Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers
Overview
Salary
Demand
Core Tasks
Technology Skills
Tools Used
Top 10 Knowledge Required
Top 10 Skills
Top 10 Abilities
Top 10 Work Activities
Detailed Work Activities
Work Context
Education
Majors
Interests
Top 10 Work Styles
Work Values
Related Careers
Overview
Job Zone Two: Some Preparation Needed
Experience
Some previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is usually needed. For example, a teller would benefit from experience working directly with the public.
Education
These occupations usually require a high school diploma.
Job Training
Employees in these occupations need anywhere from a few months to one year of working with experienced employees. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.
Examples
These occupations often involve using your knowledge and skills to help others. Examples include orderlies, counter and rental clerks, customer service representatives, security guards, upholsterers, and tellers.
Apply plasterboard or other wallboard to ceilings or interior walls of buildings. Apply or mount acoustical tiles or blocks, strips, or sheets of shock-absorbing materials to ceilings and walls of buildings to reduce or reflect sound. Materials may be of decorative quality. Includes lathers who fasten wooden, metal, or rockboard lath to walls, ceilings, or partitions of buildings to provide support base for plaster, fireproofing, or acoustical material.
Salary Salary
Salary at 10th Percentile: $29K
Salary at 25th Percentile: $37K
Median Salary: $47K
Salary at 75th Percentile: $61K
Salary at 90th Percentile: $85K
Demand
Core Tasks
Measure and mark surfaces to lay out work, according to blueprints or drawings, using tape measures, straightedges or squares, and marking devices.
Read blueprints or other specifications to determine methods of installation, work procedures, or material or tool requirements.
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.
Cut metal or wood framing and trim to size, using cutting tools.
Inspect furrings, mechanical mountings, or masonry surfaces for plumbness and level, using spirit or water levels.
Cut and screw together metal channels to make floor or ceiling frames, according to plans for the location of rooms or hallways.
Cut fixture or border tiles to size, using keyhole saws, and insert them into surrounding frameworks.
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.
Coordinate work with drywall finishers who cover the seams between drywall panels.
Suspend angle iron grids or channel irons from ceilings, using wire.
Trim rough edges from wallboard to maintain even joints, using knives.
Install horizontal and vertical metal or wooden studs to frames so that wallboard can be attached to interior walls.
Hang dry lines to wall moldings to guide positioning of main runners.
Scribe and cut edges of tile to fit walls where wall molding is not specified.
Fasten metal or rockboard lath to the structural framework of walls, ceilings, or partitions of buildings, using nails, screws, staples, or wire-ties.
Install blanket insulation between studs and tack plastic moisture barriers over insulation.
Remove existing plaster, drywall, or paneling, using crowbars and hammers.
Seal joints between ceiling tiles and walls.
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.
Nail channels or wood furring strips to surfaces to provide mounting for tile.
Install metal lath where plaster applications will be exposed to weather or water, or for curved or irregular surfaces.
Apply cement to backs of tiles and press tiles into place, aligning them with layout marks or joints of previously laid tile.
Wash concrete surfaces before mounting tile to increase adhesive qualities of surfaces, using washing soda and zinc sulfate solution.
Technology Skills
Technology
Example
Hot Technology
Tools Used
Tool
Example
Top 10 Knowledge Required
Building and Construction
90%
Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
Mathematics
70%
Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
Mechanical
65%
Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
Public Safety and Security
64%
Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
Administration and Management
62%
Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
Design
60%
Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
English Language
60%
Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
Customer and Personal Service
55%
Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
Engineering and Technology
55%
Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
Production and Processing
51%
Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
Top 10 Skills
Critical Thinking
60%
Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Coordination
58%
Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Judgment and Decision Making
58%
Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Monitoring
58%
Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Speaking
58%
Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Time Management
58%
Managing one's own time and the time of others.
Active Listening
55%
Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Reading Comprehension
55%
Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
Complex Problem Solving
53%
Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
Operation and Control
50%
Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
Top 10 Abilities
Arm-Hand Steadiness
73%
The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.
Extent Flexibility
73%
The ability to bend, stretch, twist, or reach with your body, arms, and/or legs.
Manual Dexterity
73%
The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.
Near Vision
73%
The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
Trunk Strength
73%
The ability to use your abdominal and lower back muscles to support part of the body repeatedly or continuously over time without 'giving out' or fatiguing.
Gross Body Equilibrium
70%
The ability to keep or regain your body balance or stay upright when in an unstable position.
Finger Dexterity
65%
The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.
Oral Expression
65%
The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
Static Strength
65%
The ability to exert maximum muscle force to lift, push, pull, or carry objects.
Visualization
65%
The ability to imagine how something will look after it is moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged.
Top 10 Work Activities
Handling and Moving Objects
75%
Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things.
Getting Information
74%
Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
Performing General Physical Activities
73%
Performing physical activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling of materials.
Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Material
67%
Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects.
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
65%
Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work
63%
Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.
Coordinating the Work and Activities of Others
62%
Getting members of a group to work together to accomplish tasks.
Drafting, Laying Out, and Specifying Technical Devices, Parts, and Equipment
62%
Providing documentation, detailed instructions, drawings, or specifications to tell others about how devices, parts, equipment, or structures are to be fabricated, constructed, assembled, modified, maintained, or used.
Making Decisions and Solving Problems
60%
Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
Training and Teaching Others
59%
Identifying the educational needs of others, developing formal educational or training programs or classes, and teaching or instructing others.
Detailed Work Activities
Review blueprints or specifications to determine work requirements.
Measure materials or objects for installation or assembly.
Mark reference points on construction materials.
Install building fixtures.
Cut openings in existing structures.
Install trim or paneling.
Cut metal components for installation.
Cut wood components for installation.
Verify alignment of structures or equipment.
Install masonry materials.
Cut tile, stone, or other masonry materials.
Install metal structural components.
Operate cranes, hoists, or other moving or lifting equipment.
Trim excess material from installations.
Coordinate construction project activities.
Install wooden structural components.
Install insulation in equipment or structures.
Apply material to fill gaps in surfaces.
Remove worn, damaged or outdated materials from work areas.
Apply mortar.
Clean surfaces in preparation for work activities.
Work Context
Spend Time Standing
How much does this job require standing?
Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls
How much does this job require using your hands to handle, control, or feel objects, tools or controls?
Face-to-Face Discussions
How often do you have to have face-to-face discussions with individuals or teams in this job?
Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets
How much does this job require wearing common protective or safety equipment such as safety shoes, glasses, gloves, hard hats or life jackets?
Importance of Being Exact or Accurate
How important is being very exact or highly accurate in performing this job?
Telephone
How often do you have telephone conversations in this job?
Spend Time Walking and Running
How much does this job require walking and running?
Exposed to Hazardous Equipment
How often does this job require exposure to hazardous equipment?
Sounds, Noise Levels Are Distracting or Uncomfortable
How often does this job require working exposed to sounds and noise levels that are distracting or uncomfortable?
Work With Work Group or Team
How important is it to work with others in a group or team in this job?
Education
Interests
Realistic
100%
Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.
Conventional
77%
Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.
Investigative
43%
Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.
Artistic
29%
Artistic occupations frequently involve working with forms, designs and patterns. They often require self-expression and the work can be done without following a clear set of rules.
Enterprising
29%
Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.
Social
19%
Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others.
Top 10 Work Styles
Attention to Detail
82%
Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
Dependability
80%
Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
Cooperation
79%
Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.
Integrity
78%
Job requires being honest and ethical.
Achievement/Effort
75%
Job requires establishing and maintaining personally challenging achievement goals and exerting effort toward mastering tasks.
Self Control
74%
Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations.
Stress Tolerance
73%
Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high stress situations.
Concern for Others
72%
Job requires being sensitive to others' needs and feelings and being understanding and helpful on the job.
Independence
71%
Job requires developing one's own ways of doing things, guiding oneself with little or no supervision, and depending on oneself to get things done.
Initiative
71%
Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges.
Work Values
Support
62%
Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees. Corresponding needs are Company Policies, Supervision: Human Relations and Supervision: Technical.
Independence
58%
Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to work on their own and make decisions. Corresponding needs are Creativity, Responsibility and Autonomy.
Working Conditions
55%
Occupations that satisfy this work value offer job security and good working conditions. Corresponding needs are Activity, Compensation, Independence, Security, Variety and Working Conditions.
Relationships
53%
Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment. Corresponding needs are Co-workers, Moral Values and Social Service.
Achievement
39%
Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment. Corresponding needs are Ability Utilization and Achievement.
Recognition
34%
Occupations that satisfy this work value offer advancement, potential for leadership, and are often considered prestigious. Corresponding needs are Advancement, Authority, Recognition and Social Status.
