California CSLB C-33 Painting and Decorating Examination

A painter needs to achieve a specified dry film thickness (DFT) of 4.0 mils using an acrylic coating that contains 50% solids by volume. What wet film thickness (WFT) must be applied?

• A8.0 mils WFT
• B6.0 mils WFT
• C5.0 mils WFT
• D2.0 mils WFT

A coating has a theoretical spreading rate of 400 sq ft per gallon at 2.0 mils DFT. If an estimator factors in a 20% surface waste and loss factor, what is the net practical spreading rate?

• A480 sq ft per gal
• B320 sq ft per gal
• C300 sq ft per gal
• D250 sq ft per gal

An estimator is calculating wallcovering quantity for a room with 600 sq ft of net wall area. Using commercial wallcovering rolls that yield 48 usable sq ft per roll after pattern matching, how many single rolls are required?

• A10 single rolls
• B13 single rolls
• C11 single rolls
• D16 single rolls

A commercial exterior wall measures 50 feet long by 20 feet high and contains four windows measuring 5 feet by 4 feet each. What is the net surface area to be painted?

• A1,000 square feet
• B960 square feet
• C940 square feet
• D920 square feet

A contractor estimates an interior spray painting project of 12,000 sq ft. If a two-person crew achieves a production rate of 1,500 sq ft per hour, how many total crew labor hours are required?

• A16 labor hours total
• B20 labor hours total
• C24 labor hours total
• D32 labor hours total

Under South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) Rule 1113, what is the maximum allowable volatile organic compound (VOC) limit for standard flat architectural coatings in Southern California?

• A100 grams per liter
• B50 grams per liter
• C250 grams per liter
• D350 grams per liter

A painter thins 1 gallon of paint (originally 60% solids by volume) with 10% solvent by volume. What is the new effective volume solids percentage of the thinned mixture?

• A66.0 percent solids
• B58.5 percent solids
• C54.5 percent solids
• D50.0 percent solids

An estimator is calculating the surface area of a triangular building gable with a base width of 30 feet and a vertical height of 12 feet. What is the total area of the gable wall?

• A360 square feet
• B240 square feet
• C210 square feet
• D180 square feet

A concrete masonry unit (CMU) wall requires block filler applied at a rate of 75 sq ft per gallon due to high substrate porosity. How many gallons are required to coat 1,500 sq ft?

• A20 gallons of filler
• B15 gallons of filler
• C25 gallons of filler
• D30 gallons of filler

A paint specification calls for a 3.0 mil DFT. If the paint has 40% solids by volume and 5% solvent reduction, what target WFT should the painter maintain during application?

• A6.5 mils WFT target
• B7.9 mils WFT target
• C8.5 mils WFT target
• D9.2 mils WFT target

Standard commercial wallcovering bolts contain 60 sq ft of material. If job waste is estimated at 15%, how many bolts are needed to cover 1,020 sq ft of wall space?

• A17 commercial bolts
• B20 commercial bolts
• C18 commercial bolts
• D22 commercial bolts

A painting project has direct labor and material costs of $10,000. If overhead is 15% of direct costs and target profit is 10% of total bid price, what should the total bid price be?

• A11,500 total bid dollars
• B12,500 total bid dollars
• C12,650 total bid dollars
• D12,778 total bid dollars

An elastomeric coating specification requires 16 mils DFT. If the product volume solids is 64%, how many gallons are required to coat 1,000 sq ft in a single coat without loss?

• A15.6 gallons required
• B12.4 gallons required
• C10.2 gallons required
• D8.5 gallons required

When estimating masking tape requirements, how many 60-yard rolls of 1.5-inch tape are required to mask 1,800 linear feet of trim, assuming no waste?

• A8 rolls of masking tape
• B10 rolls of masking tape
• C12 rolls of masking tape
• D15 rolls of masking tape

A wood deck railing measures 100 linear feet long by 3 feet high. To account for both sides of balusters and top rail, estimators multiply flat face area by a factor of 3.0. What is the estimated surface area?

• A300 square feet area
• B600 square feet area
• C900 square feet area
• D1,200 square feet area

When painting open web steel joists in a commercial warehouse ceiling, what standard surface area multiplier factor is applied to the gross ceiling footprint area?

• A1.25 ceiling factor
• B1.50 ceiling factor
• C2.00 ceiling factor
• D3.00 ceiling factor

An estimator is calculating paint for 500 linear feet of W12x30 steel I-beams. If W12x30 beams have a surface perimeter of 3.5 feet per linear foot, what is the total surface area?

• A1,750 square feet area
• B1,500 square feet area
• C1,250 square feet area
• D1,000 square feet area

Under California Air Resources Board (CARB) Architectural Coatings SCM, what is the VOC limit for industrial maintenance coatings applied to structural steel?

• A350 grams per liter
• B250 grams per liter
• C100 grams per liter
• D50 grams per liter

An interior job includes 800 linear feet of 6-inch crown molding. Assuming 1 linear foot of 6-inch molding equals 0.5 sq ft of surface area, how many gallons of enamel (coverage 400 sq ft/gal) are needed for 2 coats including a 50% waste factor for trim cutting?

• A1 gallon of enamel
• B2 gallons of enamel
• C4 gallons of enamel
• D3 gallons of enamel

A wallcovering has a 24-inch vertical pattern repeat. If the ceiling height is 9 feet (108 inches), what strip drop length must be cut for each drop, including 3 inches top/bottom trimming?

• A108 inches cut length
• B114 inches cut length
• C118 inches cut length
• D120 inches cut length

When estimating joint compound for Level 5 drywall finishing (skim coat over entire surface), what is the standard coverage rate per 5-gallon bucket of ready-mix joint compound?

• A450 to 500 square feet
• B600 to 700 square feet
• C800 to 900 square feet
• D1,000 to 1,200 sq ft

A painting contractor bids an exterior elastomeric masonry job requiring 16 mils DFT over textured stucco (35% loss factor). If product is 50% volume solids, how many gross gallons are needed for 2,000 sq ft?

• A40 gross gallons paint
• B62 gross gallons paint
• C80 gross gallons paint
• D95 gross gallons paint

What standard production rate is typically used by C-33 contractors for hand-brushing detailed multi-pane exterior window sash wood trim?

• A30 to 40 sq ft per hour
• B50 to 75 sq ft per hour
• C100 to 125 sq ft per hr
• D150 to 200 sq ft per hr

What is the theoretical coverage in square feet per gallon at 1.0 mil DFT for a coating containing 65% volume solids?

• A800 square feet per gal
• B950 square feet per gal
• C1,000 square feet per gal
• D1,043 square feet per gal

When estimating exterior scaffold setup for a 3-story elevation (30 feet high by 50 feet wide), how many standard 5ft x 5ft scaffold frames are required for a continuous 2-tier staging?

• A22 scaffold frames
• B18 scaffold frames
• C14 scaffold frames
• D10 scaffold frames

An estimator must calculate the exterior side wall area of a cylindrical storage tank that is 20 feet in diameter and 15 feet high. Using Formula Area = pi * diameter * height, what is the surface area?

• A628 square feet area
• B942 square feet area
• C1,256 square feet area
• D1,570 square feet area

To prevent batch-to-batch color variation (metamerism/sheen difference) on a 150-gallon custom architectural job, what practice must be specified during material planning?

• AThinning each container
• BFiltering all coating pails
• CBoxing all paint containers
• DStraining liquid topcoats

A painting estimator calculates that applying a 3-coat high-build epoxy floor system requires $4.00 per sq ft in materials and $6.00 per sq ft in labor. What is the total direct cost for 2,500 sq ft?

• A15,000 total direct cost
• B20,000 total direct cost
• C22,500 total direct cost
• D25,000 total direct cost

According to SSPC-SP1 (Solvent Cleaning), which contaminant must be removed prior to performing hand tool, power tool, or blast cleaning prep?

• AOil and grease deposits
• BHeavy mill scale layers
• CTight rust scale oxide
• DChalked surface latex

Which surface preparation standard defines Hand Tool Cleaning using hand wire brushing, scraping, chipping, and sanding to remove loose rust and mill scale?

• ASSPC-SP1 Specification
• BSSPC-SP2 Specification
• CSSPC-SP3 Specification
• DSSPC-SP6 Specification

Under SSPC-SP3 (Power Tool Cleaning), what operational hazard must painters avoid when using rotary power wire brushes on steel substrates?

• ADeep profile etching
• BExcessive dust loss
• CSurface burnishing polish
• DAcid residue formation buildup

What maximum percentage of staining (shadows, streaks, or discolorations) per unit area is allowed on steel prepared to SSPC-SP6 / NACE No. 3 Commercial Blast Cleaning?

• A5 percent unit area
• B15 percent unit area
• C25 percent unit area
• D33 percent unit area

Under SSPC-SP10 / NACE No. 2 (Near-White Blast Cleaning), what maximum percentage of shadows, streaks, or slight discolorations is permitted on each unit area?

• A5 percent unit area
• B10 percent unit area
• C20 percent unit area
• D33 percent unit area

Which surface preparation standard requires power tool cleaning to bare metal while producing a minimum surface profile height of 1.0 mil (25 microns)?

• ASSPC-SP3 Standard
• BSSPC-SP11 Standard
• CSSPC-SP15 Standard
• DSSPC-SP2 Standard

According to SSPC-SP13 / NACE No. 6 (Surface Preparation of Concrete), what chemical testing procedure verifies that acid-etched concrete has been thoroughly neutralized?

• ACalcium chloride test
• BReplica tape profile
• CpH surface paper test
• DRelative humidity probe

Which ASTM test method uses a 18-inch by 18-inch transparent polyethylene sheet taped sealed to concrete for 16 hours to detect capillary moisture migration?

• AASTM F1869 Standard
• BASTM F2170 Standard
• CASTM D4263 Standard
• DASTM D4417 Standard

What is the standard maximum allowable Moisture Vapor Emission Rate (MVER) under ASTM F1869 (Calcium Chloride Test) for applying floor epoxy coatings unless specified otherwise?

• A5.0 lbs per 1,000 sq ft
• B4.0 lbs per 1,000 sq ft
• C3.0 lbs per 1,000 sq ft
• D1.0 lbs per 1,000 sq ft

White powdery crystalline salt deposits appearing on exterior masonry walls caused by water carrying soluble salts to the surface are known as what coating defect precursor?

• ASubstrate laitance
• BSaponification film
• CSurface efflorescence
• DChalking degradation paint

Prior to repainting an exterior weathered latex facade exhibiting severe surface chalking, what substrate surface treatment must be performed to ensure topcoat adhesion?

• AFlame torching prep
• BAcid wash etching
• CSolvent wipe wash
• DPressure wash scrub

Under California Title 17 CCR and EPA RRP rules, what pre-renovation work practice is mandated when disturbing more than 20 sq ft of exterior painted surface on a pre-1978 residential structure?

• AContainment plastic sheeting
• BOpen torch flame heat scraping
• CHigh speed dry sanding
• DUncontained hydro blast

Under Cal/OSHA Title 8 CCR §1532.1 (Lead in Construction), power sanding or grinding on lead-containing surfaces is strictly prohibited unless equipped with what engineering control?

• AWater mist spray nozzle
• BHEPA shrouded vacuum
• CHigh capacity blowers
• DCompressed air jets

What chemical wash solution is recommended for killing and removing mildew spores from exterior wood cladding prior to priming?

• AMuriatic acid water
• BMineral spirits solvent wash
• CBleach water detergent
• DTrisodium phosphate

Newly galvanized steel exhibits a smooth passivation layer that repels standard coatings. Which surface preparation treatment ensures proper primer adhesion on fresh galvanizing?

• AHeavy wire brushing
• BHigh heat torching
• CSSPC-SP16 brush blast
• DAlkaline wax bath dipping

When repairing exterior stucco hairline cracks (under 1/16 inch wide) prior to applying an elastomeric topcoat, which material should be used for patching?

• APlaster of Paris putty
• BRigid vinyl joint compound
• CAcrylic elastomeric patch
• DEpoxy wood structural filler

What is the maximum allowable moisture content measured with a wood moisture meter before applying exterior oil-based or latex primers to wood siding?

• A15 percent moisture
• B22 percent moisture
• C28 percent moisture
• D35 percent moisture

When recoating existing high-gloss alkyd enamel trim with water-borne acrylic paint, what mechanical or chemical prep step is required to prevent intercoat adhesion failure?

• ACaustic chemical bath
• BDe-gloss liquid or sand
• CAcid etching wash dip
• DFlame heating treatment

Freshly poured concrete exhibits high alkalinity (pH 12 to 13). What coating failure occurs if standard alkyd/oil-based primers are applied directly to high pH concrete?

• AImmediate flash rust
• BChalking degradation
• CSaponification reaction
• DTannin stain bleeding through