Painter

A painter and decorator is a tradesman responsible for the painting and decorating of buildings such as houses, and is also known as a decorator or house painter. The brush and the roller are the tools most readily associated with the painter. Recent advances in manufacture have led to a standardization of brushes, with many older brushes falling from fashion.

The airless spray gun is the latest tool in the painter's closet. It's powered by an electric, pneumatic or fuel powered motor which pumps paint through a hose into a gun which atomizes the paint to a fine spray. Graco is the leading manufacturer of this type of spray gun and equipment for contractors. With the airless spray gun it's possible to paint extremely large areas of surface in a short time.

The ground brush, also known as a pound brush, was a round or elliptical brush bound by wire, cord or metal. They were generally heavy to use, and required considerable usage to break them in. These brushes were predominantly used in the days before modern paint manufacture techniques; hand mixed paints requiring more working to create the finish. These brushes still have use in applying primer; the brushes are useful in working the primer into the grain of the wood. Pound brushes required an even breaking in to create even bevel on both sides of the brush minimising the formation of a point which would render the brush useless.

Sash tools were smaller brushes, similar to a ground brush, and used mainly for cutting in sash or glazing bars found on windows. Sash tools and ground brushes generally required bridling before use, and a painter's efficiency in this skill was generally used as a guide to their overall ability. Both these brushes have largely been superseded by the modern varnish brush.