Why Do Painters Wear White Clothing?

WHY DO PAINTERS WEAR WHITE CLOTHING?

Why do painters wear white clothing? It’s an unsolved mystery that goes back farther than anyone can remember: why is it that painters, who constantly work around every colour you can think of, wear white clothes? It seems counter-intuitive, because every errant drip and splatter stands out on a clean white background. And even stranger is the fact that apparently, no one can agree on the origin of this custom.

One of the most prominent ideas is that it dates back to the early 1800s in England, when walls and fences were typically whitewashed. Painters wore white clothing so that if any speckle or splash landed on them, it went unnoticed and they would still look good for another day of work. That being said, it seems quite convincing, but we have a few other solutions that might satisfy your curiosity!

If you’re from the Calgary area, you know how quickly the weather can change, and how wide the range of temperatures is throughout the year. Here in Calgary, we often find ourselves working on interior paint jobs during the long, cold winter months and on exterior paint jobs during the sweltering summer. During those hot days from June to September, when it can hit 30° or higher, a pair of black or blue jeans would be pretty toasty enough to get overheated and affect our work. So an easy solution is to simply sport white, a colour that best reflects the sun and helps to keep us cool. That in itself is a great reason to wear white, don’t you think?

It goes a little deeper than that for us, too. From a design stand-point, white is the colour of cleanliness. Though you may not think it’s a very appropriate colour for a painter, we like to consider it a blank canvas it’s great for us because it goes with nearly everything. Every drip and splatter on our white “background” tells the story of a job well done and another satisfied customer; rather than just being “dirty” uniforms, it’s a way to show off our profession and the colourful perks that come with it!

Also of note is that in this current design climate, white is a popular colour to refresh and revitalize a home’s appearance. We paint plenty of them with coats of clean new white every year. And even if the main colour is a warm red, calming blue, or neutral grey, chances are very good that the trim, doors, ceilings, or other accent features are white. We use it somewhere on almost every job! Because it’s so ubiquitous, in these instances wearing white is helpful in disguising some of the paint splatters or over-spray that may occur.

Finally, one of the most important reasons that our painters all wear matching white outfits: we are a reputable company dedicated to a high standard of expertise, uniformity, and quality, and our painters reflect that. Unlike black or blue jeans, which simply look less clean after a day’s work, white looks more professional, especially when unavoidable paint splatters and smears come in to play. We are not afraid to dive in and work hard to get the job done but we still want to look good while doing it!

We all wear the same uniform to easily distinguish who we are and what we do, and to show that we take pride in our work and our craftsmanship. Wearing white helps to contribute to a sense of camaraderie, which in turn keeps our crews working efficiently to make your home look its best. And at the end of the day, that’s what we’re here for!

Apart from trying to help you find an answer to the question ‘why do painters wear white clothing’, we are also able to offer you a free estimate on how we can spruce up your home this year (whether it’s white or not!), give us a call at 403-774-1424. Check out some of our online reviews to see what our past customers say, and get some ideas for your own custom paint job. As always, we’ll be ready when you are!