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Painting, Coating or Decorating Worker

What They Do

Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers Career Video

About This Career

Paints, coats, or decorates articles, such as furniture, glass, plateware, pottery, jewelry, toys, books, or leather.

This career is part of the Manufacturing cluster Production pathway.

A person in this career:

  • Applies coatings, such as paint, ink, or lacquer, to protect or decorate workpiece surfaces, using spray guns, pens, or brushes.
  • Examines finished surfaces of workpieces to verify conformance to specifications and retouches any defective areas.
  • Cleans and maintains tools and equipment, using solvents, brushes, and rags.
  • Reads job orders and inspects workpieces to determine work procedures and materials required.
  • Immerses workpieces into coating materials for specified times.
  • Selects and mixes ingredients to prepare coating substances according to specifications, using paddles or mechanical mixers.
  • Places coated workpieces in ovens or dryers for specified times to dry or harden finishes.
  • Cleans surfaces of workpieces in preparation for coating, using cleaning fluids, solvents, brushes, scrapers, steam, sandpaper, or cloth.
  • Conceals blemishes in workpieces, such as nicks and dents, using fillers such as putty.
  • Melts or heats coating materials to specified temperatures.

Working Conditions and Physical Demands

People who do this job report that:

  • You would often handle loads up to 10 lbs., sometimes up to 20 lbs. You might do a lot of walking or standing, or you might sit but use your arms and legs to control machines, equipment or tools.
  • Exposure to pollutants, gases, dust, fumes, odors, poor ventilation, etc.
  • Work in this occupation involves using your hands to hold, control, and feel objects more than one-third of the time
  • Sound and noise levels are loud and distracting
  • Work in this occupation involves making repetitive motions more than one-third of the time

Working in this career involves (physical activities):

  • Identifying color and seeing differences in color, including shades and brightness
  • Seeing clearly up close

Work Hours and Travel

  • Regular working hours and limited travel

Specialty and Similar Careers

Careers that are more detailed or close to this career:

  • Decaler
  • Decorator
  • Glass Decorator
  • Glazer
  • In Mold Coater
  • Painter
  • Pottery Decorator
  • Silk-Screen Operator
  • Spray Painter
  • Sprayer

Contact

  • Email Support
  • 1-800-GO-TO-XAP (1-800-468-6927)
    From outside the U.S., please call +1 (424) 750-3900
  • North Dakota Career Resource Network
    ndcrn@nd.gov | (701) 328-9733

Support