Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers

What the job really is

Paint, coat, or decorate articles, such as furniture, glass, plateware, pottery, jewelry, toys, books, or leather.

At a glance

• Sector: Production
• O*NET-SOC code: 51-9123
• O*NET job zone: 2 — some preparation
• Work sample tasks on file: 9
• Tools and technologies listed: 12

What you actually do

Work sample tasks recorded for this occupation:

• Apply coatings, such as paint, ink, or lacquer, to protect or decorate workpiece surfaces, using spray guns, pens, or brushes.
• Examine finished surfaces of workpieces to verify conformance to specifications and retouch any defective areas.
• Clean and maintain tools and equipment, using solvents, brushes, and rags.
• Read job orders and inspect workpieces to determine work procedures and materials required.
• Select and mix ingredients to prepare coating substances according to specifications, using paddles or mechanical mixers.
• Place coated workpieces in ovens or dryers for specified times to dry or harden finishes.
• Clean surfaces of workpieces in preparation for coating, using cleaning fluids, solvents, brushes, scrapers, steam, sandpaper, or cloth.
• Conceal blemishes in workpieces, such as nicks and dents, using fillers such as putty.
• Rinse, drain, or wipe coated workpieces to remove excess coating material or to facilitate setting of finish coats on workpieces.

Tools and technology

Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, Microsoft Excel, Adobe FreeHand MX, Banding wheels, Belt dryers, Cleaning brushes, Cleaning scrapers, Computer inkjet printers, Computer laser printers, Cordless power sanders, Corel WordPerfect Office Suite

What employers expect you to already be comfortable with.

Where this job leads

Related occupations — the usual moves up and sideways:

• Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
• Etchers and Engravers
• Painters, Construction and Maintenance
• Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic
• Furniture Finishers
• Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand
• Cutters and Trimmers, Hand
• Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers

Getting in

O*NET assigns this occupation job zone 2 (some preparation). The related occupations above are the realistic routes in and out.

Find openings

Browse the verified job sources directory, or explore more occupations.

Check this against the source

O*NET OnLine: Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers — the authoritative public-domain profile this page is derived from, including the full task list, reported skills and the wage estimates for your region.

Derived and rewritten from the public-domain O*NET database (U.S. Department of Labor / Employment and Training Administration). Figures are observations, not promises — always confirm salary, licensing and visa requirements with the employer and the relevant authority.