Description
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.
- • Observe machine gauges and equipment operation to detect defects or deviations from standards, and make adjustments as necessary.
- • Determine paint flow, viscosity, and coating quality by performing visual inspections, or by using viscometers.
- • Weigh or measure chemicals, coatings, or paints before adding them to machines.
- • Turn dials, handwheels, valves, or switches to regulate conveyor speeds, machine temperature, air pressure and circulation, and the flow or spray of coatings or paints.
- • Start and stop operation of machines, using levers or buttons.
- • Record operational data on specified forms.
- • Operate auxiliary machines or equipment used in coating or painting processes.
- • Fill hoppers, reservoirs, troughs, or pans with material used to coat, paint, or spray, using conveyors or pails.
- • Thread or feed items or products through or around machine rollers and dryers.
- • Attach hoses or nozzles to machines, using wrenches and pliers, and make adjustments to obtain the proper dispersion of spray.
- • Remove materials, parts, or workpieces from painting or coating machines, using hand tools.
- • Examine, measure, weigh, or test sample products to ensure conformance to specifications.
- • Hold or position spray guns to direct spray onto articles.
- • Apply primer over any repairs made to surfaces.
- • Adjust controls on infrared ovens, heat lamps, portable ventilators, or exhaust units to speed the drying of surfaces between coats.
- • Apply rust-resistant undercoats and caulk and seal seams.
- • Buff and wax the finished paintwork.
- • Clean equipment and work areas.
- • Disassemble, clean, and reassemble sprayers or power equipment, using solvents, wire brushes, and cloths.
- • Dispose of hazardous waste in an appropriate manner.
- • Fill small dents or scratches with body fillers and smooth surfaces to prepare for painting.
- • Mix paints to match color specifications or original colors, stirring or thinning paints, using spatulas or power mixing equipment.
- • Monitor painting operations to identify flaws, such as blisters or streaks, and correct their causes.
- • Operate lifting or moving devices to move equipment or materials to access areas to be painted.
- • Remove grease, dirt, paint, or rust from surfaces in preparation for paint application, using abrasives, solvents, brushes, blowtorches, washing tanks, or sandblasters.
- • Sand and apply sealer to properly dried finish.
- • Set up portable equipment, such as ventilators, exhaust units, ladders, or scaffolding.
- • Spray prepared surfaces with specified amounts of primers and decorative or finish coatings.
- • Use brush to hand-paint areas in need of retouching or unreachable with a spray gun.
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Tasks & skills:
O*NET occupational data (work activities, skills, knowledge).
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This site includes information from O*NET by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. Career Clutch has modified some of this information for student readability. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Last reviewed: Jan 2026
