Painter Decorator CV Example
Updated 26 June 2026
A strong painter decorator CV puts your City & Guilds or NVQ qualification and CSCS card at the top, states whether your experience is domestic, commercial or industrial, and proves quality through prep workflows and measurable outcomes. This guide shows you how to write a CV that passes contractor filters and wins interviews in 2026.
Painter Decorator CV examples
Junior Painter Decorator
entryLeads with NVQ Level 2, CSCS card and a portfolio of college and volunteer projects to offset limited paid experience.
Painter Decorator
midShows breadth across domestic and commercial work, with prep and finish skills, spray-painting experience, and cost-saving metrics.
Senior Painter Decorator / Charge Hand
seniorDemonstrates leadership, commercial-scale project management, IPAF certification, and a track record of training apprentices and delivering multi-site contracts.
How to write a painter decorator CV
A UK painter decorator CV should run to two pages, open with a personal statement that names your qualifications and market focus, then list experience, skills, education and safety certifications in reverse-chronological order.
Format and length
Two pages is standard. One page works only for school-leavers with a thin portfolio. Go beyond two only if you have extensive commercial contracts or specialist certifications that justify the space.
Personal statement
Lead with your highest qualification (City & Guilds Level 2 or 3, NVQ), your CSCS card colour, and whether you work domestic, commercial or industrial. Add one line on your strongest skill (prep, spray, decorative finishes) and what you are looking for (apprenticeship, permanent role, contract work). Keep it to three sentences.
Experience
List roles in reverse-chronological order. For each, give the company name, your title, dates and location, then 3-4 bullet points that show what you delivered, not just what you did. Quantify wherever possible: number of projects completed, customer satisfaction rate, material cost savings, square metreage sprayed, or time saved. If you quote jobs, spell out cost-estimation skills. If you are self-employed, treat it as a role and list achievements as you would for an employer.
Skills
Group technical skills (prep methods, application techniques, paint brands, spray systems), safety tickets (CSCS, PASMA, IPAF, Asbestos Awareness) and practical requirements (driving licence, own tools). Avoid generic soft skills unless you are applying for a supervisory role, in which case add team leadership and site management.
Education and certifications
List your decorating qualifications first (City & Guilds, NVQ), then GCSEs or equivalent. Put safety certifications (CSCS, PASMA, IPAF, Asbestos Awareness, First Aid) in a separate Certifications or Achievements section so contractors can scan them quickly.
Additional sections
Include a line stating you have a full UK driving licence and own transport if true (it is often a requirement). If you supply your own tools or spray equipment, say so. A portfolio of photos (hosted online or available on request) strengthens an application, especially at entry level.
Personal statement examples
City & Guilds Level 3 qualified painter decorator with seven years of commercial and domestic experience. CSCS and PASMA certified, with expertise in surface preparation, spray application and decorative finishes. Proven track record in delivering projects on time, reducing material waste by 20%, and maintaining 98% customer satisfaction across 100+ jobs.
Hard-working and reliable painter decorator looking for a role to use my skills and grow. A good team player who is passionate about delivering quality finishes and helping customers.
Writing your experience
Decorator experience bullets should follow a result-plus-metric pattern: what you did, how you did it, and what the outcome was. Avoid duty lists ("responsible for painting and decorating") and show impact instead.
The result-plus-metric pattern
Weak: "Painted and decorated residential and commercial properties."
Strong: "Completed 60 domestic and commercial projects over two years, achieving 99% customer satisfaction and a repeat-business rate of 65%."
Weak: "Prepared surfaces before painting."
Strong: "Prepared surfaces by stripping wallpaper, sanding, filling cracks and washing walls, reducing rework time by 30% and ensuring defect-free topcoat adhesion."
Weak: "Used spray equipment for large projects."
Strong: "Applied airless spray finishes to 25,000 sq m of commercial wall space, completing a four-site office refurbishment one week ahead of schedule."
Action verbs for decorators
Use verbs that reflect the trade: prepared, stripped, sanded, filled, washed, applied, sprayed, rolled, brushed, hung, matched, mixed, quoted, estimated, calculated, delivered, completed, reduced, achieved, trained, supervised, led.
Show the full prep workflow
Prep is where quality is judged. Spell out the steps you take: covering and masking areas, washing walls, sanding, removing old paint, stripping wallpaper, filling holes, making good. This shows you understand that the finish is only as good as the preparation.
Quantify wherever possible
Decorators are measured by jobs completed, customer satisfaction, material cost savings, and time saved. If you can attach a number, do it. "Reduced material costs by 18% through accurate estimating" is stronger than "good at estimating materials."
| Weak | Strong |
|---|---|
| Responsible for painting and decorating | Completed 80 domestic projects with 98% customer satisfaction |
| Prepared surfaces for painting | Stripped, sanded and filled surfaces on 12-room office refurb, ensuring zero defects |
| Used spray equipment | Applied HVLP spray finishes to 15,000 sq m, finishing two days early |
| Quoted jobs for customers | Quoted and won contracts worth £120k by calculating surface areas and material costs |
Key skills & ATS keywords
Hard skills
Soft skills
ATS keywords
Education & certifications
Qualifications
List your highest decorating qualification first: City & Guilds Level 2 or 3, or NVQ Level 2 or 3 in Painting and Decorating. If you completed an apprenticeship, note that in the degree field ("City & Guilds Level 2 Diploma (Apprenticeship)"). Include the awarding body, dates and any distinction or merit grades.
If you have GCSEs, list them below your trade qualification. Maths and English are the ones employers care about, so call them out if you have Grade 4/C or above.
Safety certifications
Commercial contractors filter on safety tickets, so list these in a separate Certifications or Achievements section where they stand out. The essentials are:
- CSCS card (state the colour: Green for labourer, Blue for skilled worker, Gold for supervisor)
- PASMA (mobile access towers) if you work at height
- IPAF (powered access / cherry pickers) for commercial or industrial roles
- Asbestos Awareness (required before sanding or stripping in older buildings)
- CITB Health, Safety & Environment Test (often required for site access)
- Working at Heights certificate
- Manual Handling certificate
- First Aid at Work (especially valuable for site-based or supervisory roles)
Include the issuing body and the year obtained. If a certification has expired, renew it before applying or note the expiry date.
Ongoing training
If you are working towards Level 3 or a specialist qualification (e.g. heritage skills, spray-painting certification), list it with an expected completion date. Showing you are still learning signals ambition and keeps your CV current.
Common mistakes to avoid
Listing duties instead of outcomes ("responsible for painting and decorating residential properties")
Show what you delivered with a metric: "Completed 60 domestic projects over two years with 98% customer satisfaction and 65% repeat-business rate."
Burying your CSCS card and safety tickets at the bottom of the CV
Put certifications in a dedicated section near the top or in a sidebar so contractors can scan them immediately. Many filter on CSCS colour before reading further.
Not stating whether your experience is domestic, commercial or industrial
Name the market in your personal statement and in each role. These are distinct sectors with different finishes, scale and clients, and employers want to know which one you fit.
Skipping the prep workflow and focusing only on topcoat application
Spell out the full preparation process (stripping, sanding, filling, washing, making good). Prep is where quality is judged, and showing you understand that marks you as a professional.
Leaving out cost-estimation and quoting skills if you are self-employed or work in a small firm
List how you measure surface areas, calculate material quantities, and quote jobs. These are valued skills that show you can run jobs independently.
Not mentioning a full UK driving licence and own transport
State it explicitly in your skills or additional-info section. Decorators travel between sites carrying tools and materials, so this is often a stated requirement.
Junior vs senior: what changes
| Aspect | Junior | Senior |
|---|---|---|
| Personal statement | Leads with NVQ Level 2, CSCS Green Card and college portfolio or volunteer projects | Leads with Level 3, CSCS Gold Card, years of commercial experience and team-leadership record |
| Experience metrics | Number of college or volunteer projects completed, client satisfaction from small domestic jobs | Value of contracts managed, material cost savings, square metreage sprayed, number of apprentices trained |
| Skills emphasis | Surface prep, brush and roller application, basic wallpapering, willingness to learn | Spray systems (HVLP, airless), decorative and specialist finishes, plastering, site supervision, cost estimation |
| Safety certifications | CSCS Green Card, Asbestos Awareness, Manual Handling | CSCS Gold Card, PASMA, IPAF, First Aid at Work, SMSTS (Site Management Safety Training Scheme) |
| Market focus | Domestic projects, small-scale residential work, learning commercial methods | Commercial and industrial contracts, multi-site rollouts, large-scale refurbishments, team leadership |
| Tools and equipment | Basic toolkit (brushes, rollers, scrapers), may borrow or hire specialist equipment | Own van, full toolkit, spray equipment (HVLP and airless), powered-access licence |