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Tapers: Job Description

Seal joints between plasterboard or other wallboard to prepare wall surface for painting or papering.

What Do Tapers Do?

Typical responsibilities of tapers cover:

• Spread sealing compound between boards or panels or over cracks, holes, nail heads, or screw heads, using trowels, broadknives, or spatulas.
• Press paper tape over joints to embed tape into sealing compound and to seal joints.
• Apply additional coats to fill in holes and make surfaces smooth.
• Seal joints between plasterboard or other wallboard to prepare wall surfaces for painting or papering.
• Spread and smooth cementing material over tape, using trowels or floating machines to blend joints with wall surfaces.
• Sand or patch nicks or cracks in plasterboard or wallboard.
• Mix sealing compounds by hand or with portable electric mixers.
• Work on high ceilings, using scaffolding or other tools, such as stilts.

Skills and Knowledge

Effective tapers combine a mix of skills and domain knowledge.

Key Skills

The abilities most central to this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Knowledge Areas

Other Tapers Job Titles

People in this occupation may also be known by titles such as:

• Drywall Finisher
• Drywall Mechanic
• Drywall Taper
• Finisher
• Sheet Rock Taper
• Spackler
• Taper
• Wall Taper

Employment and Demand

The U.S. employs around 696,796 tapers working in the United States today. Employment is projected to grow by +11.3% over the projection horizon.

Salary for Tapers

Statistic	Value
Annual median	$30,388
Hourly median	$14.61
10th percentile	$20,000
25th percentile	$23,733
75th percentile	$37,043
90th percentile	$43,699

Wages vary widely based on experience, location, and industry.

How Much Do Tapers Make in Different U.S. States?

State	Annual median salary
Illinois	$109,510
Massachusetts	$107,670
Hawaii	$97,790
New Jersey	$96,350
Oregon	$90,180
Minnesota	$86,990
Pennsylvania	$81,880
Connecticut	$71,910
Washington	$70,580
New York	$70,150
California	$69,670
Ohio	$68,130
Iowa	$65,440
Indiana	$64,420
Michigan	$62,090
Missouri	$60,810
New Mexico	$59,250
Idaho	$58,670
Colorado	$57,570
Nevada	$57,350
Utah	$54,580
Maine	$51,880
Wisconsin	$49,150
Arizona	$48,170
Texas	$45,030
Florida	$40,060

Pay by U.S. Region

Compensation for tapers differ across the country. These regions lead on median pay:

Region	Median annual wage	Share of U.S. jobs	Location quotient
New England	$91,030	4.5%	1.03
Middle Atlantic	$86,332	1.2%	0.16
Great Lakes	$82,671	7.8%	0.64
Plains States	$70,677	5.4%	1.06
Far Western US	$69,996	62.4%	3.97
Rocky Mountains	$55,354	4.7%	2.32
Southwest	$47,756	14.0%	2.76

Top Metro Areas

Metro area	State	Median annual wage	Employment
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN	IL	$109,870	320
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH	MA	$107,680	240
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD	PA	$100,420	40
Urban Honolulu, HI	HI	$98,020	160
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA	OR	$91,420	340
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI	MN	$86,990	190
St. Louis, MO-IL	MO	$80,530	180
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA	CA	$80,140	350

Which Industries Hire Tapers

Most tapers are found across these industries:

Industry	Employment	Median annual wage
Construction	12,390	$64,840
Manufacturing	70	$46,300

Below are examples of industries where tapers work:

Tools and Technology

• Accounting software: Intuit QuickBooks (hot technology)
• Office suite software: Microsoft Office software (hot technology)

The Day-to-Day Environment

The work environment for tapers is shaped by the following characteristics:

• Spend Time Standing
• Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls
• Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
• Spend Time Making Repetitive Motions
• Exposed to Contaminants

Education and Training

Typical tapers positions require a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education. This career aligns with Some Preparation Needed (Job Zone 2), indicating the level of preparation typically expected.

Other Careers to Consider

Similar Occupations

• Brickmasons and Blockmasons (Primary-Long)
• Carpenters (Supplemental)
• Floor Layers, Except Carpet, Wood, and Hard Tiles (Primary-Long)
• Floor Sanders and Finishers (Supplemental)
• Tile and Stone Setters (Primary-Long)
• Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers (Primary-Short)
• Terrazzo Workers and Finishers (Supplemental)
• Construction Laborers (Primary-Long)

References

Statistics shown above are sourced from the following authoritative sources:

• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
• BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
• O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.

SOC code: 47-2082.00 (Tapers).