What does a Painter do?
Painters are skilled professionals who handle the painting needs of clients. They work closely with their clients to ensure that they will be able to do what is expected of them. Painters are responsible for preparing paints needed for the project. They mix and swatch paints to determine which would be the best fit for the clients' needs. Painters are expected to be experts on different types of surfaces and paint bases that work on each type. As such, painters are responsible for preparing the surface for paint jobs. This may include the removal of previous paints or wallpapers. Once they have prepared the surface, they then start putting on coats of paint until the desired color or effect is met.
Painter responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real painter resumes:
- 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.
- Mix paint to obtain desire OSHA qualifications.
- Lead base paint testing using XRF machine.
- Sandblast profile according to various specs of SSPC.
- Operate compressors, striping machines, sandblasters and spray equipment.
- Trouble shoot and repair electrical/plumbing, appliances, and HVAC.
- Hire as painter, recently complete school to become HVAC technician.
- Perform a variety of repair and maintenance tasks including, but not limit to plumbing, minor electrical work and painting.
- Apply plastic coatings, membranes, fiberglass, or feel over slope roofs before applying shingles.
- Inspect eligible properties for lead base paint using XRF, dust wipe and soil sample protocols enforce by EPA.
Painter skills and personality traits
We calculated that 13% of Painters are proficient in Ladders, Coats, and Safety Procedures. They’re also known for soft skills such as Color vision, Customer-service skills, and Detail oriented.
We break down the percentage of Painters that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Ladders, 13%
Involved escalating ladders and scaffolding.
- Coats, 9%
Painted a variety of surfaces, applying prime, intermediate and finish coats, Chemical Agent Resistant Coating and alkyd paints.
- Safety Procedures, 7%
Provided and performed basic standardized procedures and direct personal resident and industrial painting skills and safety procedures.
- Scaffolding, 7%
Painted steam and water treatment piping using scaffolding, safety harnesses, and followed refinery safety protocols
- Caulking, 6%
Perform masonry waterproofing exterior masonry staining; maintain acoustical tile and factory applied finishes and caulking; and perform preventive maintenance.
- Exterior Surfaces, 5%
Prepared exterior surfaces by power washing and repairing structural defects.-Managed a team of painters
Common skills that a painter uses to do their job include "ladders," "coats," and "safety procedures." You can find details on the most important painter responsibilities below.
Detail oriented. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of painters is detail oriented. This skill is critical to many everyday painter duties, as "painters must be precise when creating or painting edges for overall quality of appearance." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "touch ups, clear coat scratch repair, detailing, headlight restoration and pick-up truck bed-liner spray. "
Physical strength. A big part of what painters do relies on "physical strength." You can see how essential it is to painter responsibilities because "painters must be able to lift at least 50 pounds and move heavy items during the course of a job." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical painter tasks: "provided setup and physical labor for residential painting project provided clean-up to client's satisfaction painted interior residential home"
The three companies that hire the most painters are:
- Tradesmen International187 painters jobs
- Twin City Fan Companies103 painters jobs
- Stoughton Trailers41 painters jobs
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Compare different painters
Painter vs. Interior decorator, painting
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. They also inspect tools and equipment, ensuring that the materials are free from any defects to avoid hazards and construction delays.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between painters and interior decorator, painting. For instance, painter responsibilities require skills such as "ladders," "safety procedures," "scaffolding," and "drywall repair." Whereas a interior decorator, painting is skilled in "faux finishes," "decorative finishes," "drywall installation," and "epa." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Interior decorators, painting tend to reach similar levels of education than painters. In fact, interior decorators, painting are 2.5% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.1% less likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Painter vs. Mason
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, painter responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "ladders," "coats," "exterior surfaces," and "drywall repair." Meanwhile, a mason has duties that require skills in areas such as "masonry," "safety regulations," "dump truck," and "retaining walls." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
Masons earn similar levels of education than painters in general. They're 4.3% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Painter vs. Powder coating painter
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a painter is likely to be skilled in "ladders," "scaffolding," "caulking," and "exterior surfaces," while a typical powder coating painter is skilled in "coat painting," "mask," "color changes," and "quality standards."
Powder coating painters earn the best pay in the automotive industry, where they command an average salary of $38,696. Painters earn the highest pay from the energy industry, with an average salary of $45,790.Most powder coating painters achieve a similar degree level compared to painters. For example, they're 1.2% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Painter vs. Auto customize painter
Types of painter
Updated January 8, 2025
