Have you ever gone to the paint store and realized that the clothes they have available are all white? Have you seen a crew of exterior painting contractors wear white? This is why the question of why painters wear white comes up. Is there an actual reason or is it just a trend?
The answer to this question actually has many answers. Let’s have some fun and dive into reasons why house painters wear white clothing.
White Is Clean
White clothing has been associated as a clean, professional status. White clothes are easily stained and easy to see when someone has had an accident. This is true with many things that are white such as walls. If you have a white wall, any marking or stain will be more evident than if the wall were black. Bringing it back around, painters wearing white means they arrive to work clean, anything otherwise would be seen.
White Reflects Heat
I’m sure you’ve noticed that on a hot summer day wearing black is not such a great idea. The reason is because the color black absorbs light more than white. Let’s get a little deeper into the science behind it. Objects don’t necessarily have color. An object that seems black is actually an object that is absorbing all the colors on the spectrum and not reflecting any to the person, which is why the object looks black. And vice versa. An object that appears white is one that does not absorb light and reflects most of it. That being said, black clothes absorb the sunlight while white clothes reflect the sunlight. When exterior painters are working outside, wearing white keeps them cooler than if they wore another color, especially black.
White Is A Canvas
When you have a blank paper, you can create anything. From a beautiful masterpiece to just doodling. If the paper was black, that objective becomes much more difficult. Painting is not the most clean job. Paint gets where it shouldn’t and many times if paint gets on a painter’s hand he’ll just wipe it on his shirt. Now do that every day for a whole career and what you’ve got is a painter’s own masterpiece. His white clothing will show many of the colorful paints he uses. It is actually quite interesting to see a painter’s white clothing blotched in many different colors.
White Is Different
Different from what? If you take many skilled trades like a carpenter or electrician you will notice that many times they will wear brown or a similar color. Any painter, interior, exterior, residential, or commercial takes pride in their work more than other trades. This is because you see the progress in a painting project, and once it’s completed it is absolutely beautiful, if a job is done well that is. A customer will be left grinning at how amazing his home looks. Painting is special because it truly is an art. In no other trade can you see the stunning result and be able to enjoy it for years. A great exterior paint job will improve your curb appeal and you will definitely hear it from your neighbors. An interior repaint will make your home cozy and renew a hospitable atmosphere. That is why we as painters, are proud of our work, and why we want to set ourselves apart from other trades.
Hopefully this article has answered your question, why painters wear white? There are other answers to this question however these four are sufficient to explain this custom in the trade of painters. Stay tuned for the next blog and be sure to leave a comment!
