How to hire a painter

How to hire a painter, step by step

Here's a step-by-step painter hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a painter job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new painter
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a painter do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the painter you need to hire. Certain painter roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a painter to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a painter that fits the bill.

   This list presents painter salaries for various positions.

   Type of Painter	Description	Hourly rate
   Painter	Painters apply paint, stain, and coatings to walls and ceilings, buildings, bridges, and other structures.	$14-28
   Mason	A mason is responsible for shaping artificial mineral products, concrete blocks, stone pieces, and bricks to create structures essential for construction or other building purposes using various machinery and equipment, following the highest safety standards and production procedures. Masons analyze schematics and blueprints, applying the clients' specifications and customization to their product expertise... Show more	$13-32
   Industrial Painter	An industrial painter specializes in providing painting services to industries such as construction and manufacturing. They typically paint, clean, or varnish various types of surfaces... Show more	$12-30

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Ladders
   • Coats
   • Safety Procedures
   • Scaffolding
   • Caulking
   • Exterior Surfaces
   • Drywall Repair
   • Spray Guns
   • Paint Brushes
   • Exterior Painting
   • Sheetrock
   • Paint Guns
   • Painting Equipment
   • Airless Spray

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Cover roofs of structures with shingles, slate, asphalt, aluminum, wood, and relate materials.
   • Cover roofs with layers of roofing feel or asphalt strips before installing tile, slate, or composition materials.
   • Involve escalating ladders and scaffolding.
   • Shop assistant, get tools, clean up, paint trim, paint walls, run errands, etc )
   • Mask homes to prepare for painting.
   • Support journeymen painters with daily task.

   More painter duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the painter job description is a good way to get more applicants. A painter salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for a painter in Arkansas may be lower than in New Jersey, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level painter. Additionally, a painter with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average painter salary

   $42,339yearly

   $20.36 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level painter salary

   $30,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 21, 2026

   Average painter salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$58,537	$28
   2	Massachusetts	$55,612	$27
   3	New York	$52,312	$25
   4	Illinois	$48,947	$24
   5	Minnesota	$47,230	$23
   6	Pennsylvania	$46,612	$22
   7	Missouri	$45,945	$22
   8	Washington	$44,806	$22
   9	Maryland	$44,502	$21
   10	Maine	$44,434	$21
   11	Wisconsin	$44,424	$21
   12	Virginia	$44,307	$21
   13	Alabama	$41,244	$20
   14	Arizona	$41,083	$20
   15	Georgia	$40,946	$20
   16	Michigan	$40,520	$19
   17	Ohio	$40,423	$19
   18	Colorado	$40,003	$19
   19	Oregon	$39,595	$19
   20	Indiana	$39,175	$19

   Average painter salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Dell	$84,043	$40.41
   2	Memorial Health	$77,956	$37.48
   3	Nabholz	$75,793	$36.44	2
   4	Forum Energy Technologies	$70,987	$34.13
   5	Softpath System	$67,345	$32.38
   6	Siemens	$66,696	$32.07	1
   7	Aqua	$63,101	$30.34
   8	Cudd Energy Services	$60,972	$29.31
   9	VSR Industries	$60,926	$29.29	3
   10	Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare	$60,798	$29.23
   11	Irving Isd	$60,303	$28.99
   12	Fortune Brands Home & Security	$59,770	$28.74
   13	HTH Companies	$59,671	$28.69
   14	Rockford Construction	$59,020	$28.38
   15	Middlesex Water	$58,828	$28.28
   16	NHC	$58,048	$27.91	1
   17	Peterson Holding	$57,909	$27.84
   18	St. Jude Children's Research Hospital	$57,072	$27.44	2
   19	Alfa Laval	$56,678	$27.25	2
   20	NCH Healthcare System	$56,559	$27.19

4. Writing a painter job description

   A good painter job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a painter job description:

   Painter job description example

   **This is a full time Painting position working at Northwest Medical Center.**
   
   **The Painters would complete incoming work orders and be involved in room relocations and office/room refreshes. The Painter should be experienced with removing wall covering, removing molding, installing acrovyn wall board, working with cove base, and patching/painting. The Painter will be working alone and occasionally in small groups. Experience in a healthcare setting is a plus.**
   
   **Work hours are Monday - Friday, 7:00am - 3:30pm. On occasion, hours may flex as projects and emergencies dictate.**
   
   Responsible for design, development, implementation, and analysis of technical products and systems. Performs engineering design evaluations. May develop a range of products. Recommends alterations to development and design to improve quality of products and/or procedures. Relies on limited experience and judgment to plan and accomplish goals. Performs a variety of tasks. Works under general supervision. Typically reports to a supervisor or manager. High school diploma or equivalent. Minimum of 2 years maintenance experience. A Journey Level Tradesman may qualify for this position.
   
   _Northwest Medical Center is comprised of a 300-bed hospital, three urgent care facilities, a freestanding emergency center and a large physician group, offering you a variety of settings in which to work. Every location is dedicated to providing safe, quality patient care, but more than that is the commitment to employees. It strives to provide a culture of teamwork, respect and appreciation for all staff, whether they care for patients directly or work in a support role. With employee appreciation celebrations throughout the year, opportunities for growth and the satisfaction that you are part of a hospital leading the way with accessible, convenient healthcare in Tucson, Northwest is a great place to work. NMC is accredited by The Joint Commission and is an equal opportunity employer: race, gender, disability and Veteran status, and VEVRAA Federal Contractor - priority referral Protected Veterans requested._
   **Qualifications**
   
   **Education**
   
   **Required**
   
   + High School or better
   
   **Licenses & Certifications**
   
   **Required**
   
   + X-AZ-MVR Drivers License
   
   Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities
   
   The contractor will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor's legal duty to furnish information. 41 CFR 60-1.35(c)

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right painter for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your painter job on Zippia to find and attract quality painter candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as constructionjobs.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit painters, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new painter

   Once you've found the painter candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new painter. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire a painter?