A painter puts on a half-facepiece respirator with organic-vapour cartridges, covers the cartridge inlets with the palms and breathes in gently. What shows that the facepiece is sealed?

The facepiece pulls in slightly and stays in.

The facepiece bulges out slightly and holds.

The exhalation valve opens with each breath in.

Air is drawn in easily through the cartridges.

A painter will spray a solvent-borne alkyd enamel on doors in a ventilated shop, and the SDS calls for an air-purifying respirator. Which cartridge set-up suits the job?

Organic-vapour cartridges plus pre-filters.

Particulate filters fitted on their own.

Acid-gas cartridges with particulate pre-filters.

Organic-vapour cartridges with no pre-filters.

The flaking exterior trim on a house built in the 1950s is to be scraped and sanded before repainting. Nothing is known about the old paint. What is the first step?

Have the old paint tested for lead.

Mist the trim with water and start scraping.

Lay drop cloths and dry-scrape by hand only.

Soften the paint with a heat gun to avoid dust.

Old oil paint that has tested free of lead is being removed from wood window trim with a heat gun. At what point is each section scraped?

As soon as the paint softens and blisters.

After the paint cools and turns brittle.

Once the paint begins to smoke and darken.

After stripper is brushed over the hot paint.

Size is brushed onto a porous plaster wall before wall covering is hung. What does the size do?

Keeps the plaster from soaking up the adhesive.

Seals ink and water stains so they cannot bleed.

Fills small dents and scratches in the plaster.

Neutralizes free lime left in the new plaster.

Before a water-based stain goes on new red oak handrails, the painter wipes the wood with a damp sponge and lets it dry. Why?

To lift loose fibres so they can be sanded off first.

To draw tannins out so they cannot bleed later.

To swell the pores shut so less stain is absorbed.

To slow the stain's drying for a longer working time.

A penetrating oil-based stain on the first of twelve pine cabinet doors has come out blotchy, with dark patches beside light ones. What is done to the remaining doors before they are stained?

Apply a wash coat or wood conditioner.

Seal with a pigmented stain-blocking primer.

Fill the grain with paste wood pore filler.

Sand with coarser abrasive to open the wood.

A two-component epoxy for a reservoir's steel hatch comes as a base and a hardener. What does the hardener do?

It reacts with the base so the film cures.

It speeds the evaporation of the solvent.

It thins the base to a sprayable consistency.

It keeps the pigment in the base from settling.

Why is the wet film of an unthinned epoxy applied thicker than the dry film the specification calls for?

Solvent evaporates and only the solids remain.

The extra allows for sanding between the coats.

Wet film gauges read low against dry film gauges.

Its film shrinks by half as the hardener reacts.

12 Free Red Seal Painter Questions + PDF, Explained

Twelve 404C Painter and Decorator questions in the format of the Red Seal exam: four options, one correct answer, no trick questions. They are free to use, print and share. There is nothing to sign up for on this page.

01How to use these

The questions come from the TicketPrep 404C bank and are spread across the exam's work activities in the order and roughly the proportion the Red Seal Program publishes for this trade: A (performs common occupational skills), B (prepares surfaces), C (prepares and applies residential, institutional and commercial paints, coatings and finishes), D (prepares and applies wall coverings), E (prepares and applies wood finishes), F (prepares and applies industrial paints and coatings). Answer each one before opening the explanation. Every explanation covers all four options, because, in the Red Seal Program's words, the incorrect options on the exam are not always obvious, and knowing why they are wrong is most of the skill.

Pace. The Red Seal Exam Preparation Guide gives four hours of writing time; for the 130 questions on this exam that is about 1 min 51 s per question. Try these at that pace.
Print. The printed version shows the questions and the answer key without the explanations, so it works as a handout. The explanations are on the web page. Download PDF
Mark. The Red Seal Exam Preparation Guide gives the pass mark as 70 percent; nine of twelve here is the same bar.

02The questions

Recall · Performs common occupational skills

A painter puts on a half-facepiece respirator with organic-vapour cartridges, covers the cartridge inlets with the palms and breathes in gently. What shows that the facepiece is sealed?
1. The facepiece bulges out slightly and holds.
2. The exhalation valve opens with each breath in.
3. Air is drawn in easily through the cartridges.
4. The facepiece pulls in slightly and stays in.
Show the answer

D. Correct. This is the negative-pressure seal check: with the inlets blocked, breathing in lowers the pressure inside the mask, so a sealed facepiece draws in against the face and holds there with no air leaking in around the edges. The positive-pressure check is done as well.

Why not the others

A. That is what a good positive-pressure check looks like, done by covering the exhalation valve and breathing out. With the inlets covered and the painter breathing in, the facepiece should draw in, not bulge out.

B. The exhalation valve is a one-way valve that opens only on breathing out. During this check it must stay shut; air drawn in past it is a leak, and the valve is inspected or replaced.

C. With the inlets covered, no air should come through the cartridges. Easy breathing means air is leaking past the palms or the face seal: readjust the straps and check again before entering the work area.

Source: Red Seal Occupational Standard, sub-task A-1.01; CCOHS
Procedural · Performs common occupational skills

A painter will spray a solvent-borne alkyd enamel on doors in a ventilated shop, and the SDS calls for an air-purifying respirator. Which cartridge set-up suits the job?
1. Particulate filters fitted on their own.
2. Acid-gas cartridges with particulate pre-filters.
3. Organic-vapour cartridges with no pre-filters.
4. Organic-vapour cartridges plus pre-filters.
Show the answer

D. Correct. Spraying puts both solvent vapour and fine paint mist in the air. The organic-vapour cartridges adsorb the solvent, and the pre-filters catch the mist before it can coat and block the cartridges; the pre-filters are changed more often.

Why not the others

A. Particulate filters stop the paint mist but do nothing for solvent vapour, which passes straight through. A solvent-borne coating needs organic-vapour cartridges.

B. Acid-gas cartridges are made for gases such as chlorine and sulfur dioxide, not for the organic solvents in an alkyd. The cartridge type has to match the contaminant named on the SDS.

C. The cartridges would handle the vapour, but they are not made to stop spray mist, which loads the cartridge face, blocks it and shortens its life. For spraying, particulate pre-filters go over the vapour cartridges.

Source: Red Seal Occupational Standard, sub-task A-1.01; CCOHS
Procedural · Prepares surfaces

The flaking exterior trim on a house built in the 1950s is to be scraped and sanded before repainting. Nothing is known about the old paint. What is the first step?
1. Mist the trim with water and start scraping.
2. Lay drop cloths and dry-scrape by hand only.
3. Soften the paint with a heat gun to avoid dust.
4. Have the old paint tested for lead.
Show the answer

D. Correct. Paint on older homes may contain lead, and scraping, sanding or heating it releases lead dust or fume. Testing first tells the painter whether lead controls (containment, wet methods, cleanup and disposal under the provincial procedure) are needed before a removal method is chosen.

Why not the others

A. Misting cuts dust and is one lead-safe practice, but it is a control chosen once the hazard is known. Scraping before the paint is tested risks spreading lead with no containment or cleanup plan in place.

B. Hand scraping makes less dust than power sanding, yet dry scraping lead paint still releases dust and chips. The paint is tested first; the method and its controls are chosen from the result.

C. A heat gun avoids sanding dust but can release lead fume if the paint overheats, and it is a fire risk on old trim. It does not replace testing: the paint is tested before any removal method is chosen.

Source: Red Seal Occupational Standard, sub-task B-6.01
Procedural · Prepares surfaces

Old oil paint that has tested free of lead is being removed from wood window trim with a heat gun. At what point is each section scraped?
1. As soon as the paint softens and blisters.
2. After the paint cools and turns brittle.
3. Once the paint begins to smoke and darken.
4. After stripper is brushed over the hot paint.
Show the answer

A. Correct. The paint is heated only until it softens and blisters, then scraped right behind the gun while it is still soft, with the gun kept moving to the next section. Heating longer drives the oils out of the paint so it hardens again, and only risks scorching or igniting it.

Why not the others

B. Paint that cools hardens and grips again, so it has to be reheated. It is scraped while soft, right behind the gun.

C. Smoke and darkening mean the paint is overheating: its oils are being driven off so it hardens again, the wood scorches and the paint can ignite. The scraper follows as soon as the paint softens and blisters.

D. Heat and chemical stripper are separate methods. Heating a stripper drives off its solvent vapour, which may be flammable or harmful, and gains nothing. Heat-softened paint is scraped straight away.

Source: Red Seal Occupational Standard, sub-task B-6.01
Recall · Prepares and applies residential, institutional and commercial paints, coatings and finishes

In a can of paint, which component holds the pigment particles together in the dried film and makes the film stick to the surface?
1. The binder.
2. The drier.
3. The solvent.
4. The pigment.
Show the answer

A. Correct. The binder (the resin) is the film former: as the paint dries or cures, it locks the pigment particles together and gives the film its adhesion to the substrate. Binder, pigment and the liquid that carries them make up a paint.

Why not the others

B. A drier is a minor additive in oil and alkyd paints, not the film former: it does not lock the pigment together or bond the film to the surface. The binder does.

C. The solvent dissolves the resin and lowers the viscosity so the paint can be applied, then evaporates as the paint dries. It leaves the film, so it cannot hold anything together; the binder does.

D. Pigment gives colour, opacity, hardness and durability, but the particles do not bond to each other or to the surface on their own. The binder holds them in the film.

Source: Red Seal Occupational Standard, sub-task C-11.01
Recall · Prepares and applies residential, institutional and commercial paints, coatings and finishes

A painter says a white paint hides well because one coat covers a grey primer completely. Which component of the paint gives it that hiding power?
1. The solvent.
2. The pigment.
3. The vehicle.
4. The binder.
Show the answer

B. Correct. Pigments are finely ground particles that give colour and opacity (hiding), along with hardness and durability. A white hides well because its pigment scatters light, so the colour underneath does not show through.

Why not the others

A. The solvent evaporates as the paint dries and leaves nothing in the film, so it adds no hiding. Extra solvent lowers hiding, because the same wet coat then leaves less pigment on the wall.

C. The vehicle is the liquid part of the paint (the binder with its solvent or water) that carries the pigment to the surface. The opacity comes from the pigment particles dispersed in it.

D. The binder forms the film and gives adhesion, but it hides little on its own: a clear varnish is essentially binder with no pigment, and it hides nothing. Hiding comes from the pigment the binder holds.

Source: Red Seal Occupational Standard, sub-task C-11.01
Recall · Prepares and applies wall coverings

Size is brushed onto a porous plaster wall before wall covering is hung. What does the size do?
1. Seals ink and water stains so they cannot bleed.
2. Fills small dents and scratches in the plaster.
3. Keeps the plaster from soaking up the adhesive.
4. Neutralizes free lime left in the new plaster.
Show the answer

C. Correct. Size is a liquid that cuts the absorption of a porous surface such as plaster or wallboard, so the adhesive stays wet long enough to bond and each strip can still be slid into position.

Why not the others

A. Sealing ink, marker and water stains is the job of a stain-blocking primer. Size only reduces absorption; a stain under it can still bleed through the covering.

B. Dents and scratches are filled with drywall compound or filler before any sealer goes on. Size is a thin liquid that reduces absorption; it fills nothing.

D. Size does not neutralize lime; it only reduces how much adhesive a porous surface soaks up. Fresh plaster is left to cure and dry, then treated as the covering maker specifies.

Source: Red Seal Occupational Standard, sub-task D-14.01
Recall · Prepares and applies wall coverings

Ballpoint ink and permanent-marker scribbles cover a classroom wall that will receive a light paper-backed vinyl. What goes on the marks before the wall-covering primer?
1. A stain-blocking primer.
2. A coat of size.
3. A skim of patching compound.
4. A wash of TSP and warm water.
Show the answer

A. Correct. Ink, marker and water stains can bleed through a light covering once the wet adhesive reaches them. A stain-blocking primer seals them first; the wall then gets its wall-covering primer or size as specified.

Why not the others

B. Size reduces the absorption of a porous surface but does not seal stains, so ink and marker can still bleed through it into a light covering. A stain-blocking primer goes on first.

C. Compound does not seal ink or marker, which can bleed through a thin skim and then into a light covering. Marks are sealed with a stain-blocking primer.

D. TSP cleans grease and dirt but will not remove or seal permanent marker and ink, which can bleed through a light covering. They are sealed with a stain-blocking primer.

Source: Red Seal Occupational Standard, sub-task D-14.01
Recall · Prepares and applies wood finishes

Before a water-based stain goes on new red oak handrails, the painter wipes the wood with a damp sponge and lets it dry. Why?
1. To draw tannins out so they cannot bleed later.
2. To swell the pores shut so less stain is absorbed.
3. To slow the stain's drying for a longer working time.
4. To lift loose fibres so they can be sanded off first.
Show the answer

D. Correct. Water swells and lifts the loose surface fibres (it raises the grain). Once the wood is dry, a light sanding with fine abrasive cuts them off, so the water in the stain has little left to raise and the stained rail stays smooth instead of feeling fuzzy.

Why not the others

A. A damp wipe does not extract tannins; tannin bleeding is dealt with by a suitable sealer or primer. The water here raises the grain so it can be sanded off before the water-based stain goes on.

B. Dampening does not close the pores: the raised fibres are sanded away and the pores stay open. Controlling how much stain the wood takes up is the job of a conditioner or a wash coat, not plain water.

C. The water is left to dry fully and the wood is sanded before any stain goes on, so it has no effect on the stain's working time. Its purpose is to raise the grain ahead of time.

Source: Red Seal Occupational Standard, sub-task E-16.01
Procedural · Prepares and applies wood finishes

A penetrating oil-based stain on the first of twelve pine cabinet doors has come out blotchy, with dark patches beside light ones. What is done to the remaining doors before they are stained?
1. Seal with a pigmented stain-blocking primer.
2. Fill the grain with paste wood pore filler.
3. Sand with coarser abrasive to open the wood.
4. Apply a wash coat or wood conditioner.
Show the answer

D. Correct. Pine absorbs stain unevenly, soaking it up in soft or resinous patches. A conditioner or a thin wash coat partly seals the wood so it takes the stain more evenly; the stain then goes on within the time the conditioner's maker allows. Test the result on an offcut first.

Why not the others

A. A pigmented stain-blocking primer is an opaque sealing coat used under paint; it would stop the stain from colouring the wood at all. Under a stain the wood is only partly sealed, with a conditioner or a wash coat.

B. Paste wood pore filler packs the large open pores of woods such as oak and mahogany for a level film. Pine is not open-grained, and its blotching comes from uneven absorption across the face, which a conditioner or wash coat controls.

C. Coarser scratches absorb more stain and leave a darker, rougher surface; they do not even out the soft and hard areas. A conditioner or wash coat evens the absorption.

Source: Red Seal Occupational Standard, sub-task E-16.01
Recall · Prepares and applies industrial paints and coatings

A two-component epoxy for a reservoir's steel hatch comes as a base and a hardener. What does the hardener do?
1. It reacts with the base so the film cures.
2. It speeds the evaporation of the solvent.
3. It thins the base to a sprayable consistency.
4. It keeps the pigment in the base from settling.
Show the answer

A. Correct. The hardener (curing agent) is the part that chemically activates the base: once mixed, the two react and the film cures to its final properties. That reaction is why mix ratio, induction time and pot life matter.

Why not the others

B. Solvent evaporation is drying, which goes on whether or not a hardener is present. The hardener reacts chemically with the base so the film cures.

C. Viscosity is adjusted with the thinner the data sheet names, within its limit. The hardener is the curing agent: it reacts with the base so the film cures.

D. Settled pigment is brought back by mixing the base before the hardener goes in. The hardener's job is the cure: it reacts with the base.

Source: Red Seal Occupational Standard, sub-task F-18.01
Recall · Prepares and applies industrial paints and coatings

Why is the wet film of an unthinned epoxy applied thicker than the dry film the specification calls for?
1. The extra allows for sanding between the coats.
2. Wet film gauges read low against dry film gauges.
3. Solvent evaporates and only the solids remain.
4. Its film shrinks by half as the hardener reacts.
Show the answer

C. Correct. Volume solids is the share of the wet film that stays as dry film; the solvent evaporates. That is why dry film = wet film × volume solids, and why the wet film is the dry film divided by the volume solids.

Why not the others

A. Industrial coats are not built thick to be sanded back. The wet film is thicker because only the solids stay once the solvent evaporates; the data sheet's volume solids gives the ratio.

B. The two readings differ because the film itself gets thinner as solvent leaves, not because of the gauges. A wet film gauge read correctly shows the wet film; the dry film is that times the volume solids.

D. The thickness lost between wet and dry film is the solvent leaving, set by the volume solids on the data sheet. The hardener reacting with the base is what cures the film; it is not where the thickness goes.

Source: Red Seal Occupational Standard, sub-task F-18.01

03Answer key

Question	Answer	Work activity
Q1	D	Performs common occupational skills
Q2	D	Performs common occupational skills
Q3	D	Prepares surfaces
Q4	A	Prepares surfaces
Q5	A	Prepares and applies residential, institutional and commercial paints, coatings and finishes
Q6	B	Prepares and applies residential, institutional and commercial paints, coatings and finishes
Q7	C	Prepares and applies wall coverings
Q8	A	Prepares and applies wall coverings
Q9	D	Prepares and applies wood finishes
Q10	D	Prepares and applies wood finishes
Q11	A	Prepares and applies industrial paints and coatings
Q12	C	Prepares and applies industrial paints and coatings

04More free questions

For the 404C exam itself, the 404C exam guide covers the work activities, their weights and how the exam is scored, and the 404C Painter and Decorator practice exam page describes the full TicketPrep 404C question bank. The same free format is available for the other 17 trades, plus the free guides on the pass mark, question counts, exam day and how to study.

How these questions are written and checked: how our questions are made. Found a mistake? Tell us and we will fix it.

05Questions by exam block

Working on one part of the 404C exam? Each block has its own page with five more free questions, the tasks the block covers and their weights.