The Urban Painter

The Urban Painter has no potential for long term employment and career progression. Veteran employees have a couple years with the company at most. Many former employees were let go at the end of probations or when they were about to qualify for benefits. Many were hired back, only to experience the same treatment. This had led to a poor turnover rate, and the inexperienced workforce that comes with it. 

The wages do not accurately reflect the work that is required of the employees. The company demands extensive participation and responsibility  for comparably low pay. Many seasoned painters did not stay because of a lack of proper compensation for their experience. The potential for wage progression is non-existent and your intial wage is more than likely all you will receive until you are let go at the end of your probationary period, or until you qualify for benefits. 

The company is young and poorly organized. Company standards were improvised based on individual projects. Many projects work planning was entirely reliant on the expertise and improvisational skills of the employees on-site, with little to no direction and guidance. Training is done by employees at their discretion on job sites, and has little to do with company standards.

At face value the staff are polite, and prioritize a healthy work environment. The company can be somewhat flexible as well. This is all that can be said for good points, however. The company is as young and inexperienced as it’s managers, owners, and the staff they seek to employ.

I worked for The Urban Painter for 3 summers while going through university. It was such a great experience for me to learn a new skill and work with skilled team members. They offer amazing on-site, practical training and truly want their employees to succeed. All staff members were friendly and always willing to lend a hand while truly demonstrating a team atmosphere. Job wages are competitive and they allow you to move up fairly quickly if you are willing to work hard. Being an all employee company with benefits was a huge plus as that is rare for the trades. Work was always scheduled in advance and there was never a worry of running out of it as they are a highly regarded painting company in the City of Calgary. I was always paid on time and accurately and treated with the utmost respect. I would highly recommend to anyone looking to get into the trades, learn a new skill or simply looking for a full time position as a painter.

The Urban Painter is a professional painting company that offers a rewarding and enriching work experience. With this company, you can learn a lot about the art of painting and develop valuable skills in the field. The company takes pride in providing a supportive and friendly work environment, where you can collaborate with nice co-workers who share a passion for painting.

In addition to the positive work atmosphere, The Urban Painter offers a decent pay package. They recognize the hard work and dedication of their employees and ensure that they are fairly compensated for their efforts. This not only makes the job financially satisfying but also motivates you to give your best every day.

As a new employee, with more than 10 yrs of experience, I would ask around the other co-workers, how did they felt working for the urban painter. Many would say "I like it, but the pay is not good" I would ask all my co-workers, how long have they been working for the company, and the person who had been the longest, was 1 year. The rest had been there for 2, 3 month the most.


if you would like to grow, this company is not for you. They always offer to become a "foreman" want to give you a whole lot of responsibilities, but want to pay you 20-22$ an HR. And give you time limits that many times is ridiculous. 
If you looking just to come and go, just to keep working, at least, go ahead.


If you

I was sent to a job site with very little instruction, expected to work on icy rooftops with no fall protection, and management never did come through with supplying the needed equipment (Paint pants) despite deducting the cost from my pay ($50!) Several times we were sent to a site that was not prepared to be painted and expected to commute to another site before starting the clock. Several times I was not told where I would be going the next day until after the expected start time in the morning, wasting my time sitting on my hands. 

Overall a poorly managed company, cycling through foreign employees who won't complain about being taken advantage of by poor management, dangerous work, and low pay.

I was given the opportunity to work for The Urban Painter right after graduating from university and it provided me with a great deal of valuable business experience! I worked in the office, in a client facing role, with a team that was fun and approachable! I felt comfortable asking questions and felt involved in decision making. There was always opportunity to learn more and take on additional projects, providing me with a lot of great experience in a variety of different areas, from basic accounting and marketing, to event planning and human resources.
The Urban Painter was a great company to work for, with great values and great people.

I started at The Urban Painter while I was half-way through University. I held a customer service role in the office, which helped me gain a lot of valuable skills. The training was very thorough, so I never felt confused or out of place - plus everyone was super approachable and happy to help! I was always given increasing responsibilities and opportunities to work on different projects, which helped me grow within the company and gain more experience. 

Overall the owners and all the other employees are very respectful and super fun to work with - definitely an awesome work environment to be apart of!

management play the blame game, if anything goes wrong on the job its the painters fault, salesmen and management are considered know best and don't want to improve. Training is a joke and no one wants to take the time to train new guys properly, but when someone makes a mistake watch the knives come out. They will lie to you about your wage by promising you a decent hourly wage but then deduct holiday pay from your base, basically they have found a way to manipulate the law and not actually pay vacation pay

I worked here for a couple of years. I ended up moving back to my home because of Covid. My time here was fun and I enjoyed it, great team to be a part of. When I move back I will definitely come to work here. Some days were long and needed to get jobs done but overall I found the days to be good and went home happy. My crew consisted of me and a team lead. We went job to job once they were finished. The company always puts the happiness of the crew and the customer number one. It made for some pretty good parties and teamwork. I like everyone I worked with at Urban, really nice people.

Most painting companies treat you like a commodity. The Urban Painter has an employee first culture. Pay is fair and always on time. I think this is the only painting company I have ever worked for that has medical benefits for me and my family. It's not perfect, but the owners listen when staff have concerns and do something about it. What I like is there is a clear path to promotions and raises. I am always being trained on new skills and encouraged to take on more responsibility.

Working at The Urban Painter: company overview and reviews

The Urban Painter

The Urban Painter ratings

Salary satisfaction

Job seeker tools

Employer Tools

Browse

Stay Connected