Painter and decorator
Trade preparing surfaces and applying paint, wallpaper and decorative finishes to interior and exterior surfaces.
Jobs, demand and who does this work
Figures for the ANZSCO occupation Painting Trades Worker (332211), the closest official match for painter and decorator, from Your Career (Jobs and Skills Australia data, sourced 2026-09-23).
- Median weekly earnings (full-time)
- $1,400
- People employed
- 51,000
- Future demand
- Moderate
- Work full-time
- 80%
- Average full-time hours
- 42 a week
- Women
- 4%
- Median age
- 40
Where the jobs are (share of workers)
| NSW | 33.1% |
| VIC | 22.9% |
| QLD | 22.9% |
| WA | 9.4% |
| SA | 7% |
| TAS | 2.6% |
| ACT | 1.6% |
| NT | 0.5% |
Highest qualification held by workers
| Postgraduate qualification | 1.4% |
| Bachelor degree | 4.2% |
| Diploma or advanced diploma | 4.8% |
| Certificate I-IV | 51.7% |
| Year 12 | 14.3% |
| Below Year 12 | 18.9% |
What a painter and decorator actually does
Painters typically start on site at 7am. The morning is mostly prep - sanding, filling, taping, masking. Most of the visible finish comes down to invisible prep work; rushed prep shows in the final coat. Once prep is done, the rhythm is cut in around edges with a brush, then roll the body of the wall, then move on. Domestic painters alternate between new-build work (whole houses on a builder's roster) and repaint work for existing homes. Commercial painters work on schools, offices, hospitals and high-rises - often on swing stages, scaffold or boom lifts. Heritage and decorative work pays well but is detailed and slow. Solvent fumes are a constant concern - good ventilation, masks and water-based paints have made the trade safer but it's still real. Painters knock off 3-4pm on domestic, later on commercial. Weather affects external work heavily: rain stops a job, heat speeds up the dry, cold below 10 degrees usually halts work.
Skills you'll use
- Surface preparation - sanding, filling, scraping, lead-paint test
- Reading colour charts and matching specifications
- Cutting in and rolling for even finish
- Spray-gun setup and operation
- Wallpaper hanging and removal
- Decorative finishes (faux, stenciling, metallics)
- Working at heights and EWP operation
How to become one
- 1Finish Year 10 with English
- 2Get a White Card (CPCWHS1001) for construction sites
- 3Sign a 3-year apprenticeship with a painting contractor or builder
- 4Complete the CPC30620 Certificate III in Painting and Decorating through TAFE
- 5Add a working-at-heights and EWP ticket for commercial work
- 6In QLD - apply for a QBCC trade contractor licence to work above the threshold
Where you can work
- Residential builders on new estates
- Commercial construction contractors on schools, hospitals and offices
- Strata and body-corporate maintenance firms
- Heritage restoration specialists
- Marine and industrial coating specialists
- Insurance restoration firms (fire and flood damage)
- Self-employed sole trader or small crew owner
Career progression
Typical stages and roles. Apprentice and tradesperson pay is set by the modern award or enterprise agreement that covers the job; check it with the Fair Work Ombudsman's Pay and Conditions Tool.
- Apprentice3 yearsTypical roles: First-year apprentice painter, Third-year apprentice painter
- Tradesperson0-4 yearsTypical roles: Domestic painter, Commercial painter, Specialist finish painter
- Leading hand or foreman5-10 yearsTypical roles: Leading hand, Site foreman, Estimator
- Subcontractor or business owner8+ yearsTypical roles: Subcontract painting crew owner, Decorative finishes specialist
Is this for you?
You might love this if
- You can stand the patience required to prep properly
- You have a steady hand and good eye for clean cut-in
- You're comfortable working at heights on scaffold and ladders
- You can deal with customers in their homes
- You can tolerate paint smells and solvent fumes for hours
This might not suit you if
- You have lung or skin sensitivity to paint and solvents
- You can't commit to 3 years of apprentice pay
- You're impatient and want to skip prep work
- You have an injury that limits arm-up overhead work
Entry requirements
- Year 10 or equivalent
- A signed apprenticeship training contract with a host employer.
State licensing
Not nationally licensed. Some states impose contractor licensing once work exceeds a value threshold.
| State | Licensing authority |
|---|---|
| NSW | Building Commission NSW (contractor licence for residential work over $5,000) |
| VIC | No trade-specific licence listed |
| QLD | Queensland Building and Construction Commission (above $3,300) |
| SA | No trade-specific licence listed |
| WA | No trade-specific licence listed |
| TAS | No trade-specific licence listed |
| NT | No trade-specific licence listed |
| ACT | No trade-specific licence listed |