Career Overview
Set up, operate, or tend spraying or rolling machines to coat or paint any of a wide variety of products, including glassware, cloth, ceramics, metal, plastic, paper, or wood, with lacquer, silver, copper, rubber, varnish, glaze, enamel, oil, or rust-proofing materials. Includes painters of transportation vehicles such as painters in auto body repair facilities.
Also Known As
- Automotive Painter (Auto Painter)
- Coater Operator
- Paint Technician (Paint Tech)
- Painter
Alternate Job Titles
- Abrasive Coating Machine Operator
- Abrasive Coating Machine Setup Operator
- Air Drier
- Air Drier Machine Operator
- Aircraft Painter
- Auto Body Painter (Automotive Body Painter)
- Auto Painter (Automobile Painter)
- Auto Refinisher (Automobile Refinisher)
- Auto Striper (Automotive Striper)
- Automatic Paint Sprayer Operator
- Automobile Body Painter
- Automotive Paint Prepper (Auto Paint Prepper)
- Automotive Paint Technician (Auto Paint Tech)
- Automotive Painter (Auto Painter)
- Automotive Refinish Technician (Auto Refinish Tech)
What You'll Do
In this role, your typical responsibilities include:
- Dispose of hazardous waste in an appropriate manner.
- Hold or position spray guns to direct spray onto articles.
- Spray prepared surfaces with specified amounts of primers and decorative or finish coatings.
- Monitor painting operations to identify flaws, such as blisters or streaks, and correct their causes.
- Disassemble, clean, and reassemble sprayers or power equipment, using solvents, wire brushes, and cloths.
- Fill hoppers, reservoirs, troughs, or pans with material used to coat, paint, or spray, using conveyors or pails.
- Clean equipment and work areas.
Essential Skills
Success in this career requires strong skills in:
- Operations Monitoring
Key Abilities
This career requires key abilities in:
- Near Vision
- Control Precision
- Visual Color Discrimination
- Arm-Hand Steadiness
- Manual Dexterity
- Finger Dexterity
- Far Vision
- Trunk Strength
- Visualization
- Perceptual Speed
Work Style
People who excel in this career typically demonstrate:
- Attention to Detail
- Dependability
- Cautiousness
- Integrity
- Stress Tolerance
What Matters in This Career
This career tends to satisfy these work values:
- Support
- Relationships
- Independence
- Achievement
- Recognition
Education & Preparation
Typical Education: High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)
On-the-Job Training: Anything beyond short demonstration, up to and including 1 month
Education Details: Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
Experience Required: Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience. For example, landscaping and groundskeeping workers might require very little training or previous experience, while agricultural equipment operators can benefit from on-the job training.
Technology You'll Use
Popular Technologies & Software
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Office software
- Microsoft Outlook
- Microsoft Word
Tools & Equipment
- Abrasive disc wheels
- Adjustable hand wrenches
- Adjustable wrench sets
- Air compressors
- Air-assisted spraying systems
- Airless gravity pumps
- Automated paint mixing equipment
- Blow torches
- Claw hammers
- Compressed air systems
- Computer terminals
- Desktop computers
- Electric hoists
- Electrically operated airless pumps
- Electrostatic paint systems
Work Environment
- Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls
- Exposed to Sounds, Noise Levels that are Distracting or Uncomfortable
- Spend Time Making Repetitive Motions
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
- Exposed to Contaminants
Salary & Job Market
| Salary Percentile | Annual Wage |
|---|---|
| Entry-Level (10th percentile) | $35,480 |
| Median | $47,590 |
| Top Earners (90th percentile) | $72,800 |
Workers Employed Nationally: 159,500
Related Careers
If you're interested in this career, you might also consider:
Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers
Education: Less than a High School Diploma
Median Salary: $40,860
Plating Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
Education: Less than a High School Diploma
Median Salary: $41,600
Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic
Education: Not specified
Median Salary: $45,690
Furniture Finishers
Education: High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)
Median Salary: $42,530
Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand
Education: High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)
Median Salary: $41,690
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Occupational data sourced from the O*NET OnLine database, developed by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration. Wage data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), 2024.