A painter is a person who applies paint and other finishes to both the interior and exterior surfaces of various buildings and structures such as ships, cars, et cetera.
A painter also has to be someone with a good eye for colors. Painting beautifies buildings and structures.
In some cases, painting also serves as protection against rust and other forms of degradation. For this article, we will discuss several ways to become one.
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Skills You Need to Become a Successful Painter
To have a successful painting career, there are certain skills you need to have in your arsenal.
Painting requires patience and general love for colors. These are some of the skills required to become a painter:
- To become very good in this career whose skills are sought after, you must possess an eye for color and detail.
- You also need to be very good with your hands.
- To be successful in painting, you must be precise with your tools to give an excellent result.
- If you are scared of heights, you might not make a very good painter. Certain jobs would require you to work at dizzying heights. To become a painter, you must conquer your fear of heights.
- Creativity comes with the job. You must be creative. You must have a knack for mixing colors to produce something spectacular. And your mind is your most important tool. You must possess a vivid imagination.
- Painters must have good communication skills. The ability to communicate in a verbal and non-verbal manner and understand the client’s expectations are very important skills to possess.
- Painters must be good managers of time. It is important to possess time management skills to complete your work quickly.
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How to Become a Painter
If you discover you possess some of the skills mentioned above, and you are probably wondering how to become a painter, this might help you.
To start a career in painting, there are a few steps to take. These are some of them:
- To become a painter, a degree is often required. A high school diploma or a GED (General Education Development) certificate is usually required to qualify for some painting jobs.
Maths and Communications are some of the courses required in the certificate. - To work as a painter in the United States, you are required by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to get a certification that allows you to work with paints that contain lead.
It is mostly for the safety of the painter and the environment as the program educates them on the best way to handle lead which harms health and the environment. - Enter an apprenticeship program to gain needed experience. Like other jobs, those with experience are preferred to those with little or no experience.
A good way to build your experience is to enter into an apprenticeship program that allows you to gain experience and learn on the job.
Duties of a Painter
The following duties are required of a painter:
- As the name implies, a painter is often required to apply paint to surfaces of different structures using an array of equipment such as brush, rollers, spray, et cetera.
- A painter is also required to repair cracks or holes on the walls or any other surface using filler.
- Painters are also required to mix thin paints.
- A painter who naturally has an eye for colors is often required to offer advice to clients on color selection.
- The duty of a painter also includes providing cost estimates to clients.
This aspect of the job is why mathematics is often required in the high school diploma or the GED. A basic understanding of arithmetic is important.
The painter’s duty also includes the removal of old paint before applying new ones.
They’re also required to prepare and clean surfaces after removing the old paint.
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Conclusion
In the article, we delved into the skills required to become a painter. We also looked into the qualifications and certifications required to become a painter.
And finally, we discussed at great length the topic of the article, how to become a painter.
