Drywall Installer / Finisher
Quick Facts
Median Salary$54,840
Most Common EducationHigh school or GED
Projected 10-Year Growth+20.06%
Assessment MatchTake the Assessment
What They Do
A Drywall Installer or Finisher installs drywall or panels of interior wall material in a newly constructed or renovated building. Measures and cuts drywall, prepares surfaces, fastens panels and finishes corners and seams.
Core Tasks:
- Read blueprints or other specifications to determine methods of installation, work procedures, or material or tool requirements.
- Measure and mark surfaces to lay out work, according to blueprints or drawings, using tape measures, straightedges or squares, and marking devices.
- Fit and fasten wallboard or drywall into position on wood or metal frameworks, using glue, nails, or screws.
- Measure and cut openings in panels or tiles for electrical outlets, windows, vents, plumbing, or other fixtures, using keyhole saws or other cutting tools.
- Assemble or install metal framing or decorative trim for windows, doorways, or vents.
- Inspect furrings, mechanical mountings, or masonry surfaces for plumbness and level, using spirit or water levels.
- Cut fixture or border tiles to size, using keyhole saws, and insert them into surrounding frameworks.
- Cut metal or wood framing and trim to size, using cutting tools.
- Hang drywall panels on metal frameworks of walls and ceilings in offices, schools, or other large buildings, using lifts or hoists to adjust panel heights, when necessary.
- Trim rough edges from wallboard to maintain even joints, using knives.
- Cut and screw together metal channels to make floor or ceiling frames, according to plans for the location of rooms or hallways.
- Coordinate work with drywall finishers who cover the seams between drywall panels.
- Suspend angle iron grids or channel irons from ceilings, using wire.
- Install horizontal and vertical metal or wooden studs to frames so that wallboard can be attached to interior walls.
- Scribe and cut edges of tile to fit walls where wall molding is not specified.
- Hang dry lines to wall moldings to guide positioning of main runners.
- Fasten metal or rockboard lath to the structural framework of walls, ceilings, or partitions of buildings, using nails, screws, staples, or wire-ties.
- Seal joints between ceiling tiles and walls.
- Install blanket insulation between studs and tack plastic moisture barriers over insulation.
- Remove existing plaster, drywall, or paneling, using crowbars and hammers.
- Apply or mount acoustical tile or blocks, strips, or sheets of shock-absorbing materials to ceilings or walls of buildings to reduce reflection of sound or to decorate rooms.
- Mount tile, using adhesives, or by nailing, screwing, stapling, or wire-tying lath directly to structural frameworks.
What to expect as a Drywall Installer / Finisher
1Earn a High school or GED Diploma
8% of people achieve this level of education.
2Gain skills and experience
See Drywall Installer / Finisher related courses on Tallo
3Land a job
762 openings for Drywall Installers / Finishers
Career Progression
in United States (Nation)
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