Drywall and ceiling tile installers hang 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. Drywall and ceiling tile installers and tapers spend most of the day standing, bending, or stretching. Injuries include falls from ladders or stilts, cuts from sharp tools, and muscle strains from lifting heavy materials. The work also can be dusty, irritating the skin, eyes, and lungs.
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Some responsibilities of a Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installer include:
Ceiling tile installers typically do the following:
Tapers typically do the following:
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.
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. Drywall and ceiling tile installers held about 129,600 jobs in 2010, of which 59 percent were employed in the drywall and insulation contractors industry. About 27 percent were self-employed.