What does a drywall and ceiling tile installer do?

What is a Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installer?

A drywall and ceiling tile installer is someone who hangs 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.

What does a Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installer do?

Some responsibilities of a Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installer include:

• Reviewing design plans to minimize the number of cuts and waste of wallboard
• Measuring the location of electrical outlets, plumbing, windows, and vents
• Cutting drywall to the right size, using utility knives and power saws
• Fastening drywall panels to interior wall studs, using nails or screws
• Trimming and smoothing 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 may use mechanical lifts or stand on stilts, ladders, or scaffolds.

What is the workplace of a Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installer like?

Drywall and ceiling tile installer 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 may have to stand on stilts, ladders, or scaffolds.