What Does it Take to Be a Taper?
Taper Example Seal joints between plasterboard or other wallboard to prepare wall surface for painting or papering.
List of Taper Job Duties
- Check adhesives to ensure that they will work and will remain durable.
- Spread and smooth cementing material over tape, using trowels or floating machines to blend joints with wall surfaces.
- Apply additional coats to fill in holes and make surfaces smooth.
- Select the correct sealing compound or tape.
- Sand rough spots of dried cement between applications of compounds.
- Install metal molding at wall corners to secure wallboard.
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What Every Taper Should Know
Below is a list of the skills most Tapers say are important on the job.
Active Listening: 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.
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.
Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Social Perceptiveness: Being aware of others’ reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Other Taper Job Titles
- Drywall Finishing Foreman
- Taping Foreman
- Taper/Finisher
- Taper
- Sheet Rock Taper
Job Outlook for Tapers
In the United States, there were 23,700 jobs for Taper in 2016. There is little to no growth in job opportunities for Taper. There will be an estimated 2,100 positions for Taper per year.

The states with the most job growth for Taper are Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. Watch out if you plan on working in Kentucky, Maine, or Kansas. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.
Salary for a Taper
The typical yearly salary for Tapers is somewhere between $31,020 and $91,070.

Tapers who work in Hawaii, Illinois, or Oregon, make the highest salaries.
Below is a list of the median annual salaries for Tapers in different U.S. states.
State | Annual Mean Salary |
---|---|
Arizona | $46,980 |
California | $62,060 |
Colorado | $49,240 |
Connecticut | $56,380 |
Florida | $42,020 |
Georgia | $45,550 |
Hawaii | $81,840 |
Idaho | $32,030 |
Illinois | $75,810 |
Indiana | $47,760 |
Iowa | $57,840 |
Maine | $47,540 |
Massachusetts | $58,480 |
Michigan | $53,590 |
Minnesota | $55,430 |
Missouri | $60,220 |
Montana | $30,370 |
Nevada | $41,880 |
New Hampshire | $35,880 |
New Mexico | $49,160 |
New York | $63,490 |
North Dakota | $47,170 |
Ohio | $63,130 |
Oregon | $67,170 |
Pennsylvania | $55,570 |
Texas | $45,130 |
Utah | $42,750 |
Washington | $57,060 |
Wisconsin | $48,690 |
Tools & Technologies Used by Tapers
Although they’re not necessarily needed for all jobs, the following technologies are used by many Tapers:
- Microsoft Office
- Microsoft Dynamics
- Intuit QuickBooks
- Turtle Creek Software Goldenseal
- On Center Quick Bid
- Construction Software Center EasyEst
- DevWave Estimate Works
How to Become a Taper
Individuals working as a Taper have obtained the following education levels:

How many years of work experience do I need?

Who Employs Tapers?

Below are examples of industries where Tapers work:

References:
More about our data sources and methodologies.
Featured Schools
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