The Painter & Decorator applies paint, wallcoverings and other finishes to interior and exterior surfaces of buildings and other structures to produce plain or decorative surfaces. They usually work in the residential, commercial, institutional and industrial construction sectors. They may also work on renovation projects, can specialize in installing particular types of materials, become estimators or advance to supervisory positions.

 

Fully qualified journeypersons can expect above average incomes. They also use access equipment safely, such as ladders, scaffolds, swing stages, boson chairs and elevated work platforms applying a variety of finishes.The Painter & Decorator may be exposed to unpleasant sights and smells. He/she may at times be exposed to dangerous and or toxic substances and must take necessary precautions to protect eyes, nose and skin from irritation and infection. Experienced Painters & Decorators may advance to supervisory positions with painting and decorating contractors, or set up their own small businesses. Many painters and decorators are self-employed.

 

Industry Changes

​

New building products and techniques are continually being developed for the construction trades. Those who do framing, painting and install walls and ceilings have benefited from research and development that have produced simplified ceiling, wall and floor installations. The introduction of lasers to the trade, including laser alignment systems has increased the efficiency and accuracy of layout lines. These new materials and techniques have given businesses more quality control of workmanship. Building codes have also been updated to reflect these improvements in products and techniques.

 

Although there is indoor painting to do in the winter, the work is seasonal to some extent. Employment prospects are also affected by economic conditions, particularly conditions in the construction industry.

Over the next ten years, the employment outlook is considered to be excellent. The lack of trained and qualified Painters & Decorators and the expected increased retirement rate in these trades over the next decade highlight the opportunities within the industry for good potential jobs. Demand should also be high for those who stay informed about new developments in this field.

 

Safety

​

Safe working practices and accident prevention are the primary importance to the health and safety of all person(s) at any or all work place environments. All person(s) including employee, employer and government, share this responsibility in order to keep everyone free of any dangers or accidents that may cause an individual(s) serious bodily harm or death.

The Occupational Health and Safety Acts and Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS) Regulations, should be consistently reviewed and enforced in every work place environment. Educating and understanding these regulations is everyone’s responsibility in order to keep a safe work place environment.

Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) has contributed to a safer work place environment. Health and safety has become a high priority in the workplace due to increased awareness of dangers and the identifications of hazardous materials.

Practicing health and safety is a tremendous contribution to a safe and accident free work place environment.

 

Job Tasks

• Applying thermal and sound insulation or sound attenuation blankets, installing vapor barriers, sealing vapor barriers, installing baffles and arranging for inspection

• Apply finishes that are sponged, ragged and layered

• Apply paper, or natural and synthetic fabric wallcoverings

• Apply an undercoat primer or sealer before painting, or apply “sizing” before wallpapering

• Ceiling systems and ornamental shapes using hand and power tools

• Corner beads and wire mesh around beams to which plaster is to be applied

• Cutting openings for electrical outlets, ducts, pipes and windows

• De-mountable partition systems used in commercial office spaces

• Decorative finishes and accessories

• Drilling

• Estimate the quantity of materials required by measuring surfaces or reviewing a work order

• Erecting

• Exterior prefabricated wall panels

• Exterior/interior metal or wood frameworks for walls, partitions

• Fabric walls, exterior prefabricated wall panels

• Maintain building interiors and exteriors

• Match specified colours by using premixed paints, or mixing colour and pigment, oil, and thinning and drying additives

• Metal or gypsum lath to studs or furring using nails, screws, clips or wire ties

• Mix and pour joint compounds

• Painting

• Prepare the surface for covering by cleaning it, filling nail holes and cracks, and sanding rough spots

• Reading, interpreting and applying blueprints and specifications for job layout; checking other trades' blueprints for building services, and scheduling the job

• Remove the old coating by stripping it with solvents, heat, sanding, wire brushing, or water and sand blasting

• Sanding

• Sandblast and apply industrial coatings

• Scaffolding

• Scraping away excess compound, or sanding surfaces to give them a finished appearance, or applying textured surface on walls and ceilings

• Use brushes, rollers or spray guns to apply liquid coatings such as paint, stain or varnish to surfaces of wood, metal, brick, concrete, plaster, stucco or stone

• …and much more

 

Tools

• Adjustable wrench

• Ball peen hammer

• Blow lamp

• Buckets

• Chalk

• Chalk line

• Caulking tool

• Compressor

• Dippers

• Drills

• Drywall Utility Saw

• Drywall tape

• Dust masks

• Electric iron

• Filling board

• Gas torches

• Glue

• Grinders

• Joint compound

• Hand Sander

• Hack saw

• Hammer

• Hoses

• Palett knife

• Hacking knife

• Filling knife

• Stripping knife/scraper

• Levels

• Lining fitches

• Lifting kicker

• Measuring tape

• Mini pipe cutters

• Mud pan

• Needle nose pliers

• Paint brushes (assorted)

• Paint hooks

• Paint rollers (assorted)

• Paint strainer

• Pattern Pistol and Hopper

• Pencil

• Plumb bobs

• Pointing trowel

• Pole sander

• Reciprocating saw

• Roller trays

• Rubbing block

• Rulers

• Sandpaper or sanding screens

• Screen printing machine

• Screen shooting board

• Screw driver set

• Shapers

• Shop Vacuum

• Spraying gun

• Spirit level

• Squeegees

• Steam stripper

• Stencil brushes

• Straight edge

• Stippling brushes

• Tin snips

• Tool belt

• Vacuum Sander,6 ft hose, dustless

• Wire brush

• Writers/sign writing brushes

• …and much more

 

Skills

• Critical Thinking

• Decision Making

• Analytical Thinking

• Numerical

• Oral Communication

• Problem Solving

• Reading Blueprints and schematics

• Writing

• Computer Knowledge

• Good colour sense

• Manual dexterity

• Ability to work at heights

 

General Wages

• Average -   $24.50

• Minimum -  $16.75

• Maximum - $31.25

​

Sample Q&A

 

1. The width of an airless spray pattern is determined by which of the following?

a. Spray tip orifice angle

b. Size of the pump

c. Spray tip orifice size

d. Material pressure

Ans. C

 

2. Which of the following problems is most likely to occur when solvent-based products are applied?

a. Color bleeding

b. Orange peel effect

c. Cracking and losing adhesion

d. None of the above

Ans. B

 

3. Which of the following is the most common cause of paint failure?

a. Poor surface preparation

b. Using too much paint

c. Painting on a hot day

d. Using inferior paint

Ans. A

 

4. You are spraying a texture surface on a ceiling. The texture is doing a poor job of adhering to the surface. In addition, some places have cracked. What may be the cause?

a. dust from sanding

b. texture is under diluted

c. texture is contaminated

d. poor surface condition

Ans. C

 

5. When preparing for application of a peel and stick membrane, what must be done to the substrate in a cavity wall system?

a. Primed with compatible primer.

b. Acid etched to remove residuals.

c. Power washed.

d. sandblast

Ans. A

 

6. New, non aggressive media including plastic and wheat starch and specialized low pressure blast equipment have been developed to perform which of the following?

a. clean airplanes and helicopters

b. dry strip coatings from advanced composite materials

c. leave an ideal surface for coating

Ans. B

 

7. Regular smoothing brushes have which of the following bristles than vinyl smoothing brushes?

a. Longer

b. Shorter

c. Thicker

d. Thinner

Ans. A