Occupation
Painter and decorator
Painters and decorators prepare surfaces and apply paint, coatings, wallcoverings, and finishes to buildings and structures. Preparation is the bulk of the work: filling, sanding, masking, and priming decide how the finish looks and how long it lasts. Industrial and marine coatings work is a distinct branch with its own surface preparation and inspection requirements.
Also known as: Painter · Decorator · Industrial coatings applicator
Occupation content
Part of Skilled trades, maintenance and repair
What the work involves
- Protect and mask floors, fixtures, and adjacent surfaces before starting work.
- Prepare substrates by scraping, filling, sanding, degreasing, or abrasive blasting.
- Apply primers, sealers, and finish coats by brush, roller, or spray to the specified system.
- Hang wallcoverings and apply decorative or specialist finishes where required.
- Check coating coverage and appearance, and correct runs, misses, and defects.
- Handle solvents, dust, and lead or hazardous coatings under the required controls.
How people commonly enter
- A registered painting and decorating apprenticeship with a decorating or industrial coatings contractor.
- A college or trade-school painting and decorating programme used to enter the trade.
- Entry as a painter's helper doing preparation and masking, moving into finishing with experience.
- Coatings-specific training and applicator certification added by a working painter for industrial or marine work.
Typical training: Apprenticeship
Licensing: Certification common, not usually required
Pathways: Apprenticeship route
Typical work context
Client sites · Physically active · Works independently · Varied work · Public facing
Related interests
Realistic (hands-on) · Artistic (creative)
Related aptitude preparation
These are preparation links only. They do not measure eligibility for this occupation and no score here qualifies or disqualifies anyone.
Skills to practise
Practice suites
Related learning
Family-level learning links for Skilled trades, maintenance and repair.
Official sources
Labour-market facts such as pay and employment projections are not reproduced here. Open an official source below for figures, with its own geography and reference period.
- US BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook — Painters, construction and maintenance · United States
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- Red Seal Program — Designated Red Seal trades · Canada
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- UK National Careers Service — Explore careers · United Kingdom
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Labour-market context (not part of exploration match)
This is broad family-level context for Skilled trades, maintenance and repair in Canada, not a figure for Painter and decorator. It does not affect matching scores and is not an eligibility determination.
This is a broad Skilled trades, maintenance and repair family. Explore the official profile for the chosen occupation; entry education and training can differ within the family.
Canada Job Bank Career Planning · Canada · Current official profile; consult source for its release period
Skilled trades, maintenance and repair: education pathways
Some roles in Skilled trades, maintenance and repair may be regulated. Confirm whether the specific role requires registration, certification, or a jurisdiction-specific licence.
Canada Job Bank Career Planning · Canada · Current official profile; consult source for its release period
Skilled trades, maintenance and repair: licensing
Find jobs
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- Search Canada Job Bank · Canada
- Search USAJOBS · United States federal
- Search EURES · European Union / EEA
- Search Indeed · International (choose location on Indeed)