House painters add style, flare and a protective coat to our homes by applying
paint, varnishes, enamels and other finishes to interior and exterior walls.
Painters know how to use different paints and finishes for the best effect.
They know how to prepare the different surfaces they work on. They know their
brushes, rollers, applicators, sanders and sprayers. They sometimes use scaffolding
or swing cables to reach high buildings and awkward spots.
Painters typically put in a 40-hour week. They work indoors and outside,
though they rarely work outside in bad weather. Slow times for painters are
usually November to January, especially for those working on the exteriors
of buildings.
This is a physical job requiring stamina, as much of the work is done with
arms raised overhead. Climbing and bending are part of the job.
"It definitely helps to not be afraid of heights, because you work on ladders
a lot," says painter Brad Dunbar. Sometimes painters work with hazardous materials.
They need to wear masks and ensure interior spaces are well ventilated.
Painters need to work well with other tradespeople and their customers.
"Any time you have a crew situation, you need to be able to work with people,"
says Chris Dill. He is a Seattle-based painter. "Even if that's just two people
in a company. If they can't work together, it's not going to last very long."
The job requires carrying a lot of cumbersome equipment and 50-pound cans
of paint. Dill says that he doubts disabled people would be able to do the
work.
"There would be tasks that they could do," he says. "You just look at any
given wall. You've got to start at the floor and go up to the ceiling. You're
going to have to be on a ladder for most everything you're doing, and be willing
to get down where the wall meets the floor.
"You got to contort your body into many different positions. Painting the
inside of cabinets is a pretty tight squeeze usually."