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Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installer

What Does it Take to Be a Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installer?

Position Description 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, fire-proofing, or acoustical material.

Daily Life Of a Drywall & Ceiling Tile Installer

  • Suspend angle iron grids or channel irons from ceilings, using wire.
  • Apply cement to backs of tiles and press tiles into place, aligning them with layout marks or joints of previously laid tile.
  • 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.
  • Seal joints between ceiling tiles and walls.
  • Assemble or install metal framing or decorative trim for windows, doorways, or vents.
  • Install metal lath where plaster applications will be exposed to weather or water, or for curved or irregular surfaces.

Qualities of a Drywall & Ceiling Tile Installer

These are the skills Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers say are the most useful in their careers:

Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Coordination: Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.

Judgment and Decision Making: Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.

Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Monitoring: Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

Time Management: Managing one’s own time and the time of others.

Types of Drywall & Ceiling Tile Installer Jobs

  • Drywall Finisher
  • Sheet Rock Nailer
  • Drywall Boardhanger
  • Lather Apprentice
  • Acoustical Carpenter

Drywall & Ceiling Tile Installer Job Outlook

There were about 119,500 jobs for Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installer in 2016 (in the United States). There is little to no growth in job opportunities for Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installer. There will be an estimated 10,500 positions for Drywall & Ceiling Tile Installer per year.

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The states with the most job growth for Drywall & Ceiling Tile Installer are Utah, Colorado, and Oregon. Watch out if you plan on working in Kentucky, Mississippi, or Vermont. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.

How Much Does a Drywall & Ceiling Tile Installer Make?

The typical yearly salary for Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers is somewhere between $27,490 and $83,010.

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Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers who work in Hawaii, Minnesota, or Washington, make the highest salaries.

Below is a list of the median annual salaries for Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers in different U.S. states.

State Annual Mean Salary
Alabama $33,680
Alaska $51,560
Arizona $41,830
Arkansas $39,780
California $61,820
Colorado $46,620
Connecticut $54,830
Delaware $42,890
District of Columbia $48,070
Florida $35,240
Georgia $37,570
Hawaii $79,500
Idaho $35,800
Illinois $56,010
Indiana $44,300
Iowa $35,110
Kansas $42,770
Kentucky $41,720
Louisiana $35,520
Maine $43,680
Maryland $45,280
Massachusetts $49,980
Michigan $42,300
Minnesota $58,530
Mississippi $34,960
Missouri $44,430
Montana $41,840
Nebraska $39,240
Nevada $37,930
New Hampshire $47,380
New Jersey $54,200
New Mexico $39,330
New York $49,600
North Carolina $37,060
North Dakota $49,290
Ohio $40,810
Oklahoma $44,130
Oregon $59,230
Pennsylvania $47,690
Rhode Island $40,720
South Carolina $36,940
South Dakota $33,600
Tennessee $40,080
Texas $37,870
Utah $39,530
Vermont $44,920
Virginia $36,190
Washington $59,990
West Virginia $36,700
Wisconsin $46,450
Wyoming $42,030

What Tools & Technology do Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers Use?

Although they’re not necessarily needed for all jobs, the following technologies are used by many Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers:

  • Microsoft Word
  • Microsoft Office
  • Microsoft Windows
  • Turtle Creek Software Goldenseal
  • Palm OS
  • On Center Quick Bid
  • Job costing software
  • Construction Software Center EasyEst
  • Wilhelm Publishing Threshold
  • DevWave Estimate Works

Becoming a Drywall & Ceiling Tile Installer

What education or degrees do I need to become a Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installer?

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How many years of work experience do I need?

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Where do Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers Work?

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Below are examples of industries where Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers work:

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Other Jobs You May be Interested In

Career changers with experience as a Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installer sometimes find work in one of the following fields:

References:

Image Credit: Margo Wright via Public domain

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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