Painting is something that almost everyone has seen done at some point in their lives. Have you ever wondered how most multi-family residences keep their paint jobs looking so good, or why the White House is always white? Commercial painting services are the answer.
These professional painters have received extensive training in order to provide the best, most qualified painting for commercial property. This article discusses the commercial painting job responsibilities as well as some of the work skills required in the field.
What is Commercial Painting?
Commercial painting involves applying fresh paint to commercial buildings and venues. For example, this may include offices, manufacturing facilities, schools, retail stores, and other commercial venues. Commercial painters complete painting projects of various sizes, from smaller properties to larger builders.
The main difference between residential and commercial painting is commercial painting requires larger painting jobs, more planning and preparation, requires a larger team and can require more advanced tools and equipment.
Painting Tasks Performed by Commercial Painters
The following are some types of tasks that most commercial painters undertake.
- Fill cracks and openings: This is one of the most common services offered in commercial projects. It involves filling cracks and openings in a house painting project.
- Cover and protect surfaces: In a commercial painting project, this is among the tasks done by painters.
- Smooth surfaces: This involves adding the paint needed for the interior and exterior of a commercial building to give it a polished look.
- Clean job sites once completed: Once the painting work is complete, the painters work to clean the commercial establishments.
Tools Used for Commercial Painting
Commercial painting may require a variety of tools, such as:
- Paint brushes
- Paint rollers
- Paint sprayers
- Pressure washers
- Step ladders
- Blast sanders
- Aerial lifts
- Scaffolding
- Stencils
Depending on the surfaces being painted and the types of commercial buildings, a mix of the above tools may be necessary for the scope of work.
What Kind of Education and Skills Do Commercial Painters Need?
The knowledge needed to make a commercial project an excellent job is as varied as the tools and techniques you will learn to use.
Professional Skills
- Safety regulations: You will need to know the federal, state, and provincial regulations that govern your trade. Undergoing training will keep you and others safe on commercial painting jobs.
- Business management: You will also need to learn project management if you dream of moving up to manager, foreman superintendent, or project manager.
- Customer service: You may be dealing with many clients on commercial painting projects, which always helps to be good at customer service.
- Communication skills: Commercial painting requires you to have both good verbal and written communication skills.
- Engineering and technology: The more you are knowledgeable about the commercial painting sector, the faster you can progress in your expertise.
- Licenses and certifications: Commercial painting projects can be more involved and require more advanced tools, which means painters working on commercial projects should be licensed and certified.
Basic Skills
The essential skills you need to be an excellent commercial painter are similar to those of a professional salesperson. You will need to be effective at each of the following.
- Listening skills: You should be able to be a good listener to others without interacting and asking the right questions.
- Problem-solving: You will need to be able to think about the different ways to solve work-related problems.
- Basic mathematics skills: A basic knowledge of math, chemistry, and color theory is crucial to the commercial painter who will need to apply that knowledge to use these skills specific to the painting trade.
- Handling materials: Of course, the bulk of a commercial painter’s job is the handling of paint, solvents, tools, and materials—and to be an expert commercial painter, you need to master them.
- Computer skills: Nowadays, using computers is a fact of life in any job – and commercial painting is no exception. Therefore, you must be willing to learn new technology and techniques.
What Physical Abilities Are Needed for Commercial Painting?
Commercial painting is a physically demanding occupation. This may not be the job for you if you have problems with your hand strength or working with hand tools. You must have good physical condition, balance, and endurance. You should also not have any chest pains caused by allergies, paint solvents, or dust.
You’ll need to apply paint accurately and precisely to visual judgments throughout your commercial painting career. This means that good vision is required. Excellent eye coordination is also required in commercial painting—the ability to solve arithmetic problems quickly and accurately is required to use your tools and materials.
As you can see, being a commercial painter entails more than just applying a coat of paint. They frequently learn a variety of techniques throughout their careers, many of which are physical and require close attention to detail.
Personal Traits of a Commercial Painter
“What does personality have to do with being a commercial painter?” you may wonder. On job sites, including private residences and other buildings, you must present a professional appearance, maintain personal hygiene, and maintain a proper attitude and behavior. You should also be skilled at dealing with difficult customers professionally and courteously.
You must interpret written and verbal instructions well and recognize the essence of cooperation and interaction with related occupations in a job.
Commercial painting, like any other profession, comes with a team with which you will collaborate. This means that collaboration is essential. It all comes down to being dependable and being able to communicate with others. Having these character traits in this field requires more than just a keen eye and steady hands; it also necessitates the highest level of professionalism and maturity.
Choose The Ohio Painting Company® For Professional Commercial Painting
Our professional team of licensed and certified commercial painters provides excellent services in Cincinnati, Dayton and the surrounding areas in Ohio. If you are looking for professional commercial painting near you, our team is happy to help! You can request your free estimate online or call us at 937-409-4443.
