What Do Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installer Do?
Career 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.
Life As a Drywall & Ceiling Tile Installer: What Do They Do?
- Cut metal or wood framing and trim to size, using cutting tools.
- Read blueprints or other specifications to determine methods of installation, work procedures, or material or tool requirements.
- Trim rough edges from wallboard to maintain even joints, using knives.
- Install metal lath where plaster applications will be exposed to weather or water, or for curved or irregular surfaces.
- Assemble or install metal framing or decorative trim for windows, doorways, or vents.
- Apply cement to backs of tiles and press tiles into place, aligning them with layout marks or joints of previously laid tile.
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Qualities of a Drywall & Ceiling Tile Installer
These are the skills Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers say are the most useful in their careers:
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.
Related Job Titles for this Occupation:
- Drywall Installer
- Drywall Hanger
- Sheet Rock Applier
- Sheetrock Applicator
- Metal Stud Framer
What Kind of Drywall & Ceiling Tile Installer Job Opportunities Are There?
In 2016, there was an estimated number of 119,500 jobs in the United States for Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installer. There is little to no growth in job opportunities for Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installer. The BLS estimates 10,500 yearly job openings in this field.

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.
Average Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers Salary
The average yearly salary of a Drywall & Ceiling Tile Installer ranges between $27,490 and $83,010.

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 do Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers Use?
Below is a list of the types of tools and technologies that Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers may use on a daily basis:
- 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 to Become a Drywall & Ceiling Tile Installer
What kind of Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installer requirements are there?

How Long Does it Take to Become a Drywall & Ceiling Tile Installer?

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.

You May Also Be Interested In…
Are you already one of the many Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installer in the United States? If you’re thinking about changing careers, these fields are worth exploring:
References:
Image Credit: Margo Wright via Public domain
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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