Specialties and career as a building painter: new construction to decoration and management
Where the trade can take you after the journeyman's test
When you are trained as a building painter you have broad professional skills that can be used in many places. Most start as journeyman with a master and specialize from there in the direction that suits their interests and the market they work in. The trade includes everything from completely classical craftsmanship to more technical and specialized tasks.
§New construction and renovation
Many painters work on construction — either new construction where you treat new raw surfaces or renovation where you freshen up and repair existing. Renovation work often requires more pre-treatment and more material understanding because you need to assess what is already on the wall and how it works together with the new.
§Decorations formed in plaster or lime
Part of the stucco trade's charm is that you can get far with few tools. It is less about expensive equipment and more about skill and understanding of the material. Here we review the most important materials and tools.
§Spraying and industrial work
Some painters specialize in spray work, where you treat large areas quickly with airless equipment and achieve a completely smooth finish – for example on ceilings, facades or industrial surfaces. Industrial surface treatment and corrosion protection of steel structures is a related area with its own requirements and products.
§The way forward
After the journeyman exam several paths are open. You can stay with the craft and become an even more skilled craftsperson, you can take responsibility as a foreman or site manager on larger sites, or you can further your education and eventually become a master or start your own business. Many painters become self-employed because the trade lends itself well to smaller companies.
- 01Journeyman with specialization in new construction, renovation, decoration or spray
- 02Foreman or site supervisor with responsibility for a crew on site
- 03Master and self-employed with own business
- 04Further education in construction, management or occupational environment
§A trade with a future
Buildings must always be maintained and surfaces must always be treated. That makes the painting trade a stable craft with continuous demand. At the same time the products and requirements develop — towards more sustainable paints better indoor climate and higher documentation requirements. As a painter you get a trade that is rooted in a long tradition and constantly moving forward.