Painter: Job Profile and Role

Thinking back to your school days – maybe they are not long gone? – did you always enjoy working with paints and being creative? Or do you still love changing a room’s appearance by giving it a new coat of wall paint or funky wallpaper? Great – in this case, the following blog could lead you to your dream career: the job of a painter, often also called the job of a painter and decorator.

The following sections tell you all you need to know about your potential future job. You find out what qualifications and skills you need, how much you can earn per year, and where to look for employment. Since the job of a painter is very hands-on, you get a few insights into some daily tasks and – last, but not least – tips for advancing your career in painting and decorating.

Short Summary

• As a painter, you not only apply paint to interior and exterior walls, but you also apply wallpaper and other wall finishes.
• As a painter, you prepare a wall for further painting and decorating, for example, by stripping off old wallpaper.
• As a painter, you ensure that a room is ready for painting and wallpapering which must include either emptying a room of all furniture or protecting said furnishings.

Job description

Do not be fooled by your job title. A painter does way more than just apply paint to both interior and exterior walls. Before the first slick of paint is applied by you, you need to finish the necessary preparations first. A wall might have to be stripped of old wallpaper or paint, it furthermore might need to be primed and, later, varnished. Besides the paint, you apply wallpaper as well – naturally, only on interior walls and always using the proper tools like rollers, wallpaper removers, and more. Before you apply the first coat of paint, you need to protect all furniture and appliances first, either by covering it or by having the room to be painted emptied.

Responsibilities

• Material/Equipment Handling
• Colour-Matching Equipment
• Adding Special Finishes
• Levelling Wall Surfaces
• Estimating and Costing
• Stripping off Wallpaper
• Surface Preparation
• Hanging Wallpaper
• Paint Application
• Colour Mixing

Different types of Painters

• Heritage/Restoration Painter
• Commercial Painter
• Residential Painter
• Industrial Painter
• Spray Painter

Salary

When you start as a UK painter, you can expect an annual salary of around ￡26,000 which can reach between ￡34,000 and ￡47,000 with work experience. A high annual salary is not only dependent on your experience in the job, it can equally be influenced by your location.

As an unofficial rule, higher salaries tend to be paid in the south of the United Kingdom, with Surrey currently paying up to ￡51,000 per annum. If you can earn that much furthermore is subject to your employer. Keep in mind that bigger companies can pay more and that you may have an even bigger influence on your wages if you decide on self-employment.

Working hours

If you want to work in painting and decorating, you should be prepared for long weeks since your weekly working hours can amount to between 42 and 44 hours. Some of these hours you may spend in an office but most of them will be spent travelling to a job and on site. You should also be fine with working the odd evening and weekend which affects your free and possibly family time. 

If you want more flexibility, you can look into freelance work as a self-employed painter. This form of employment can be perfect for establishing a healthy work-life balance and for influencing both your clients and your wages.

Employers

As you can see from the different types of painters, you can find employment with various institutions. You can work in residential painting, meaning that you work with mainly private properties like houses and flats. Being a commercial painter means you mainly work in offices, shops and other commercial buildings.

Equally, you can specialise as an industrial painter who finds employment in warehouses and factories. Another option is to work in heritage and restoration painting which usually means employment on historical sites – and your employer potentially being the National Trust.

Qualifications

Let’s take a look at how to become a painter in the UK. Generally, there are two ways for you to qualify for this profession: a college course or an apprenticeship. No educational background may be needed if you apply directly for a job as a painter, but you should still check with your future employer. That said, your first qualifications to enter your education are your GCSEs with the following pass grades: 9 to 3 (A* to D) for a college course, or 9 to 4 (A* to C) for either a college course or an apprenticeship.

While doing your education, you also gain important knowledge of the software you will use daily. This can range from colour-mixing software like Coolors, Adobe Color Wheel, and MixerPro to time-management software like Asana and Trello.

Skills

It will come as no surprise that an excellent eye for colour is one of your main assets when you want to work in painting and decorating. But what other skills will benefit you? And how do you find out which competencies your employer is looking for? Well, we can answer this question easily: by checking the job advertisements for the skills needed. As to which skills that may potentially be? Continue reading because, in this section, we look at three important painter competencies.

Colour Theory

The perfect eye for colours may be one of your most valuable assets but it should always be accompanied by an in-depth knowledge of colour theory. You may remember some of that from school where you were taught about the primary colours and how to mix them to get all other colours. This may be very basic knowledge which will nevertheless help you in your job since it enables you to mix just the colour tone your client wants.

Painting Techniques and Finishes

Getting the colour right is one step towards a beautiful and maybe even soothing wall and a happy client. But you also need to know your painting techniques since painting a wall is way more than just using a brush, applying paint, and being done with the job. You should also be proficient in brushwork, texture application, and finishes like satin, eggshell, semi-gloss, and gloss.

Material Knowledge

Lastly, you must know your tools. And again, painting involves more than a brush – and one brush is not automatically the same as another brush. As a UK painter and decorator, you furthermore need to know your way around paint and wallpaper rollers, wallpaper and paint removers, wallpaper knives, and wallpaper glue, to name but a few. This material knowledge ensures that you know what you are doing when painting a room or a building’s exterior.

Career Path

Education, the position of an apprentice or trainee painter, becoming a painter, or advancing into supervisory roles: these career steps are all possible when working in this profession. Your career options are as limitless as the colours on your colour palette. All you need to do is decide on which direction your career is to take, for example, working in residential painting or heritage and restoration painting. 

Educational Background

Applying directly for a job, doing a college course, or completing an apprenticeship: these three options are the typical approaches to becoming a painter in the UK. Whereas applying directly may not require certifications, you are usually still asked to do further training on the job. 

That said, it tends to be easier to apply successfully if you have completed a T Level in On-Site Construction or have earned your Level 2 or Level 3 Diploma in Painting and Decorating (college course). A T Level enables you to gain both theoretical and practical knowledge, the same is true for a painter and decorator intermediate apprenticeship. Keep in mind that finishing these respective educations takes between two and three years.

Entry Level

You can kick off your career by working as an apprentice painter, meaning that you gain your first experience during your education. After that, your entry-level job typically is the job of a trainee painter which you can perform in any of the different types of painting areas we have already mentioned. 

Continuous Learning

On-the-job training can be one part of your continuous learning as a painter in the UK – be it different painting techniques, innovative colour mixing, or giving a room your trademark look. Besides, there are several other options you should not forget. 

Working in painting and decorating sometimes involves hazardous materials and tools. Therefore, you should acquire your CSCS card (Construction Skills Certification Scheme) that states you as qualified in occupational health and safety. 

We further recommend that you look into qualifications offered by City & Guilds, such as a Level 1 Certificate in Painting and Decorating, or join professional bodies, for example, the Painting and Decorating Association (PDA).

Working in Heritage and Restoration

Interest in historical buildings is especially strong in the UK and we have already said that you might find employment through the National Trust. For this, you should deepen your knowledge about the appropriate painting and decorating techniques. One helpful port of call is the Traditional Building Craft where you learn about gilding, faux finishing, and mural painting.

A Day in the Life of a Painter

A day in the life of a UK painter can be very colourful – depending on a client’s needs and wishes. Yes, we have spoilered one of your daily tasks, applying paint to one or more walls. What other tasks wait for you in this job? Let’s take a look at three jobs you perform in painting and decorating.

Preparation

You have arrived at your destination for the day. Before you mix colours or cut the wallpaper for later appliances, you need to prepare your surroundings. The walls may need to be stripped off old wallpaper, and old layers of paint may need to be removed. In the next step, you fill potential cracks and holes before you apply a wall primer, either for paint or wallpaper. Note that these jobs may be done in a day but can equally mean a few days before you can start with painting or wallpapering.

Colour-Mixing

In meetings with your clients, you have already found out their colour vision for the walls you are to paint. Your clients might want soothing colours or colours that inspire thinking and creativity. With this information in mind, you start mixing the appropriate colours. This tends to involve colour charts and colour-mixing software. When you have finished this, you double-check if you have met your client’s expectations before commissioning the colours with your suppliers.

Wall Finishes

A wall paint or wallpaper, including its finishes, is an art in itself. There are semi-gloss, gloss, satin, matte, and eggshell paint finishes that give each room its individual look and magic. Equally, there are various wallpapers like brocade that contribute to the finished look. One of your regular jobs as a painter is to apply the appropriate finish to “your” walls which naturally has to concur with your client’s expectations.

Tips for Thriving as a Painter

By now, you have an almost encyclopaedic knowledge about the required qualifications, skills, and further training as a UK painter. These requirements help you to train for your dream job and they also contribute to your thriving. As with every job, there are even more ways to advance your career, three of which we explore in this section:

• Craft development
• Self-marketing
• Fitness/Exercise

Craft Development

Continuously working on and improving your painter’s skills is a surefire way to thrive in this profession. As you have seen from your daily jobs, you need to know all about and how to apply different painting techniques. It always makes sense to research the latest trends when it comes to wall finishes with social media, for example, Instagram, as both a source and inspiration. We further recommend the attendance of workshops where you can polish your knowledge and get in touch with other professionals.

Self-Marketing

Let’s assume you are interested in freelance work/self-employment. Starting your own business gives you flexibility and freedom but it also highly depends on how you market yourself. If this is an interesting work option for you, you need to spend a lot of time researching market trends, defining your expert knowledge and needs, and coming up with a viable business plan. Here, social media comes in as well since it is one of the most powerful marketing tools at your disposal.

Fitness/Exercise

Last, but not least, you should spend time on your physical fitness. If you have ever redecorated a room, you know that painting and hanging wallpaper is exhausting and can be physically challenging. Aches and pains are part of the parcel, not being able to move for days afterwards is a regular occurrence. Therefore, find your perfect exercise that allows you both to perform your jobs and to help you switch off after your working day. One more tip: a good fitness regime can be indoor climbing, especially, when you struggle with heights – and vertigo should not be one of the things you suffer from when you want to become a painter.

Frequently Asked Questions