All About Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers
Position Description 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, fire-proofing, or acoustical material.
List of Drywall & Ceiling Tile Installer Job Duties
- Assemble or install metal framing or decorative trim for windows, doorways, or vents.
- Cut fixture or border tiles to size, using keyhole saws, and insert them into surrounding frameworks.
- Hang dry lines to wall moldings to guide positioning of main runners.
- Cut and screw together metal channels to make floor or ceiling frames, according to plans for the location of rooms or hallways.
- Wash concrete surfaces before mounting tile to increase adhesive qualities of surfaces, using washing soda and zinc sulfate solution.
- Seal joints between ceiling tiles and walls.
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Drywall & Ceiling Tile Installer Needed Skills
When polled, Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers say the following skills are most frequently used in their jobs:
Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Coordination: Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Judgment and Decision Making: Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Monitoring: Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Time Management: Managing one’s own time and the time of others.
Types of Drywall & Ceiling Tile Installer Jobs
- Drywall Taper
- Sheet Rock Applier
- Wood Lather
- Sheetrock Applicator
- Ceiling Installer
Is There Job Demand for Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers?
There were about 119,500 jobs for Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installer in 2016 (in the United States). There is little to no growth in job opportunities for Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installer. Due to new job openings and attrition, there will be an average of 10,500 job openings in this field each year.

The states with the most job growth for Drywall & Ceiling Tile Installer are Utah, Colorado, and Oregon. Watch out if you plan on working in Kentucky, Mississippi, or Vermont. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.
How Much Does a Drywall & Ceiling Tile Installer Make?
Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers make between $27,490 and $83,010 a year.

Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers who work in Hawaii, Minnesota, or Washington, make the highest salaries.
How much do Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers make in different U.S. states?
State | Annual Mean Salary |
---|---|
Alabama | $33,680 |
Alaska | $51,560 |
Arizona | $41,830 |
Arkansas | $39,780 |
California | $61,820 |
Colorado | $46,620 |
Connecticut | $54,830 |
Delaware | $42,890 |
District of Columbia | $48,070 |
Florida | $35,240 |
Georgia | $37,570 |
Hawaii | $79,500 |
Idaho | $35,800 |
Illinois | $56,010 |
Indiana | $44,300 |
Iowa | $35,110 |
Kansas | $42,770 |
Kentucky | $41,720 |
Louisiana | $35,520 |
Maine | $43,680 |
Maryland | $45,280 |
Massachusetts | $49,980 |
Michigan | $42,300 |
Minnesota | $58,530 |
Mississippi | $34,960 |
Missouri | $44,430 |
Montana | $41,840 |
Nebraska | $39,240 |
Nevada | $37,930 |
New Hampshire | $47,380 |
New Jersey | $54,200 |
New Mexico | $39,330 |
New York | $49,600 |
North Carolina | $37,060 |
North Dakota | $49,290 |
Ohio | $40,810 |
Oklahoma | $44,130 |
Oregon | $59,230 |
Pennsylvania | $47,690 |
Rhode Island | $40,720 |
South Carolina | $36,940 |
South Dakota | $33,600 |
Tennessee | $40,080 |
Texas | $37,870 |
Utah | $39,530 |
Vermont | $44,920 |
Virginia | $36,190 |
Washington | $59,990 |
West Virginia | $36,700 |
Wisconsin | $46,450 |
Wyoming | $42,030 |
What Tools & Technology do Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers Use?
Although they’re not necessarily needed for all jobs, the following technologies are used by many Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers:
- Microsoft Word
- Microsoft Office
- Microsoft Windows
- Turtle Creek Software Goldenseal
- Palm OS
- On Center Quick Bid
- Job costing software
- Construction Software Center EasyEst
- Wilhelm Publishing Threshold
- DevWave Estimate Works
How do I Become a Drywall & Ceiling Tile Installer?
Education needed to be a Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installer:

How many years of work experience do I need?

Where do Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers Work?

The table below shows some of the most common industries where those employed in this career field work.

Similar Careers
Those who work as a Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installer sometimes switch careers to one of these choices:
References:
Image Credit: Margo Wright via Public domain
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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