Painter (Construction)

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Work Tasks

• Paint the inside and outside of buildings
• Get a surface ready for painting by sanding, stripping, or blasting off old paint, and filling nail holes and cracks
• Use a primer or sealer to get the surface ready for a finish coat
• Paint with brushes, rollers, or spray guns
• Work indoors and outdoors for construction firms, hotels, apartment and office buildings, schools, hospitals, factories, or in their own company
• Work with paints, enamels, brushes, rollers, spray guns, sandpaper, putty, plaster, primers, sealers, ladders, scaffolding, and swing stages

Salary, Size & Growth

• $41,000 average per year ($19.75 per hour)
• A large occupation (189,800 workers in 2010)
• Expected to grow moderately (0.7% per year)

Education/Training

• Minimum for Entry: On-the-job training
• Employers Prefer: A high school diploma and an apprenticeship in painting
• Skills/Courses: Courses in applied math; training in color harmony, use and care of tools and equipment, surface preparation, application techniques, paint mixing and matching, characteristics of different finishes, blueprint reading, wood finishing, and safety and health regulations
• Certification/Licensing: Certification is needed to handle lead paint or other hazardous materials, or to climb scaffolds.