The Job Description of a House Painter

Professional house painters apply different types of paint and other finishes, such as stains and varnishes, to the interior and exterior of residential and commercial buildings. They not only paint, but bid on jobs, plan colors and styles with the homeowner, and do all the preparatory work required before painting.

Planning

House painters spend part of the week responding to requests for bids for projects. They might paint just the interior or the exterior of a house, or they might do all the painting and finishing for a new construction project. After a bid is accepted, they meet with the homeowner to discuss in more detail the colors and textures preferred and specialty finishes. They then select the appropriate materials for the job. They match colors, and they may mix paint or they may have the paint automatically mixed at the shop. They also choose brushes, rollers and texturing tools, such as sponges.

Prep Work

House painters must prepare the surfaces, or the new paint will have discolored areas or begin flaking off quickly. For the exterior, a painter power washes the surfaces to remove as much dirt and bug residue as possible. He may need to scrape away existing paint with scrapers, wire brushes and sanders. Many professional house painters will repair or replace rotted wood. Inside, painters wash walls to remove dirt, fingerprints, grease and smoke, and they fill any cracks and nail holes before painting. They also repair plaster and remove wallpaper.

Painting

The job description of a house painter includes being skilled at working with many types of painting tools. Exteriors of houses are commonly painted with sprayers, and finishing touches are added with brushes. The painter may also use a sprayer for the interior of certain types of new construction. Interiors of buildings that are already being lived in or worked in are painted with rollers and brushes, as well as texturing tools. House painters must be careful to keep paint off of trees, flowers and shrubs outside, and furniture, carpet and other possessions inside.

Physical Requirements

Professional house painters must be in very good physical condition. They stand much of time and often climb ladders. They regularly bend, stretch and kneel. They also need strong arms because they commonly spend all day painting.

Salary and Employment Outlook

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, about 42 percent of all painters are self-employed. The bureau includes paperhangers in its figures, but notes that 98 percent of the category is made up of painters. There is always work for painters, and the bureau predicts additional job growth through 2016 to be fueled primarily by retiring homeowners who plan to move and will need their current house painted to sell. Rental properties also should account for house painter demand. Salaries for painters working in the area of residential building construction as of 2008 were an average of about $16 an hour, or about $34,000 annually.

References

• Building Painter Careers From the BLS
• Salary Information

Resources

• Types of Exterior Finishes