About This Career

Applies plasterboard or other wallboard to ceilings or interior walls of buildings. Applies or mounts 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.

This career is part of the Architecture and Construction cluster Construction pathway.

A person in this career:

• Reads blueprints or other specifications to determine methods of installation, work procedures, or material or tool requirements.
• Measures and marks surfaces to lay out work, according to blueprints or drawings, using tape measures, straightedges or squares, and marking devices.
• Fits and fastens wallboard or drywall into position on wood or metal frameworks, using glue, nails, or screws.
• Measures and cuts openings in panels or tiles for electrical outlets, windows, vents, plumbing, or other fixtures, using keyhole saws or other cutting tools.
• Assembles or installs metal framing or decorative trim for windows, doorways, or vents.
• Cuts metal or wood framing and trims to size, using cutting tools.
• Inspects furrings, mechanical mountings, or masonry surfaces for plumbness and level, using spirit or water levels.
• Cuts fixture or border tiles to size, using keyhole saws, and inserts them into surrounding frameworks.
• Cuts and screws together metal channels to make floor or ceiling frames, according to plans for the location of rooms or hallways.
• Hangs 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.

Working Conditions and Physical Demands

People who do this job report that:

• You would often handle loads up to 20 lbs., sometimes up to 50 lbs. You might do a lot of lifting, carrying, pushing or pulling.
• Work in this occupation involves bending or twisting your body more than one-third of the time
• Work in this occupation involves use of protective items such as safety shoes, glasses, gloves, hearing protection, a hard hat, or personal flotation devices
• Work in this occupation involves using your hands to hold, control, and feel objects more than one-third of the time
• Sound and noise levels are loud and distracting
• Work in this occupation involves making repetitive motions more than one-third of the time
• Work in this occupation involves standing more than one-third of the time
• Work in this occupation involves walking or running more than one-third of the time

Working in this career involves (physical activities):

• Maintaining a body position that prevents falling when in an unstable position
• Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching
• Seeing clearly at a distance
• Seeing clearly up close
• Identifying and understanding the speech of another person
• Exerting oneself physically over long periods of time without getting out of breath
• Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying objects
• Using abdominal and lower back muscles repeatedly or over time without tiring

Work Hours and Travel

• Regular working hours and limited travel