Paul's decided that being a house painter is the hardest job in the world. It has to be done in the summer. It requires scraping, sanding, washing, and priming before painting. If these steps aren't taken, then the job won't be done right. It involves ladders and reaching. Lots of paint chips and dust everywhere. He tells me disgusting stories of ringing out cups of water (sweat) from his socks. Yesterday, he just jumped in the lake with all his clothes on since he didn't want the filth in the house.
What also really hits home: it's all about the labor time, the time that the job takes--which is a lot, especially if the house is old, has lots of detail, and was poorly painted in the past.
No easy street for Paul, no sir.
I think this is really right -- although perhaps coal mining is more difficult.
Among physical labor jobs, roofing also has a very negative reputation. I always got the impression that the roofers are the guys who just can't get any other job, like it's some kind of punishment.
Posted by: Adam Kotsko | July 19, 2006 at 01:29 PM
There have been some hipsters painting my house for the past few weeks. At first I found hipsters painting my house to be cute and funny, but now I just feel sorry for them. It is really really hot out (heat index is at 113 degrees today) and they're still up there on ladders scraping, chipping and painting away. Plus my house was built in the 1880s and so has a century of old paint built up on it. I keep trying to invite them in to sit in front of a fan and have some beers, but they refuse. I don't think houses need paint on them so much anymore.
Posted by: Matthew | July 19, 2006 at 02:44 PM