All About Tapers
Career Description Seal joints between plasterboard or other wallboard to prepare wall surface for painting or papering.
Daily Life Of a Taper
- Apply additional coats to fill in holes and make surfaces smooth.
- Check adhesives to ensure that they will work and will remain durable.
- Sand or patch nicks or cracks in plasterboard or wallboard.
- Sand rough spots of dried cement between applications of compounds.
- Press paper tape over joints to embed tape into sealing compound and to seal joints.
- Mix sealing compounds by hand or with portable electric mixers.
Skills Needed to be a Taper
These are the skills Tapers say are the most useful in their careers:
Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
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.
Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Other Taper Job Titles
- Drywall Finisher
- Drywall Taper
- Drywall Finisher Foreman
- Taping Foreman
- Finisher
Is There Job Demand for Tapers?
In the United States, there were 23,700 jobs for Tapers in 2016.
There is little to no growth in job opportunities for Tapers. The BLS estimates 2,100 yearly job openings in this field per year.
The states with the most job growth for Tapers are California, Washington, and Arizona.
Watch out if you plan on working in Kansas, New Hampshire, or Massachusetts. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.
Taper Salary
The salary for Tapers ranges between about $31,020 and $91,070 a year. The median salary for this occupation is $55,080.
Below is a list of the median annual salaries for jobs of this type in different U.S. states.
| State | Annual Mean Salary |
|---|---|
|
Hawaii |
$81,840 |
|
Illinois |
$75,810 |
|
Oregon |
$67,170 |
|
New York |
$63,490 |
|
Ohio |
$63,130 |
|
California |
$62,060 |
|
Missouri |
$60,220 |
|
Massachusetts |
$58,480 |
|
Iowa |
$57,840 |
|
Washington |
$57,060 |
|
Connecticut |
$56,380 |
|
Pennsylvania |
$55,570 |
|
Minnesota |
$55,430 |
|
Michigan |
$53,590 |
|
Colorado |
$49,240 |
|
New Mexico |
$49,160 |
|
Wisconsin |
$48,690 |
|
Indiana |
$47,760 |
|
Maine |
$47,540 |
|
North Dakota |
$47,170 |
|
Arizona |
$46,980 |
|
Georgia |
$45,550 |
|
Texas |
$45,130 |
|
Utah |
$42,750 |
|
Florida |
$42,020 |
|
Nevada |
$41,880 |
|
New Hampshire |
$35,880 |
|
Idaho |
$32,030 |
|
Montana |
$30,370 |
Tools & Technologies Used by Tapers
Although they’re not necessarily needed for all jobs, the following technologies are used by many Tapers:
- Microsoft Office
- Intuit QuickBooks
- Microsoft Dynamics
How to Become a Taper
Individuals working as Tapers have obtained the following education levels:
What work experience do I need to become a Taper?
Where Tapers Are Employed
References
Image Credit: Via Wikimedia Commons
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