Drywall Tapers
Overview
Drywall tapers are the finishing experts who make walls smooth and ready for painting by applying tape and special compounds to cover joints and imperfections. They use a mix of hand tools like trowels and modern equipment like floating machines and portable mixers to create perfectly seamless wall surfaces. This skilled trade requires precision, attention to detail, and physical coordination, especially when working on high ceilings using scaffolding or stilts. Many tapers work as part of construction teams, collaborating with installers and painters to complete building projects.
Did you know?
The job requires significant physical stamina as tapers spend long hours standing, reaching overhead, and working in awkward positions while applying joint compound and tape to drywall surfaces.
At a Glance
Median Wage
$69,049.23 Avg/yr
Growth
Stable
Top Skill
Installation
Key Responsibilities
- Seal joints between plasterboard or other wallboard to prepare wall surfaces for painting or papering.
- Remove extra compound after surfaces have been covered sufficiently.
- Select the correct sealing compound or tape.
- Apply additional coats to fill in holes and make surfaces smooth.
- Sand or patch nicks or cracks in plasterboard or wallboard.
- Press paper tape over joints to embed tape into sealing compound and to seal joints.
- Spread and smooth cementing material over tape, using trowels or floating machines to blend joints with wall surfaces.
- Apply texturizing compounds or primers to walls or ceilings before final finishing, using trowels, brushes, rollers, or spray guns.
- Check adhesives to ensure that they will work and will remain durable.
- Use mechanical applicators that spread compounds and embed tape in one operation.
- Sand rough spots of dried cement between applications of compounds.
- Countersink nails or screws below surfaces of walls before applying sealing compounds, using hammers or screwdrivers.
- Install metal molding at wall corners to secure wallboard.
- Work on high ceilings, using scaffolding or other tools, such as stilts.
- Spread sealing compound between boards or panels or over cracks, holes, nail heads, or screw heads, using trowels, broadknives, or spatulas.
- Mix sealing compounds by hand or with portable electric mixers.
Career Considerations
Physical Demands
The job requires significant physical stamina as tapers spend long hours standing, reaching overhead, and working in awkward positions while applying joint compound and tape to drywall surfaces.
Skills and Training
Success requires developing precision hand-eye coordination and learning proper techniques for applying compound smoothly, which can be acquired through apprenticeships or on-the-job training programs.
Employment Stability
Job opportunities are closely tied to construction industry cycles, with demand fluctuating based on new construction projects and renovation activities in local markets.