Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers
Production
Applies paint, ink, or lacquer with spray guns, pens, or brushes to protect or decorate furniture, glass, plateware, pottery, jewelry, toys, books, or leather. The job order is read first; the piece is inspected; materials and steps are chosen from that order. Finished surfaces are compared with the spec, weak spots are retouched, and tools are cleaned with solvents, brushes, and rags. The work fits those who want careful surface work, a written order to follow, and a finish they can judge by eye.
Typical education: Less than a High School Diploma
Annual Median Wage in Field (2025)
$41'600
Median Wage Market Position
$41'600
What you might do
- Coat furniture and goods with paint, ink, or lacquer
- Look over finished surfaces and touch up flaws
- Read the job order to pick materials and steps
- Inspect each piece before starting the finish
- Clean guns, brushes, and rags with solvent
- Apply lacquer or ink to pottery, glass, or jewelry
Skills that matter
- Job-order reading for paints and inks
- Brush, pen, and spray application
- Surface checks against finish specs
- Retouch of missed or flawed areas
- Solvent cleaning of guns and brushes
- Pacing decorative work to the order
AI & the future of this role
Hand painting and decorative finishing on varied pieces still lean on eye for color, texture, and detail that robots rarely match well. Spray automation may claim more repetitive coating, yet custom decorative work tends to hold up better.
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Includes O*NET® 30.3 Database information by USDOL/ETA under CC BY 4.0; modified by LostInCareer. Wage/outlook from BLS. Attribution details