Painting and decorating demand: Skills & qualifications needed?

In the last few years, many of us have had to spend an increasing amount of time at home, and that has led to a corresponding desire for home improvements and redecorating. While many people do attempt to paint and decorate their own homes, many more are ready and willing to pay professionals to guarantee a job well done in a timely manner, and it is easy to see why.

An expert painting and decorating job can transform your home into somewhere that feels brand new, so with increasing demand and a lack of supply, here we will take a look at these jobs and help you decide if now is the right time to get your house decorated, or to take up a new job yourself.

Is Painting and Decorating in demand?

A number of factors in recent years have led to a situation in many industries relating to building and home decorating where there are plenty of people looking to hire experts and not always enough professionals to go around.

Everything from an increase in remote working jobs to immigration laws and policies and so much more has led to a place where painting and decorating is very much in demand, so now could be the perfect time for you to get some experience and even open up your own business in this field.

How do I get started in painting and decorating?

Many painters and decorators will start off working for someone else, learning the tricks of the trade and building up the relevant skills and level of experience before flying solo. You can learn to paint over time, and will likely have to show that you can cut in and leave a room looking exactly right before your trainer or mentor agrees that you are ready to be a painter in full.

Being a decorator involves the ability to paint, but can also include a number of other tasks and skills and can therefore take a little longer to get into. Again you will likely start straight from school or in a job where you learn from an established decorator who will show you how to wallpaper a room, install floor and window coverings and so on.

You may also want to think about what sort of painter and decorator you want to be. You can become an industrial painter, a decorative painter, or even a designer painter specialising in more high-end work.

What skills does a painter and decorator need?

Beyond the ability to actually paint a room, there are a number of skills that are necessary and others that can be a real boon if you want to work as a painter and decorator. Here are some of the key roles and skills that you should ideally be able to fulfil:

Calculate the rate of the room – painters need to be able to look at a room and work out how much paint they will need, how long it will take, labour costs and so on in order to give an accurate quote. This goes double for decorators who may also have to think about floors, windows and other décor.
Prepare the area – where you are painting can require certain extra work, such as constructing a scaffold or ensuring that you are working safely and tidily inside someone’s house.
Prepare the surface – you also have to be able to sand down walls or even fill in any flaws before you begin so that the paint will take and there won’t be any mars to the surface when it is done. If you want to reach the standard of experts like Painting All Sorts, the end result needs to be utterly flawless.
Selecting paint – some homeowners may have an exact idea of the paint, colour and finish that they want in each room, and that is great – as long as they don’t want an interior paint on their exterior for example. A painter and decorator should know all about paint, which is best where and how to apply it correctly.
The painting and decorating itself – it is silly not to mention the essential core of the job of the painter and the key aspect of decorating, actually doing the painting and decorating to the highest standards possible.
Cleaning up – the most beautiful job in the world won’t be appreciated if you leave a mark on the rug as you pack up hurriedly and carelessly, or leave a load of rubbish lying around. Taking the extra time to thoroughly and efficiently clean everything up is an important part of the job.

On top of this, you need to be able to effectively plan your time, meet deadlines and stick to budgets to make sure that you are getting paid the amount you should and keep your customers happy with your work and ready to recommend you to more customers in the future.

What qualifications do you need to be a painter and decorator?

Depending on where you want to be a painter and decorator, while you don’t really need any particular qualifications to become a painter or decorator, you may need certain certificates and licences to work in different countries or for certain companies. If you want to work on a construction site, for example, you may need the correct certification.

If you wish to set up your own company, you will want to be able to prove that you have all of the skills necessary to get the job done as just one of the hoops you will have to jump through. It can take time to get established, and advertising and word of mouth can be some of the best ways to get business once you have reached the level of expertise.

Final thoughts

Painting and decorating are jobs that remain as much or more in demand today than they ever were, and that doesn’t look likely to change any time soon. This could be the perfect time to give a new career a try, but remember it takes time and skill to reach the level of expertise needed to truly be a fantastic painter and decorator, and getting a successful business off the ground is harder still.

If you are thinking about giving your home a new lease of life, consider hiring a company like Painting All Sorts and see the impressive results in no time, hassle-free.