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Painter and decorator

Painters and decorators apply paint, wallpaper and other finishes to the inside and outside of buildings.

Annual Salary

£17,000 to £32,000

Average UK salary in 2023 was £34,963
(source Office for National Statistics)

Working hours

42 to 44 a week

You could work: evenings / weekends; occasionally

1.1%
Future employment

There will be 1.1% fewer Painter and decorator jobs in 2027.

Day to day tasks

In this job, you will:

  • work out how much paint or wall covering is needed for a job
  • lay down dust sheets and prepare materials
  • strip off old wallpaper or layers of paint
  • fill holes and cracks and make sure surfaces are level
  • cover surfaces with primer and undercoat
  • mix paint to the right shade, often using computerised colour-matching equipment
  • apply coats of paint or hang wallpaper
  • add special finishes like stains, varnishes or marbling
  • tidy up after finishing, and clean your tools

Working environment

You may need to wear protective clothing.

You could work at a client's business or at a client's home.

Your working environment may be at height.

You can get into this job through:

  • a college course
  • an apprenticeship
  • working towards this role
College

You could take a college course like:

  • Level 2 or Level 3 Diploma in Painting and Decorating
  • T Level in On Site Construction

This will teach you some of the skills you'll need and help you to find a job as a trainee with a decorating company.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 2 or more GCSEs at grades 9 to 3 (A* to D), or equivalent, for a level 2 course
  • 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, for a level 3 course
  • 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths for a T level
For more information
Apprenticeship

You could do a painter and decorator intermediate apprenticeship.

This will usually take 2 to 3 years to complete.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • some GCSEs, usually including English and maths, or equivalent, for an intermediate apprenticeship
For more information
Work

You could work as a painter and decorator's labourer or 'mate'. Your employer may give you the chance to take further training on the job to become a qualified painter and decorator.

Requirements and restrictions

You'll need to:

  • be able to cope with working at height

More information

Professional and industry bodies

You could join the Painting and Decorating Association for professional development and to make industry contacts.

Further information

You can find out about careers in painting and decorating from Go Construct.

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With experience, you could become a team supervisor or move into related areas like estimating, contract management, interior or set design.

You could work in heritage conservation, or set up your own business.

You could also move into apprentice training or teaching in a further education college.

Find out more about teaching in further education from Teach in further education.

Skills required and how your skills match up

What skills are required?

You'll need:

  • to be thorough and pay attention to detail
  • the ability to work well with others
  • the ability to work well with your hands
  • to be flexible and open to change
  • the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure
  • customer service skills
  • knowledge of public safety and security
  • business management skills
  • knowledge of building and construction
  • to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device
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