A house painter and decorator is a tradesman responsible for the painting and decorating of buildings, and is also known as a decorator or house painter.''The Modern Painter and Decorator'' volume 1 1921 Caxton The purpose of painting is to improve the appearance of a building and to protect it from damage by water, corrosion, insects and mould. House painting can also be a form of artistic and/or cultural expression such as

Ndebele house painting Ndebele house painting is a style of African art practiced by the Southern Ndebele people of South Africa. It is predominantly practiced by the Ndebele women when House painting homes. History During the 18th century, the Ndzundza Ndebele peop ...

History of the trade in England

In England, little is known of the trade and its structures before the late 13th century, at which point guilds began to form, amongst them the Painters Company and the Stainers Company. These two guilds eventually merged with the consent of the Lord Mayor of the City of London in 1502, forming the Worshipful Company of Painter-Stainers. The guild standardised the craft and acted as a protector of the trade secrets. In 1599, the guild asked Parliament for protection, which was eventually granted in a bill of 1606, which granted the trade protection from outside competition such as plasterers. The Act legislated for a seven-year apprenticeship, and also barred plasterers from painting, unless apprenticed to a painter, with the penalty for such painting being a fine of £5. The Act also enshrined a maximum daily fee of 16 old pence for their labour. Enforcement of this Act by the Painter-Stainers Company was sought up until the early 19th century, with master painters gathering irregularly to decide the fees that a journeyman could charge, and also instigating an early version of a job centre in 1769, advertising in the London newspapers a "house of call" system to advertise for journeymen and also for journeymen to advertise for work. The guild's power in setting the fee a journeyman could charge was eventually overturned by law in 1827, and the period after this saw the guild's power diminish, along with that of the other guilds; the guilds were superseded by trade unions, with the Operative United Painters' Union forming sometime around 1831. In 1894, a national association formed, recreating itself in 1918 as the National Federation of Master Painters and Decorators of England and Wales, then changing its name once again to the British Decorators Association before merging, in 2002, with the Painting & Decorating Federation to form the Painting & Decorating Association. The Construction Industry Joint Council, a body formed of both unions and business organizations, today has responsibility for the setting of pay levels.

Activities of the trade

Historically, the painter was responsible for the mixing of the

paint Paint is any pigmented liquid, liquefiable, or solid mastic composition that, after application to a substrate in a thin layer, converts to a solid film. It is most commonly used to protect, color, or provide texture. Paint can be made in many ...

; keeping a ready supply of pigments, oils,

thinner Thinner may refer to: *Paint thinner, a solvent used in painting and decorating, for thinning oil-based paint and cleaning brushes. * ''Thinner'' (novel), a 1984 horror novel by Stephen King, written as Richard Bachman ** ''Thinner'' (film), a 199 ...

s and

drier Dryer (or drier) may refer to: Drying equipment * Hair dryer * Hand dryer * Clothes dryer, also known as a tumble-dryer * Belt dryer * Desiccant, a substance that absorbs or adsorbs water * Grain dryer, for storage grain bins * Oil drying agent, a ...

s. The painter would use his experience to determine a suitable mixture depending on the nature of the job. In modern times, the painter is primarily responsible for preparation of the surface to be painted, such as patching holes in drywall, using masking tape and other protection on surfaces not to be painted, applying the paint and then cleaning up. Larger firms operating within the trade were generally capable of performing many painting or decoration services, from creating an accent wall to sign writing, to the

gilding Gilding is a decorative technique for applying a very thin coating of gold over solid surfaces such as metal (most common), wood, porcelain, or stone. A gilded object is also described as "gilt". Where metal is gilded, the metal below was tradi ...

of objects or the finishing or refinishing of

furniture Furniture refers to movable objects intended to support various human activities such as seating (e.g., stools, chairs, and sofas), eating (tables), storing items, eating and/or working with an item, and sleeping (e.g., beds and hammocks). Fu ...

. Painter-work is described in the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition where the relevant skills include preparing surfaces, mixing paint,

distemper Distemper may refer to: Illness *A viral infection **Canine distemper, a disease of dogs **Feline distemper, a disease of cats ** Phocine distemper, a disease of seals *A bacterial infection **Equine distemper, or Strangles, a bacterial infectio ...

, and faux-finishes including marbleizing and graining. More recently, professional painters are responsible for all preparation prior to painting. All stucco or popcorn or texture scraping, sanding, wallpaper removal, caulking, drywall or wood repair, patching,

stain removal Stain removal is the process of removing a mark or spot left by one substance on a specific surface like a fabric. A solvent or detergent is generally used to conduct stain removal and many of these are available over the counter. Stain preventi ...

, filling nail holes or any defects with plaster or

putty Putty is a material with high plasticity, similar in texture to clay or dough, typically used in domestic construction and repair as a sealant or filler. Although some types of putty (typically those using linseed oil) slowly polymerise and be ...

, cleaning, taping, preparation and priming are considered to be done by the professional contracted painter.

Gallery

File:South African Ndebele art.jpg, South African artist Esther Mahlangu painting in the distinctive

style. File:Building Painting 6252.JPG, A painter working on an exterior wall in Kolkata, 2010

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:House Painter And Decorator Articles containing video clips Construction trades workers Interior design Paint and coatings industry Painting

History of the trade in England

Activities of the trade

Gallery

See also

References