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.
📋Key Responsibilities
- •Read blueprints or other specifications to determine methods of installation, work procedures, or material or tool requirements.
- •Measure and mark surfaces to lay out work, according to blueprints or drawings, using tape measures, straightedges or squares, and marking devices.
- •Fit and fasten wallboard or drywall into position on wood or metal frameworks, using glue, nails, or screws.
- •Measure and cut openings in panels or tiles for electrical outlets, windows, vents, plumbing, or other fixtures, using keyhole saws or other cutting tools.
- •Assemble or install metal framing or decorative trim for windows, doorways, or vents.
- •Cut metal or wood framing and trim to size, using cutting tools.
- •Inspect furrings, mechanical mountings, or masonry surfaces for plumbness and level, using spirit or water levels.
- •Cut fixture or border tiles to size, using keyhole saws, and insert them into surrounding frameworks.
💡Inside This Career
The drywall installer hangs gypsum board—measuring and cutting panels, securing them to framing, and creating the wall and ceiling surfaces that finishing covers. A typical day centers on hanging board. Perhaps 85% of time goes to installation: measuring openings, cutting panels, lifting and securing drywall, installing ceiling grids and tiles. Another 10% involves preparation—staging materials, planning layouts. The remaining time addresses cleanup and coordination.
People who thrive as drywall installers combine physical strength with precision and the efficiency that production hanging requires. Successful installers develop speed while maintaining the accuracy that straight walls demand. They must lift heavy panels repeatedly overhead. Those who struggle often cannot sustain the physical pace or find the arm-overhead work unsustainable. Others fail because they cannot cut accurately or maintain alignment across walls.
Drywall installation represents essential finishing work, with installers creating the surfaces that painters and finishers complete. The trade requires strength and precision together. Drywall installers appear in discussions of construction trades, interior finishing, and the workers who create interior surfaces.
Practitioners cite the visible progress and the steady work as primary rewards. Seeing rooms take shape is satisfying. The work is always in demand. The production pace provides tangible accomplishment. The trade offers union paths with benefits. The indoor work is weather-protected. The skills are straightforward to learn. Common frustrations include the physical toll and the production pressure. Many find that lifting panels overhead is brutal on shoulders and back. The dust from cutting is significant. The pace expectations are demanding. The work is viewed as semi-skilled despite its difficulty. Callbacks for cracks create frustration.
This career requires installation training through apprenticeship or experience. Strong physical strength, precision, and stamina are essential. The role suits those who want indoor trade work and can handle physical demands. It is poorly suited to those with shoulder or back problems, uncomfortable with production pace, or seeking highly skilled classification. Compensation is moderate to good for finishing trade work.
📈Career Progression
📚Education & Training
Requirements
- •Entry Education: Less than high school
- •Experience: Some experience helpful
- •On-the-job Training: Few months to one year
Time & Cost
🤖AI Resilience Assessment
AI Resilience Assessment
Low Exposure: AI has limited applicability to this work; stable employment prospects
How much of this job involves tasks AI can currently perform
Likelihood that AI replaces workers vs. assists them
(BLS 2024-2034)
How much this role relies on distinctly human capabilities
💻Technology Skills
⭐Key Abilities
🏷️Also Known As
🔗Related Careers
Other careers in construction
🔗Data Sources
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