Painters, Construction and Maintenance
Paint walls, equipment, buildings, bridges, and other structural surfaces, using brushes, rollers, and spray guns. May remove old paint to prepare surface prior to painting. May mix colors or oils to obtain desired color or consistency.
225,190 people do this job in the US. $49,400 a year.
of the working time. Estimate.
- 4%
- 0%
- 96%
Measured, from Anthropic's usage data (2025). Counts help on part of a task.
On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.
Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 4.4 h long four times in five.
How far this has come
With GPT-4, measured in March 2023, 0% of this job's working time was within reach at . With Claude 3.7 Sonnet, measured in February 2025, 0%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 4%. Today's estimate: 4%.
A backcast: today's task data with the best model METR had measured by each date. It shows how fast the models have moved, not what anyone forecast at the time.
The tasks
Sorted by . 17 tasks from .
| Task | Kind | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apply paint, stain, varnish, enamel, or other finishes to equipment, buildings, bridges, or other structures, using brushes, spray guns, or rollers.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 38% | 2.5 h50 min to 6.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Apply primers or sealers to prepare new surfaces, such as bare wood or metal, for finish coats.Done daily by most who do it. | 11% | 1.7 h25 min to 4.2 h | Stays with people | |
| Fill cracks, holes, or joints with caulk, putty, plaster, or other fillers, using caulking guns or putty knives.Done daily by most who do it. | 10% | 50 min13 min to 1.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Smooth surfaces, using sandpaper, scrapers, brushes, steel wool, or sanding machines.Done daily by most who do it. | 10% | 1.3 h17 min to 2.5 h | Stays with people | |
| Cover surfaces with dropcloths or masking tape and paper to protect surfaces during painting.Done daily by most who do it. | 7% | 38 min13 min to 1.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Erect scaffolding or swing gates, or set up ladders, to work above ground level.Done daily by most who do it. | 5% | 50 min17 min to 2.5 h | Stays with people | |
| Wash and treat surfaces with oil, turpentine, mildew remover, or other preparations, and sand rough spots to ensure that finishes will adhere properly.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 4% | 1.3 h25 min to 3.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Polish final coats to specified finishes.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 4% | 1.3 h25 min to 3.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Waterproof buildings, using waterproofers or caulking.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 3% | 2.5 h38 min to 6.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Select and purchase tools or finishes for surfaces to be covered, considering durability, ease of handling, methods of application, and customers' wishes.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 2% | 38 min17 min to 1.7 h | 98%Half by now | |
| Use special finishing techniques such as sponging, ragging, layering, or faux finishing.Done yearly or less by most who do it. | 2% | 2.5 h50 min to 6.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Remove old finishes by stripping, sanding, wire brushing, burning, or using water or abrasive blasting.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 2% | 2.5 h38 min to 6.7 h | Stays with people |
Within reach, per task: the share of the task's time whose instances are short enough for a model to finish at the chosen date, pace and reliability. Half by: the date half of that time comes within reach.
Jobs that share skills with this one
From O*NET's related occupations. Within reach now and by the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five.
- Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers0% now, 0% by 2028
- Helpers--Painters, Paperhangers, Plasterers, and Stucco Masons0% now, 0% by 2028
- Plasterers and Stucco Masons2% now, 2% by 2028
- Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders1% now, 1% by 2028
- Furniture Finishers4% now, 4% by 2028
- Roofers2% now, 2% by 2028
Where this job works
The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025).
Where the most of these jobs are
The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025).