):
kids, dogs in the home, how wellit's taken care of.
There's a lot of variable there,but Venetian plaster will last
for centuries.
And it's very easy to repair.
That's another um beautifulthing I love about it.
You know, um one of thedesigners I work for, I did her
(16:00):
whole house and she, you know,had some nicks that happened
from someone carrying furniturein.
We were able to go and repairit.
You could never even tell it'sthere.
So um I will um specify thatit's really important to vet
your contractor and make surethey really know what they're
(16:20):
doing.
Um, I went to the Tour of Homesshow in July and I was in a
multi-million dollar homeviewing someone else's work that
did Venetian plaster.
And um, it was honestly a shame.
I felt like it gave Venetianplaster a bad name.
So, you know, it's it's you wantsomeone that's artistic, you
(16:44):
want someone that knows um whatthey're doing, someone that's
not going to just slap it on.
You want someone that's actuallygoing to layer it on your wall
to give you that beautiful umdimensional look.
SPEAKER_02 (16:58):
What are the common mistakes that folks that you see
with Venetian plaster that folksare doing?
SPEAKER_00 (17:05):
Uh well, in that case, um, I think they probably
did like one, maybe two passes.
So it looked really flat.
Um, and then also they did havea spot where they patched and it
was very, very visible.
So I think it was just lack oftraining, knowledge.
Um, I did speak with the builderand he said, you know, it was
(17:26):
some drywall guys that are like,oh yeah, I can do that for you.
It's to me, it's night and daydifference what you get, you
know, from person to person.
SPEAKER_02 (17:35):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (17:36):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (17:37):
So it sounds like they were basically not putting
not layering it enough and thennot knowing how to patch
correctly.
SPEAKER_00 (17:43):
Exactly.
SPEAKER_02 (17:46):
Cool.
Um, so what who are your, youknow, the the folks that you're
working for?
You mentioned you work withbuilders and designers a lot.
Is that pretty much who yourcustomer base is?
Is working directly with thosefolks, or do you also target uh
homeowners as well?
SPEAKER_00 (18:05):
Uh absolutely all three um are my target.
Uh the majority of our mybusiness and has been for years,
is strictly word of mouth.
Um, in all honesty, I would saywe get very few jobs from
someone doing a website search,very few every year.
Um it's always nine times out often word of mouth.
(18:30):
Um back, I don't know, I wouldsay up until maybe eight years
ago, the majority wasresidential and occasional
commercial jobs.
Um today I would say themajority is builders, designers,
and then residential would beafter that.
(18:52):
I have clients that I've donework for, you know, 15, even 20
years ago, and they still reachout to me.
SPEAKER_02 (19:00):
Yeah.
That's definitely a testament toyour quality for sure.
SPEAKER_00 (19:05):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (19:07):
For you know, working with the do you prefer
working directly with thebuilders and designers, or do
you do you like working directlywith the homeowner?
SPEAKER_00 (19:17):
Honestly, I love it all.
Um, it's it's a veryservice-oriented uh job.
And I love serving.
I love seeing the smile on thebuilder's face, the designer's
face, the homeowner.
Like all of it is veryrewarding.
Um so I can't say I prefer oneover the other.
(19:42):
Um because at the end of theday, it's it's just very
rewarding.
Um I know I do, the thanks Iget, you know, it feels good.
SPEAKER_02 (19:54):
Yeah.
That's awesome.
Um I know for for some of thefolks that I work with, working
directly with builders anddesigners, uh one of the
challenges is cash flow wherethe payment schedules are not as
favorable.
Not for all of folks that workdirectly with them, but a lot
(20:14):
where they'll the paymentschedules are just not as
favorable, where they'll getpaid, you know, 30 days after
they're completed with the workor something like that, where it
just kind of more difficult froma cash flow perspective.
Um, is that something thatyou've seen working directly
with builders or and designers,or um have you just been able to
(20:35):
build because your reputationkind of negotiate?
SPEAKER_00 (20:40):
Yeah, there are some builders that you know I won't
get paid for 30 days.
Um, but I've worked with themand I trust them and it doesn't
bother me at all.
Uh people I've worked with um inthe past, I never require a
deposit up front.
I cover everything and they cangive me a check at the end.
Um, except if it's a projectthat's ongoing for months, and
(21:00):
I'll require, you know, maybe aquarter here, and then maybe um
actually I did 25% down and thenpayment upon completion because
it took us three months.
But we were doing, you know, amassive house, 22-foot ceilings.
We did Venetian plastereverywhere.
So it was a really big project.
(21:20):
Um, I also have a savings builtin, so I'm a you know, I'm able
to do that.
What we do is um, you know, it'sa very niche boutique style
service.
Um, so I I don't know.
SPEAKER_02 (21:39):
So it sounds like your your historical profits,
you have you have a savingsbuilt up, and so you're able to
you're not as concerned with thecash flow because you just over
the years you've been able tokind of take those profits and
kind of have a um a cushionexactly float those those bigger
projects, and and it's not a biga concern for you, it sounds
(22:01):
like.
SPEAKER_00 (22:02):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (22:02):
Okay, well that's awesome.
I have you um I know youmentioned you've done pretty
much all types of painting,whole house painting.
And um do you find like workingin Venetian plaster and doing
these mural murals like theprofit margins are a lot higher
than the kind of run-of-the-millpainting?
SPEAKER_00 (22:22):
They are.
Um murals, um I wouldn't say theprofit margins are as high, and
I would say that's like the theleast amount of um jobs I get is
murals.
And oftentimes it's becausepeople don't want to pay for
that.
They're like, oh well, I can getwallpaper, you know, and just
(22:44):
slap it on the walls.
Um so finding the value insomeone hand painting your
walls, something that if you'retired of it in five or ten
years, you can just paint overit.
Um, and paying for that becauseit's you know, it is time and
it's time consuming.
Um I feel like we just live in afast-paced America, like, oh, I
(23:07):
want a burger right now, go tothe drive-thru.
I want a mural right now.
They go online and they getwallpaper.
SPEAKER_01 (23:13):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (23:14):
Um, so murals are we seldom do them.
And when we do, it's someonethat really appreciates the
artistic time that goes into it.
SPEAKER_02 (23:24):
Yeah.
So murals, not so much, or atleast most people, it's they
don't value it as much.
But Venetian plaster, I would Iwould guess that the margins are
pretty, pretty good on thosecompared to like just doing
typical interior painting.
SPEAKER_00 (23:40):
Yes.
A hundred percent.
SPEAKER_02 (23:43):
Yeah.
Um what are some things thatyou've learned over the last
couple decades with running aboutique painting business that
that it took you a while to kindof figure out?
Like maybe there was a certainissue that you kept running into
(24:03):
for months or years.
And then once you kind ofaddressed it, it really made
things a lot easier running yourbusiness.
SPEAKER_00 (24:12):
Oh, that's a tough one because I'm still learning.
SPEAKER_02 (24:15):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (24:16):
And I, you know, I believe we always learn, and I
think I'll be learning untilhopefully the day I die.
Um, there's always room forgrowth, in my opinion.
There's always room to learn,and I'm continually learning.
Um, my daughter and I went to atraining in California uh early
(24:37):
this summer.
We've attended trainings, youknow, all over the US, and we've
worked all over the US.
Um, our next job will be in thespring in Florida.
We've gone to Mexico, we've goneto the Carolinas, um, we've I
shouldn't say worked in everystate because that's not true,
but we've we've worked all overthe US and then outside of the
(25:01):
US, we worked in Mexico.
Um but learning, um I would saythe hardest thing for me as an
artist is marketing.
I know it's not my strength, andum it's not even something I
enjoy, to be honest.
I just want the phone to ringand be like, you know, that the
(25:25):
customer go out and meet themand and get the job.
Um, so there's there's room forgrowth for me, for learning
always.
SPEAKER_02 (25:33):
Well, it sounds like a part of a part of marketing is
being great at what you do, andthat's something that seems
seems like you do that well.
And as a testament, you all thecustomers that you've had
historically call you back 10years later.
Uh and so I think sounds likeyou you're saying you're not
good at marketing, but in a wayyou kind of are because of the
(25:54):
high quality of your of yourservice that you stick in
people's minds for yearsafterwards, and they're telling
other people about you and alsocoming back to get more services
done from you.
SPEAKER_00 (26:05):
So that is that is true.
SPEAKER_02 (26:07):
That's definitely uh an awesome thing.
Probably something you couldalso just lean into.
I would say if you know if youhave that customer list, like
just reminding folks, givingthem an update of what you're
doing or you know on a monthlyor quarterly basis, uh, to keep
top of mind, because theyprobably, you know, uh they
(26:30):
might remember that someone wasamazing who came and did the
Venetian plaster five, 10 yearsago, but they don't remember
exactly who it was.
And if you just had like somesort of monthly or quarterly
outreach to them via directmail, email, or text message
that would like kind of uhremind them and like, oh yeah,
(26:54):
that's right, and we do needthis uh other area done.
Um, that could be like a reallysimple uh marketing thing that
you could do is just lean intowhat you has already worked for
you in the past, which is getmore repeat and referral folks
just by kind of uh not evenbeing super salesly, just like I
know some folks are doing doinglike a newsletter, like a uh
(27:15):
direct mail piece and maybeemail too that just kind of says
like here's kind of what's goingon in the area, or if you know
here's something, some coolthings that have happened about
my company or the neighborhoodor whatever to kind of make it
interesting, but also just areminder like hey, I'm I'm here
and I do this thing, you know.
(27:37):
Again, especially if you'regoing to different places like
Mexico and things, people mightbe just interested in the the
cool things that you're doing.
SPEAKER_00 (27:45):
Yeah, that's a great idea.
SPEAKER_02 (27:47):
Awesome.
Well, I I really appreciate youryour time today, Amy.
Are do you have any otherthoughts or for the for the
audience?
Like maybe someone listening isis thinking about getting more
into Venetian plaster or fauxpainting generally.
(28:07):
Um, do you have any words ofadvice on how to deepen learning
in that in that niche?
Um, any resources or anythingthat you'd like to throw out
there?
SPEAKER_00 (28:18):
Um I would say if it's your passion, follow your
passion and um attend as manytrainings as you can um and take
what you can and learn from it.
Um you know, everything in lifeis trial and error, and that's
how we grow and that's how welearn.
So don't be afraid to makemistakes and jump in with both
(28:39):
feet.
SPEAKER_02 (28:41):
Awesome.
SPEAKER_00 (28:41):
Yeah, cool.
SPEAKER_02 (28:43):
I really appreciate your time, Amy.
Uh this was uh reallyinteresting.
I really appreciate you sharingwith us today.
SPEAKER_00 (28:49):
Thank you.
I'm glad you had me here.
SPEAKER_02 (28:52):
Yeah, absolutely.
And for the listeners, we willsee you next week.
Welcome to the Profitable Painter Podcast.
The mission of this podcast issimple: to help you navigate the
financial and tax aspects ofstarting, running, and scaling a
professional painting business.
From the brushes and ladders tothe spreadsheets and balance
sheets, we've got you covered.
But before we dive in, a quickword of caution.
While we strive to provideaccurate and up-to-date
financial and tax information,nothing you hear on this podcast
(00:22):
should be considered asfinancial advice, specifically
for you or your business.
We're here to share generalknowledge and experiences, not
to replace the tailored adviceyou get from a professional
financial advisor or taxconsultant.
We strongly recommend youseeking individualized advice
before making any significantfinancial decision.
SPEAKER_02 (00:42):
Welcome to the Profitable Painter Podcast, the
show where painting contractorslearn how to boost profits, cut
taxes, and build a business thatworks for them.
I'm your host, Daniel Honan,CPA, former painting business
owner, and your guide tomastering the numbers that drive
success.
So let's dive in and make yourbusiness more profitable one
episode at a time.
So today I'm super excited tospeak with Amy Stewart out of
(01:03):
Oregon.
Welcome to the podcast, Amy.
SPEAKER_00 (01:06):
Thank you.
Thank you for having me.
SPEAKER_02 (01:08):
I'm super excited to get into it.
I've uh really you I think youhave a really interesting
background, and um I'm I'mexcited to get in the
conversation.
Could you and to give folks moreof an idea of where you're
coming from, could you let folksknow how did you get started in
the painting business?
Uh how did you get started inthe painting industry and what
have been in some majormilestones along the way?
SPEAKER_00 (01:30):
Absolutely.
So I got started in theindustry.
Um, I'm a third painter, thirdgeneration painter.
Um, my father was a carpenterand painter, and he hired us
when we were young children, um,how to paint.
And um he was very specific, ithad to be done meticulously.
(01:53):
So we learned early on.
Um, by the time I graduated highschool, I had a pretty
significant savings just fromworking for my father.
Um fast forward to being in myearly 20s, uh, it really took
um, well, even in my teens, ittook more of an artistic
(02:13):
approach.
Um and I started, you know,painting furniture, painting
murals in kids' bedrooms, um,painting cabinets.
And in 2003, I started workingwith Venetian plaster.
Back then it was um just asynthetic plaster that I got at
(02:39):
Home Depot.
Um, just honestly garbage.
It was um, it doesn't produce umthe look of an authentic line
plaster at all.
But that's how I got started.
Um and I was doing thosefinishes in my home.
And my brother was over andsaid, you know, Amy, you could
(03:00):
you could really make money withwith your skill set.
And I kind of chuckled at it andI was like, no, really, I don't
think so.
And he said, Yeah, he's and sohe's a painter as well.
And he said, the next time weget a call for um someone
wanting Venetian plaster, I'dlike you to go out and, you
know, give them a bid and do it.
So that's how I got started.
(03:21):
Um, and then other homebuilders, designers, you know,
would see my work.
And so um it it just kind ofgrew from there.
Um, I will say I did a lot ofpainting, you know, whole house
painting, exteriors.
I did everything um in my 20s,30s, even into my 40s.
(03:46):
And um, it's just been probablythe last five years that I've
decided I'm really going tofocus on doing what gives me the
most joy and what I really enjoydoing, which is um allowing me
to to express my creativeoutlet.
So we focus mostly doing fauxfinishes, high-end um finishes
(04:13):
like uh primarily Venetianplaster.
We still do cabinet paintingbecause that is um it's
definitely an artistic um skillto get it done right and to look
very high-end.
Um we do custom trim finishes,we do a lot of um hoods above
(04:37):
ranges, and that could beanywhere from a patinaed finish.
It's really popular to have themplaster nowadays.
Um, murals is a small part of mybusiness.
Um, and then we do a lot oftadillac plaster showers.
Uh, I would say in the lastthree years, that's become
really popular.
(04:58):
It's always been popular in ourEurope, and now the US is
recognizing the value in it.
So you don't have uh tile that'syou know constantly needing to
be regrouted, you don't have therisk and danger of mold.
It's a very organic finish andit will not allow mold to grow.
(05:21):
So it's um to me, that's youknow, you you you can't put a
value on that.
I've had health problems due tomold.
And so for me, both of myshowers are tadillac plaster and
might not.
SPEAKER_02 (05:38):
Yeah, we just had uh a mold inspector come in our
house and the shower, rightbehind the shower, they found
some mold.
So it's like super common.
I mean, in especially UnitedStates with all of the drywall,
from my understanding.
Mold just it's like mold food,basically.
We've built all our houses outof mold food, and so a lot of
(06:00):
homes uh suffer from mold.
And so this this product itbasically is mold resistant or
just does not get anything, anykind of mold on it, and it's and
it sounds like it's that'd beperfect for bathrooms as it's
always wet in there.
SPEAKER_00 (06:14):
It is perfect, it just cannot grow on it because
of the composition of it.
SPEAKER_02 (06:20):
So that's that's pretty cool.
So I I know you you you know yougot started in 2020 or 2003, so
over 20 years experience, andyou you started playing around
with like a synthetic plasterand and then from there kind of
build built from there.
I know you spent some time inItaly uh actually training.
(06:44):
What did you learn goingoverseas to train?
Well, it well, one, I guess,what made you actually make that
jump?
Because that's pretty that's ahuge, you know, most people
haven't left the country, uh letalone going overseas um and
training for an extensive periodof time on you know your your
(07:04):
craft.
So what made you make that jump?
SPEAKER_00 (07:08):
Um, research.
So uh research is something Ienjoy doing, whether it's
health-related, decorativefinishes, plasters.
And so I was researching, youknow, the I'd heard of the
authentic lime plasters, whichback then were not available to
me.
Um and so I started doingresearch and I learned of a
(07:29):
training there.
And so I went.
That was in 2007.
2007 business was really, reallygood for me.
Um, so going um wasn't an issue.
It was crazy expensive, but um,I was able to swing it and um
just fell in love with theauthentic limes because
(07:53):
basically, you know, when youhave a true Venetian plaster,
you're essentially getting alayer of stone on your wall.
It's slaked marble and lime,this emulsion that trowels on so
much better than a synthetic.
Um, you're able to burnish itand just play with it in a lot
of ways that you definitelycould not with a synthetic
(08:17):
Venetian plaster.
And so um, just the beauty of itand the feel, like when you rub
your hand over it, I mean, itjust feels like marble.
So it's very, very beautiful.
You're a lot, you're it allowsme to create a depth.
Um I just met with uh a builderlast Friday, and what she was
(08:39):
referring to as texture isreally more the depth.
So we met, she saw samples andshe was like, Oh no, this is
what I'm looking for.
I thought she wanted texturebecause that was the word she
used, but um it's a depth thatyou're able to achieve, but have
a very smooth, soft, luxuriousfinish.
(09:00):
So it could be texture.
There, there are plasters thatuh, for example, Piatto, which
has a a um thicker aggregatethat you know could be more and
it can be burnished smooth aswell.
But there's so many differentplasters that I work with now,
and there's differenttechniques.
So primarily what we're doingfor most designers is um a
(09:24):
smooth finish on the walls, butthere's there's just a wide
variety of what's available, youknow, it could be stucco, for
example, which absolutely has atexture, and those, you know,
are lime-based as well.
SPEAKER_02 (09:37):
So it's and so you're you're training in Italy.
How long was that?
And it was basically focused onlearning about working with the
lime plasters.
Um, so how long were you there?
SPEAKER_00 (09:52):
Um, so it was lime plasters and murals.
There was a pretty good focus onmurals.
Um, I was there for a month.
So just short of a month, 27days.
SPEAKER_02 (10:05):
No, that's that's awesome.
I mean, that's a long time to beoverseas training.
Um, and so what are in the thekey takeaways?
I know you're you're obviouslystill doing lime uh plastering
and murals, so it's still partof your business, you know, even
almost 20 years later.
Um is there anything that you'reyou learned in Italy that is
(10:27):
like not even considered or apart of what the way we do
things in the US?
SPEAKER_00 (10:36):
I would just say not so much with the murals as much
as, although mine are more likeum old-world Italian style.
I also love to play around withabstract art um and have sold
art pieces.
Um but as far as what I learnedin Italy, I would say how the
plasters are made and um youknow what you're able to do with
(11:01):
them and also the focus onhaving a healthy home.
So a lot of homes in Italy arebuilt with stone and brick and
they last centuries andcenturies.
And Venetian plaster is very,very common there and it ages
beautifully, and you just don'tsee that here in the US and in
(11:21):
the US.
Probably I don't know if I woulddare say nine out of ten homes,
but it's a very high percentageof homes that suffer from mold.
So, like I said, also with thehealth issues, um, it was very
important to me to start havingum finishes that are going to
(11:44):
you know be organic and ensure ahealthy environment.
SPEAKER_02 (11:49):
Yeah.
Yeah.
I mean, I think that's I mean,the beauty, those things look
amazing, but uh I I don't thinka lot of people know that it's
also a huge health benefit, too.
SPEAKER_00 (12:02):
Huge.
SPEAKER_02 (12:03):
So and that is I think it's starting to become
more of a thing, like wherepeople are starting to realize
that they're living in a deathtrap.
SPEAKER_00 (12:13):
Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (12:14):
There's just mold uh everywhere.
I I just was l yesterday.
Um Chris Williamson, he he has auh uh a really big podcast, and
he just released this wholething where he for like a year
he was struggling with mold inhis home, and he had all these
physical issues like fatigue andhe couldn't focus for long
(12:38):
periods of time.
It just ruined it.
I think a lot of people areprobably f suffering from those
type of symptoms, and they don'thave they don't have any idea
that it's from mold.
You just kind of feel tired andyou just don't feel yourself and
brain fog, that sort of thing.
Yeah, but I think people arestarting to realize that this is
something they should be payingattention to.
(12:59):
I know it's for me, it was justover the last couple of years.
But uh is that something thatyou're seeing that like you the
cons the folks that you'reworking with, are they are they
just I want it to look reallycool and pretty, or are they
also kind of coming at it from ahealth perspective too?
SPEAKER_00 (13:18):
Um there's a designer that I would say is
she's uh my bread and butter, soto speak.
Um she's very um healthconscious and you know likes
organic finishes in the home.
And she loves all the walls,ceilings to be Venetian plaster,
the showers to be tadillacplaster or um marble slabs.
(13:43):
So just materials that are notgoing to fail us in any way.
Um and you know, there's othersthat are catching on now.
SPEAKER_02 (13:55):
And I'm I'm guessing the the reason why, well, one,
we probably didn't quite knowabout the dangers of having
drywalls everywhere.
But I would also guess thatdrywalls probably just a lot
cheaper to to build and and toto install.
(14:16):
Are there any uh I'm and I'mobviously Venetian plaster, I
would assume, is you knowsignificantly more expensive,
but are there any other typesthat are more um price conscious
but still have the benefit ofnot you know being holding on to
mold or creating mold in yourhome?
SPEAKER_00 (14:34):
Like for a wall finish?
Yeah, not that I'm aware of.
And um, I want to touch onsomething you just said.
So I recently had uh someonereach out to me.
Um they're building, and shejust got her sheetrock done and
everything, and she wantsVenetian plaster, but she said,
(14:54):
you know, she just knows it's somuch more expensive.
There are plasters out therethat are equivalent to the same
cost as a gallon of paint.
Uh, for example, SherwinWilliams um gallery paint, you
know, that's well over$100 agallon.
It's a great paint.
I love it for cabinets.
(15:15):
Um, but you can get Venetianplaster in that same price
range.
Now it's the labor, of course,that is going to cost more than
paint.
But your finish is going to lastfor centuries.
So paint your walls, and theyneed to be repainted perhaps
every few years, every 10 years,depending, you know, if there's
(15:38):
kids, dogs in the home, how wellit's taken care of.
There's a lot of variable there,but Venetian plaster will last
for centuries.
And it's very easy to repair.
That's another um beautifulthing I love about it.
You know, um one of thedesigners I work for, I did her
(16:00):
whole house and she, you know,had some nicks that happened
from someone carrying furniturein.
We were able to go and repairit.
You could never even tell it'sthere.
So um I will um specify thatit's really important to vet
your contractor and make surethey really know what they're
(16:20):
doing.
Um, I went to the Tour of Homesshow in July and I was in a
multi-million dollar homeviewing someone else's work that
did Venetian plaster.
And um, it was honestly a shame.
I felt like it gave Venetianplaster a bad name.
So, you know, it's it's you wantsomeone that's artistic, you
(16:44):
want someone that knows um whatthey're doing, someone that's
not going to just slap it on.
You want someone that's actuallygoing to layer it on your wall
to give you that beautiful umdimensional look.
SPEAKER_02 (16:58):
What are the common mistakes that folks that you see
with Venetian plaster that folksare doing?
SPEAKER_00 (17:05):
Uh well, in that case, um, I think they probably
did like one, maybe two passes.
So it looked really flat.
Um, and then also they did havea spot where they patched and it
was very, very visible.
So I think it was just lack oftraining, knowledge.
Um, I did speak with the builderand he said, you know, it was
(17:26):
some drywall guys that are like,oh yeah, I can do that for you.
It's to me, it's night and daydifference what you get, you
know, from person to person.
SPEAKER_02 (17:35):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (17:36):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (17:37):
So it sounds like they were basically not putting
not layering it enough and thennot knowing how to patch
correctly.
SPEAKER_00 (17:43):
Exactly.
SPEAKER_02 (17:46):
Cool.
Um, so what who are your, youknow, the the folks that you're
working for?
You mentioned you work withbuilders and designers a lot.
Is that pretty much who yourcustomer base is?
Is working directly with thosefolks, or do you also target uh
homeowners as well?
SPEAKER_00 (18:05):
Uh absolutely all three um are my target.
Uh the majority of our mybusiness and has been for years,
is strictly word of mouth.
Um, in all honesty, I would saywe get very few jobs from
someone doing a website search,very few every year.
Um it's always nine times out often word of mouth.
(18:30):
Um back, I don't know, I wouldsay up until maybe eight years
ago, the majority wasresidential and occasional
commercial jobs.
Um today I would say themajority is builders, designers,
and then residential would beafter that.
(18:52):
I have clients that I've donework for, you know, 15, even 20
years ago, and they still reachout to me.
SPEAKER_02 (19:00):
Yeah.
That's definitely a testament toyour quality for sure.
SPEAKER_00 (19:05):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (19:07):
For you know, working with the do you prefer
working directly with thebuilders and designers, or do
you do you like working directlywith the homeowner?
SPEAKER_00 (19:17):
Honestly, I love it all.
Um, it's it's a veryservice-oriented uh job.
And I love serving.
I love seeing the smile on thebuilder's face, the designer's
face, the homeowner.
Like all of it is veryrewarding.
Um so I can't say I prefer oneover the other.
(19:42):
Um because at the end of theday, it's it's just very
rewarding.
Um I know I do, the thanks Iget, you know, it feels good.
SPEAKER_02 (19:54):
Yeah.
That's awesome.
Um I know for for some of thefolks that I work with, working
directly with builders anddesigners, uh one of the
challenges is cash flow wherethe payment schedules are not as
favorable.
Not for all of folks that workdirectly with them, but a lot
(20:14):
where they'll the paymentschedules are just not as
favorable, where they'll getpaid, you know, 30 days after
they're completed with the workor something like that, where it
just kind of more difficult froma cash flow perspective.
Um, is that something thatyou've seen working directly
with builders or and designers,or um have you just been able to
(20:35):
build because your reputationkind of negotiate?
SPEAKER_00 (20:40):
Yeah, there are some builders that you know I won't
get paid for 30 days.
Um, but I've worked with themand I trust them and it doesn't
bother me at all.
Uh people I've worked with um inthe past, I never require a
deposit up front.
I cover everything and they cangive me a check at the end.
Um, except if it's a projectthat's ongoing for months, and
(21:00):
I'll require, you know, maybe aquarter here, and then maybe um
actually I did 25% down and thenpayment upon completion because
it took us three months.
But we were doing, you know, amassive house, 22-foot ceilings.
We did Venetian plastereverywhere.
So it was a really big project.
(21:20):
Um, I also have a savings builtin, so I'm a you know, I'm able
to do that.
What we do is um, you know, it'sa very niche boutique style
service.
Um, so I I don't know.
SPEAKER_02 (21:39):
So it sounds like your your historical profits,
you have you have a savingsbuilt up, and so you're able to
you're not as concerned with thecash flow because you just over
the years you've been able tokind of take those profits and
kind of have a um a cushionexactly float those those bigger
projects, and and it's not a biga concern for you, it sounds
(22:01):
like.
SPEAKER_00 (22:02):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (22:02):
Okay, well that's awesome.
I have you um I know youmentioned you've done pretty
much all types of painting,whole house painting.
And um do you find like workingin Venetian plaster and doing
these mural murals like theprofit margins are a lot higher
than the kind of run-of-the-millpainting?
SPEAKER_00 (22:22):
They are.
Um murals, um I wouldn't say theprofit margins are as high, and
I would say that's like the theleast amount of um jobs I get is
murals.
And oftentimes it's becausepeople don't want to pay for
that.
They're like, oh well, I can getwallpaper, you know, and just
(22:44):
slap it on the walls.
Um so finding the value insomeone hand painting your
walls, something that if you'retired of it in five or ten
years, you can just paint overit.
Um, and paying for that becauseit's you know, it is time and
it's time consuming.
Um I feel like we just live in afast-paced America, like, oh, I
(23:07):
want a burger right now, go tothe drive-thru.
I want a mural right now.
They go online and they getwallpaper.
SPEAKER_01 (23:13):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (23:14):
Um, so murals are we seldom do them.
And when we do, it's someonethat really appreciates the
artistic time that goes into it.
SPEAKER_02 (23:24):
Yeah.
So murals, not so much, or atleast most people, it's they
don't value it as much.
But Venetian plaster, I would Iwould guess that the margins are
pretty, pretty good on thosecompared to like just doing
typical interior painting.
SPEAKER_00 (23:40):
Yes.
A hundred percent.
SPEAKER_02 (23:43):
Yeah.
Um what are some things thatyou've learned over the last
couple decades with running aboutique painting business that
that it took you a while to kindof figure out?
Like maybe there was a certainissue that you kept running into
(24:03):
for months or years.
And then once you kind ofaddressed it, it really made
things a lot easier running yourbusiness.
SPEAKER_00 (24:12):
Oh, that's a tough one because I'm still learning.
SPEAKER_02 (24:15):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (24:16):
And I, you know, I believe we always learn, and I
think I'll be learning untilhopefully the day I die.
Um, there's always room forgrowth, in my opinion.
There's always room to learn,and I'm continually learning.
Um, my daughter and I went to atraining in California uh early
(24:37):
this summer.
We've attended trainings, youknow, all over the US, and we've
worked all over the US.
Um, our next job will be in thespring in Florida.
We've gone to Mexico, we've goneto the Carolinas, um, we've I
shouldn't say worked in everystate because that's not true,
but we've we've worked all overthe US and then outside of the
(25:01):
US, we worked in Mexico.
Um but learning, um I would saythe hardest thing for me as an
artist is marketing.
I know it's not my strength, andum it's not even something I
enjoy, to be honest.
I just want the phone to ringand be like, you know, that the
(25:25):
customer go out and meet themand and get the job.
Um, so there's there's room forgrowth for me, for learning
always.
SPEAKER_02 (25:33):
Well, it sounds like a part of a part of marketing is
being great at what you do, andthat's something that seems
seems like you do that well.
And as a testament, you all thecustomers that you've had
historically call you back 10years later.
Uh and so I think sounds likeyou you're saying you're not
good at marketing, but in a wayyou kind of are because of the
(25:54):
high quality of your of yourservice that you stick in
people's minds for yearsafterwards, and they're telling
other people about you and alsocoming back to get more services
done from you.
SPEAKER_00 (26:05):
So that is that is true.
SPEAKER_02 (26:07):
That's definitely uh an awesome thing.
Probably something you couldalso just lean into.
I would say if you know if youhave that customer list, like
just reminding folks, givingthem an update of what you're
doing or you know on a monthlyor quarterly basis, uh, to keep
top of mind, because theyprobably, you know, uh they
(26:30):
might remember that someone wasamazing who came and did the
Venetian plaster five, 10 yearsago, but they don't remember
exactly who it was.
And if you just had like somesort of monthly or quarterly
outreach to them via directmail, email, or text message
that would like kind of uhremind them and like, oh yeah,
(26:54):
that's right, and we do needthis uh other area done.
Um, that could be like a reallysimple uh marketing thing that
you could do is just lean intowhat you has already worked for
you in the past, which is getmore repeat and referral folks
just by kind of uh not evenbeing super salesly, just like I
know some folks are doing doinglike a newsletter, like a uh
(27:15):
direct mail piece and maybeemail too that just kind of says
like here's kind of what's goingon in the area, or if you know
here's something, some coolthings that have happened about
my company or the neighborhoodor whatever to kind of make it
interesting, but also just areminder like hey, I'm I'm here
and I do this thing, you know.
(27:37):
Again, especially if you'regoing to different places like
Mexico and things, people mightbe just interested in the the
cool things that you're doing.
SPEAKER_00 (27:45):
Yeah, that's a great idea.
SPEAKER_02 (27:47):
Awesome.
Well, I I really appreciate youryour time today, Amy.
Are do you have any otherthoughts or for the for the
audience?
Like maybe someone listening isis thinking about getting more
into Venetian plaster or fauxpainting generally.
(28:07):
Um, do you have any words ofadvice on how to deepen learning
in that in that niche?
Um, any resources or anythingthat you'd like to throw out
there?
SPEAKER_00 (28:18):
Um I would say if it's your passion, follow your
passion and um attend as manytrainings as you can um and take
what you can and learn from it.
Um you know, everything in lifeis trial and error, and that's
how we grow and that's how welearn.
So don't be afraid to makemistakes and jump in with both
(28:39):
feet.
SPEAKER_02 (28:41):
Awesome.
SPEAKER_00 (28:41):
Yeah, cool.
SPEAKER_02 (28:43):
I really appreciate your time, Amy.
Uh this was uh reallyinteresting.
I really appreciate you sharingwith us today.
SPEAKER_00 (28:49):
Thank you.
I'm glad you had me here.
SPEAKER_02 (28:52):
Yeah, absolutely.
And for the listeners, we willsee you next week.
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Ruthie's Table 4
For more than 30 years The River Cafe in London, has been the home-from-home of artists, architects, designers, actors, collectors, writers, activists, and politicians. Michael Caine, Glenn Close, JJ Abrams, Steve McQueen, Victoria and David Beckham, and Lily Allen, are just some of the people who love to call The River Cafe home. On River Cafe Table 4, Rogers sits down with her customers—who have become friends—to talk about food memories. Table 4 explores how food impacts every aspect of our lives. “Foods is politics, food is cultural, food is how you express love, food is about your heritage, it defines who you and who you want to be,” says Rogers. Each week, Rogers invites her guest to reminisce about family suppers and first dates, what they cook, how they eat when performing, the restaurants they choose, and what food they seek when they need comfort. And to punctuate each episode of Table 4, guests such as Ralph Fiennes, Emily Blunt, and Alfonso Cuarón, read their favourite recipe from one of the best-selling River Cafe cookbooks. Table 4 itself, is situated near The River Cafe’s open kitchen, close to the bright pink wood-fired oven and next to the glossy yellow pass, where Ruthie oversees the restaurant. You are invited to take a seat at this intimate table and join the conversation. For more information, recipes, and ingredients, go to https://shoptherivercafe.co.uk/ Web: https://rivercafe.co.uk/ Instagram: www.instagram.com/therivercafelondon/ Facebook: https://en-gb.facebook.com/therivercafelondon/ For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iheartradio app, apple podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com
The Joe Rogan Experience
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.