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Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers

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.
Related: Carpenters  Insulation Workers, Floor, Ceiling, & Wall  Plasterers & Stucco Masons  Sheet Metal Workers  Tapers 
Industries: Construction 

  • Summary

  • Details

    • Work Activities

    • Hang dry lines to wall moldings to guide positioning of main runners.
    • Read blueprints or other specifications to determine methods of installation, work procedures, or material or tool requirements.
    • Inspect furrings, mechanical mountings, or masonry surfaces for plumbness and level, using spirit or water levels.
    • Measure and cut openings in panels or tiles for electrical outlets, windows, vents, plumbing, or other fixtures, using keyhole saws or other cutting tools.
    • Mount tile, using adhesives, or by nailing, screwing, stapling, or wire-tying lath directly to structural frameworks.
    • 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.
    • Install blanket insulation between studs and tack plastic moisture barriers over insulation.
    • Nail channels or wood furring strips to surfaces to provide mounting for tile.
    • Assemble or install metal framing or decorative trim for windows, doorways, or vents.
    • Install horizontal and vertical metal or wooden studs to frames so that wallboard can be attached to interior walls.
    • Cut metal or wood framing and trim to size, using cutting tools.
    • Trim rough edges from wallboard to maintain even joints, using knives.
    • Measure and mark surfaces to lay out work, according to blueprints or drawings, using tape measures, straightedges or squares, and marking devices.
    • Suspend angle iron grids or channel irons from ceilings, using wire.
    • Cut metal or wood framing and trim to size, using cutting tools.
    • Coordinate work with drywall finishers who cover the seams between drywall panels.
    • Apply cement to backs of tiles and press tiles into place, aligning them with layout marks or joints of previously laid tile.
    • Seal joints between ceiling tiles and walls.
    • Measure and cut openings in panels or tiles for electrical outlets, windows, vents, plumbing, or other fixtures, using keyhole saws or other cutting tools.
    • Cut and screw together metal channels to make floor or ceiling frames, according to plans for the location of rooms or hallways.
    • 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.
    • Measure and mark surfaces to lay out work, according to blueprints or drawings, using tape measures, straightedges or squares, and marking devices.
    • Cut fixture or border tiles to size, using keyhole saws, and insert them into surrounding frameworks.
    • Fasten metal or rockboard lath to the structural framework of walls, ceilings, or partitions of buildings, using nails, screws, staples, or wire-ties.
    • 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.
    • Install metal lath where plaster applications will be exposed to weather or water, or for curved or irregular surfaces.
    • Fit and fasten wallboard or drywall into position on wood or metal frameworks, using glue, nails, or screws.
    • Cut fixture or border tiles to size, using keyhole saws, and insert them into surrounding frameworks.
    • Cut and screw together metal channels to make floor or ceiling frames, according to plans for the location of rooms or hallways.
    • Install horizontal and vertical metal or wooden studs to frames so that wallboard can be attached to interior walls.
    • 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.
    • Scribe and cut edges of tile to fit walls where wall molding is not specified.
    • Remove existing plaster, drywall, or paneling, using crowbars and hammers.

    Skills

    • Science
      • Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.
    • Operation and Control
      • Using equipment or systems.
    • Time Management
      • Managing your time and the time of other people.
    • Management of Material Resources
      • Managing equipment and materials.
    • Writing
      • Writing things for co-workers or customers.
    • Learning Strategies
      • Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.
    • Monitoring
      • Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.
    • Social Perceptiveness
      • Understanding people's reactions.
    • Coordination
      • Changing what is done based on other people's actions.
    • Negotiation
      • Bringing people together to solve differences.
    • Operations Analysis
      • Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.
    • Operations Monitoring
      • Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.
    • Management of Financial Resources
      • Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.
    • Reading Comprehension
      • Reading work-related information.
    • Mathematics
      • Using math to solve problems.
    • Critical Thinking
      • Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
    • Speaking
      • Talking to others.
    • Programming
      • Writing computer programs.
    • Persuasion
      • Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.
    • Complex Problem Solving
      • Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
    • Troubleshooting
      • Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.
    • Technology Design
      • Making equipment and technology useful for customers.
    • Equipment Selection
      • Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.
    • Systems Evaluation
      • Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.
    • Judgment and Decision Making
      • Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.
    • Management of Personnel Resources
      • Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.
    • Installation
      • Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.
    • Repairing
      • Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.
    • Quality Control Analysis
      • Testing how well a product or service works.
    • Active Listening
      • Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
    • Systems Analysis
      • Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.
    • Active Learning
      • Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.
    • Instructing
      • Teaching people how to do something.
    • Service Orientation
      • Looking for ways to help people.
    • Equipment Maintenance
      • Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.

    Abilities

    • Deductive Reasoning
      • Using rules to solve problems.
    • Originality
      • Creating new and original ideas.
    • Dynamic Flexibility
      • Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
    • Gross Body Equilibrium
      • Keeping your balance or staying upright.
    • Near Vision
      • Seeing details up close.
    • Night Vision
      • Seeing at night or under low light.
    • Memorization
      • Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.
    • Flexibility of Closure
      • Seeing hidden patterns.
    • Peripheral Vision
      • Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.
    • Speech Clarity
      • Speaking clearly.
    • Auditory Attention
      • Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.
    • Trunk Strength
      • Using your lower back and stomach.
    • Mathematical Reasoning
      • Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.
    • Oral Comprehension
      • Listening and understanding what people say.
    • Explosive Strength
      • Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.
    • Information Ordering
      • Ordering or arranging things.
    • Control Precision
      • Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.
    • Multilimb Coordination
      • Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.
    • Rate Control
      • Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.
    • Depth Perception
      • Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.
    • Problem Sensitivity
      • Noticing when problems happen.
    • Far Vision
      • Seeing details that are far away.
    • Category Flexibility
      • Grouping things in different ways.
    • Stamina
      • Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.
    • Number Facility
      • Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.
    • Selective Attention
      • Paying attention to something without being distracted.
    • Speech Recognition
      • Recognizing spoken words.
    • Written Comprehension
      • Reading and understanding what is written.
    • Speed of Closure
      • Quickly knowing what you are looking at.
    • Spatial Orientation
      • Knowing where things are around you.
    • Visualization
      • Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.
    • Time Sharing
      • Doing two or more things at the same time.
    • Wrist-Finger Speed
      • Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.
    • Speed of Limb Movement
      • Quickly moving your arms and legs.
    • Written Expression
      • Communicating by writing.
    • Fluency of Ideas
      • Coming up with lots of ideas.
    • Response Orientation
      • Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.
    • Static Strength
      • Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.
    • Inductive Reasoning
      • Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.
    • Glare Sensitivity
      • Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.
    • Extent Flexibility
      • Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.
    • Gross Body Coordination
      • Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.
    • Perceptual Speed
      • Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
    • Oral Expression
      • Communicating by speaking.
    • Dynamic Strength
      • Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.
    • Sound Localization
      • Noticing the direction that a sound came from.
    • Hearing Sensitivity
      • Telling the difference between sounds.
    • Visual Color Discrimination
      • Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.
    • Reaction Time
      • Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.
    • Arm-Hand Steadiness
      • Keeping your arm or hand steady.
    • Manual Dexterity
      • Holding or moving items with your hands.
    • Finger Dexterity
      • Putting together small parts with your fingers.

    Knowledge

    • Personnel and Human Resources
      • Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
    • Therapy and Counseling
      • Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
    • Law and Government
      • Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
    • Philosophy and Theology
      • Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.
    • Psychology
      • Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
    • Biology
      • Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
    • Foreign Language
      • Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.
    • Telecommunications
      • Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
    • Administrative
      • Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
    • History and Archeology
      • Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
    • Production and Processing
      • Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
    • Transportation
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
    • Customer and Personal Service
      • 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.
    • Chemistry
      • Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
    • Communications and Media
      • Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
    • Computers and Electronics
      • Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
    • Physics
      • Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.
    • Education and Training
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
    • Administration and Management
      • 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.
    • Sales and Marketing
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
    • Geography
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
    • Medicine and Dentistry
      • Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
    • Public Safety and Security
      • 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.
    • Sociology and Anthropology
      • Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
    • Mathematics
      • Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
    • Building and Construction
      • Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
    • Food Production
      • Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
    • English Language
      • Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.
    • Mechanical
      • Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
    • Engineering and Technology
      • 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.
    • Fine Arts
      • Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
    • Economics and Accounting
      • Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
    • Design
      • Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.

    Education

    Education
    No formal educational credential
    Work Experience
    No work experience
    Training
    1 to 12 months on-the-job training
    Education and Training Opportunities

    Pay

    Washington Annual Salary
    70310/yr
    Washington Hourly Wage
    33.8/hr

    Washington Employment Trends

    Currently Employed
    8,040
    Yearly Projected Openings
    700

    Personality

    Realistic: People interested in this work like activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They do well at jobs that need:
    • Dependability
    • Attention to Detail

    Tools

    • Air compressors
    • Caulking guns
    • Chalk lines
    • Glue guns
    • Hacksaw
    • Hammers
    • Hand sprayers
    • Hatchets
    • Hole saws
    • Jacks
    • Ladders
    • Laser printers
    • Levels
    • Lifts
    • Miter saw
    • Notebook computers
    • Pad or keyhole saw
    • Paint brushes
    • Personal computers
    • Personal digital assistant PDAs or organizers
    • Plaster or mortar mixers
    • Power drills
    • Power routers
    • Power sanders
    • Power saws
    • Power screwguns
    • Putty knives
    • Rasps
    • Respirators
    • Safety harnesses or belts
    • Saws
    • Scaffolding
    • Screwdrivers
    • Scribers
    • Spatulas
    • Staple guns
    • T squares
    • Tablet computers
    • Tape guide
    • Tape measures
    • Tinners snips
    • Trowels
    • Utility knives

    Technology

    • Accounting software
    • Data base user interface and query software
    • Office suite software
    • Operating system software
    • Optical character reader OCR or scanning software
    • Project management software
    • Word processing software

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

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