Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers, and Tapers

Summary

Drywallers often cut gypsum board.

Quick Facts: Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers, and Tapers
2010 Median Pay	$38,290 per year $18.41 per hour
Entry-Level Education	Less than high school
Work Experience in a Related Occupation	None
On-the-job Training	Moderate-term on-the-job training
Number of Jobs, 2010	129,600
Job Outlook, 2010-20	29% (Much faster than average)
Employment Change, 2010-20	37,300

What Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers, and Tapers Do

Drywall and ceiling tile installers hang wallboards to walls and ceilings inside buildings. Tapers prepare the wallboards for painting, using tape and other materials. Many workers do both installing and taping.

Work Environment

Drywall and ceiling tile installers and tapers spend most of the day standing, bending, or stretching. Injuries include falls from ladders or stilts, cuts from sharp tools, and muscle strains from lifting heavy materials. The work also can be dusty, irritating the skin, eyes, and lungs.

How to Become a Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installer, or Taper

Although most drywall and ceiling tile installers and tapers learn their trade informally on the job, a few learn through a formal apprenticeship.

Pay

In May 2010, the median annual wage of drywall and ceiling tile installers was $37,320, and the median annual wage of tapers was $45,490.

Job Outlook

Employment of drywall and ceiling tile installers and tapers is projected to grow 29 percent from 2010 to 2020, much faster than the average for all occupations. Skilled workers with a good work history and experience in the construction industry should have the best job opportunities.

Similar Occupations

Compare the job duties, education, job growth, and pay of drywall and ceiling tile installers, and tapers with similar occupations.

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Contacts for More Information

Learn more about drywall and ceiling tile installers, and tapers by contacting these additional resources.

What Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers, and Tapers Do About this section

Drywallers work with many different types of tools.

Drywall and ceiling tile installers hang wallboards to walls and ceilings inside buildings. Tapers prepare the wallboards for painting, using tape and other materials. Many workers do both installing and taping.

Duties

Drywall installers typically do the following:

• Review design plans to minimize the number of cuts and waste of wallboard
• Measure the location of electrical outlets, plumbing, windows, and vents
• Cut drywall to the right size, using utility knives and power saws
• Fasten drywall panels to interior wall studs, using nails or screws
• Trim and smooth rough edges so boards join evenly

Ceiling tile installers typically do the following:

• Measure according to blueprints or drawings
• Nail or screw supports
• Put tiles or sheets of shock-absorbing materials on ceilings  
• Keep the tile in place with cement adhesive, nails, or screws

Tapers typically do the following:

• Prepare wall surface (wallboard) by patching nail holes
• Apply tape and use sealing compound to cover joints between wallboards
• Apply additional coats of sealing compound to create an even surface
• Sand all joints and holes to a smooth, seamless finish

Installers are also called framers or hangers. Tapers are also called finishers. Ceiling tile installers are sometimes called acoustical carpenters because they work with tiles that block sound.

Once wallboards are hung, workers use increasingly wider trowels to spread multiple coats of spackle over cracks, indentations, and any remaining imperfections. Some workers may use a mechanical applicator, a tool that spreads sealing compound on the wall joint while dispensing and setting tape at the same time.

To work on ceilings, drywall and ceiling tile installers and tapers may use mechanical lifts or stand on stilts, ladders, or scaffolds.

Work Environment About this section

Drywallers often stand on scaffolding to hang drywall.

Drywall and ceiling tile installers and tapers held about 129,600 jobs in 2010, of which 59 percent were employed in the drywall and insulation contractors industry. About 27 percent were self-employed.

Drywall and ceiling tile installers and tapers work indoors. As in many other construction trades, the work is physically demanding. Workers spend most of the day standing, bending, or stretching, and they often must lift and maneuver heavy, oversized wallboards. To work on ceilings, drywall and ceiling tile installers and tapers may have to stand on stilts, ladders, or scaffolds.

The work can be dusty and dirty, irritating the skin, eyes, and lungs, so workers must wear protective masks, goggles, and gloves.

Injuries

Drywall and ceiling tile installers have a rate of injuries and illnesses that is higher than the average for all occupations. Tapers have an average rate of injuries and illnesses. Common injuries include falls from ladders or stilts, cuts from sharp tools, and muscle strains from lifting heavy materials.

Work Schedules

Most drywall and ceiling tile installers and tapers work full time. 

About 27 percent of drywall and ceiling tile installers and tapers were self-employed. Self-employed workers may be able to set their own schedule.

How to Become a Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installer, or Taper About this section

New drywallers typically learn their job by working with more experienced workers.

Although most drywall and ceiling tile installers and tapers learn their trade informally on the job, a few learn through a formal apprenticeship.

Training

Most drywall and ceiling tile installers and tapers learn their trade informally by helping more experienced workers and gradually being given more duties. They start by carrying materials, lifting, and cleaning up. They learn to use the tools of the trade. Then they learn to measure, cut, and install or apply materials. Employers usually give some on-the-job training that may last from 1 to 12 months. 

A few drywall and ceiling tile installers and tapers learn their trade through a 3- or 4-year apprenticeship. For each year of the program, apprentices must have at least 144 hours of related technical work and 2,000 hours of paid on-the-job training. During training, apprentices learn construction basics related to blueprint reading, mathematics, building code requirements, and safety and first-aid practices.

After completing an apprenticeship program, drywall and ceiling tile installers and tapers are considered journey workers and may perform duties on their own. 

A few groups, including unions and contractor associations, sponsor apprenticeship programs.  The basic qualifications for entering an apprenticeship program are as follows:

• Minimum age of 18
• High school education or equivalent
• Physically able to perform the work

Education

Although there are no formal education requirements to become a drywall and ceiling tile installer and taper, high school math and general shop courses are considered useful.

Important Qualities

Math skills. Drywall and ceiling tile installers and tapers use basic math skills on every job. For example, they must be able to estimate the quantity of materials needed and accurately measure for cutting panels. 

Physical strength. Standard drywall sheets can weigh 50 to 100 pounds. Also, drywall and ceiling tile installers often must lift heavy pieces of material over their heads to put on the ceiling. 

Stamina. Because drywall and ceiling tile installers constantly lift and move heavy materials into place, they should have excellent physical stamina.

Pay About this section

The median annual wage of drywall and ceiling tile installers and tapers was $38,290 in May 2010. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less.

The median annual wage of drywall and ceiling tile installers was $37,320 in May 2010. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $24,470, and the top 10 percent earned more than $68,660.

The median annual wage of tapers was $45,490 in May 2010. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $27,480, and the top 10 percent earned more than $77,380.

The starting wage for apprentices is usually between 30 percent and 50 percent of what fully trained drywall and ceiling tile installers and tapers make. As they gain more skill, they receive pay increases.

Most drywall and ceiling tile installers and tapers work full time.

About 27 percent of drywall and ceiling tile installers and tapers were self-employed. Self-employed workers may be able to set their own schedule.

Job Outlook About this section

Employment of drywall and ceiling tile installers and tapers is projected to grow 29 percent from 2010 to 2020, much faster than the average for all other occupations. Drywall is, and will continue to be, the most common interior wall covering in nearly every building. As a result, new residential and commercial building construction will drive demand for workers. Home improvement and remodeling projects also are expected to create jobs because existing homes and other buildings are getting old and need repair.

Job Prospects

Job prospects for drywall and ceiling tile installers and tapers should improve over the coming decade as construction activity rebounds from the recent recession. As with many other construction workers, employment of these workers is sensitive to the fluctuations of the economy. On the one hand, they may experience periods of unemployment when the overall level of construction falls. On the other hand, shortages of workers may occur in some areas during peak periods of building activity. 

Skilled drywall and ceiling tile installers and tapers with good work history and experience in the construction industry should have the best job opportunities.

Contacts for More Information About this section

For details about apprenticeships or other work opportunities in this trade, contact the offices of the state employment service, the state apprenticeship agency, local contractors or firms that employ drywall installers, ceiling tile installers, and tapers, or local union-management finishing trade apprenticeship committees. Apprenticeship information is available from the U.S. Department of Labor's toll-free help line, 1 (877) 872-5627, or Employment and Training Administration.

For more information about drywall and ceiling tile installers and tapers, visit  

Associated Builders and Contractors

Association of the Wall and Ceiling Industry

Finishing Trades Institute