Skilled Trades
Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
Set up, operate, or tend spraying or rolling machines to coat or paint any of a wide variety of products, including glassware, cloth, ceramics, metal, plastic, paper, or wood, with lacquer, silver, copper, rubber, varnish, glaze, enamel, oil, or rust-proofing materials. Includes painters of transportation vehicles such as painters in auto body repair facilities.
Median salary (BLS)
$48,250
10th–90th percentile (BLS)
$36k – $75k
Job outlook
+1% (about average)
AI exposure
Plan a path to Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
Education
Typical entry: No degree required
Plan my path to this →Typical progression
Junior Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
Entry / Junior
$36,260
~2 yrs to advance
Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
Established
$48,250
~3 yrs to advance
Senior Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
Senior
$61,490
Key skills
A typical day
- •Dispose of hazardous waste in an appropriate manner.
- •Hold or position spray guns to direct spray onto articles.
- •Spray prepared surfaces with specified amounts of primers and decorative or finish coatings.
- •Monitor painting operations to identify flaws, such as blisters or streaks, and correct their causes.
- •Disassemble, clean, and reassemble sprayers or power equipment, using solvents, wire brushes, and cloths.
Fields of study
Any field
Top colleges for Skilled Trades
Explore all- Purdue University50% admit · $78,000 grad pay
- Ohio State University53% admit · $68,000 grad pay
- Pennsylvania State University55% admit · $70,000 grad pay
Reputation-based selection; stats shown are outcome data per school.