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Date: 10/24/2026

Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers

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, fireproofing, or acoustical material.

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    Work Activities

    Work Activities

    • Hang 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.
    • Inspect furrings, mechanical mountings, or masonry surfaces for plumbness and level, using spirit or water levels.
    • Scribe and cut edges of tile to fit walls where wall molding is not specified.
    • Install metal lath where plaster applications will be exposed to weather or water, or for curved or irregular surfaces.
    • Measure and mark surfaces to lay out work, according to blueprints or drawings, using tape measures, straightedges or squares, and marking devices.
    • Cut fixture or border tiles to size, using keyhole saws, and insert them into surrounding frameworks.
    • Measure and cut openings in panels or tiles for electrical outlets, windows, vents, plumbing, or other fixtures, using keyhole saws or other cutting tools.
    • Apply or mount acoustical tile or blocks, strips, or sheets of shock-absorbing materials to ceilings or walls of buildings to reduce reflection of sound or to decorate rooms.
    • Mount tile, using adhesives, or by nailing, screwing, stapling, or wire-tying lath directly to structural frameworks.
    • Install horizontal and vertical metal or wooden studs to frames so that wallboard can be attached to interior walls.
    • Remove existing plaster, drywall, or paneling, using crowbars and hammers.
    • Hang dry lines to wall moldings to guide positioning of main runners.
    • Suspend angle iron grids or channel irons from ceilings, using wire.
    • Install blanket insulation between studs and tack plastic moisture barriers over insulation.
    • Cut metal or wood framing and trim to size, using cutting tools.
    • Coordinate work with drywall finishers who cover the seams between drywall panels.
    • Cut metal or wood framing and trim to size, using cutting tools.
    • Fasten metal or rockboard lath to the structural framework of walls, ceilings, or partitions of buildings, using nails, screws, staples, or wire-ties.
    • Measure and mark surfaces to lay out work, according to blueprints or drawings, using tape measures, straightedges or squares, and marking devices.
    • Assemble or install metal framing or decorative trim for windows, doorways, or vents.
    • Trim rough edges from wallboard to maintain even joints, using knives.
    • Nail channels or wood furring strips to surfaces to provide mounting for tile.
    • Cut and screw together metal channels to make floor or ceiling frames, according to plans for the location of rooms or hallways.
    • Read blueprints or other specifications to determine methods of installation, work procedures, or material or tool requirements.
    • Cut and screw together metal channels to make floor or ceiling frames, according to plans for the location of rooms or hallways.
    • Hang 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.
    • Fit and fasten wallboard or drywall into position on wood or metal frameworks, using glue, nails, or screws.
    • Seal joints between ceiling tiles and walls.
    • Cut fixture or border tiles to size, using keyhole saws, and insert them into surrounding frameworks.
    • Install horizontal and vertical metal or wooden studs to frames so that wallboard can be attached to interior walls.
    • Measure and cut openings in panels or tiles for electrical outlets, windows, vents, plumbing, or other fixtures, using keyhole saws or other cutting tools.

    Skills

    • Writing

      Writing things for co-workers or customers.

    • Coordination

      Changing what is done based on other people's actions.

    • Social Perceptiveness

      Understanding people's reactions.

    • Equipment Maintenance

      Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.

    • Equipment Selection

      Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.

    • Operation and Control

      Using equipment or systems.

    • Negotiation

      Bringing people together to solve differences.

    • Installation

      Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.

    • Management of Financial Resources

      Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.

    • Management of Personnel Resources

      Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.

    • Time Management

      Managing your time and the time of other people.

    • Instructing

      Teaching people how to do something.

    • Operations Analysis

      Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.

    • Systems Analysis

      Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.

    • Active Learning

      Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.

    • Systems Evaluation

      Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.

    • Science

      Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.

    • Technology Design

      Making equipment and technology useful for customers.

    • Complex Problem Solving

      Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.

    • Troubleshooting

      Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.

    • Repairing

      Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.

    • Quality Control Analysis

      Testing how well a product or service works.

    • Judgment and Decision Making

      Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.

    • Management of Material Resources

      Managing equipment and materials.

    • Reading Comprehension

      Reading work-related information.

    • Speaking

      Talking to others.

    • Mathematics

      Using math to solve problems.

    • Persuasion

      Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.

    • Programming

      Writing computer programs.

    • Service Orientation

      Looking for ways to help people.

    • Operations Monitoring

      Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.

    • Monitoring

      Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.

    • Active Listening

      Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.

    • Learning Strategies

      Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.

    • Critical Thinking

      Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.

    WorkKeys®

    Applied Math
    4
    Workplace Documents
    3
    Graphic Literacy
    4

    Abilities

    • Extent Flexibility

      Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.

    • Originality

      Creating new and original ideas.

    • Reaction Time

      Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.

    • Inductive Reasoning

      Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.

    • Depth Perception

      Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.

    • Written Comprehension

      Reading and understanding what is written.

    • Spatial Orientation

      Knowing where things are around you.

    • Multilimb Coordination

      Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.

    • Deductive Reasoning

      Using rules to solve problems.

    • Problem Sensitivity

      Noticing when problems happen.

    • Speed of Closure

      Quickly knowing what you are looking at.

    • Speed of Limb Movement

      Quickly moving your arms and legs.

    • Selective Attention

      Paying attention to something without being distracted.

    • Hearing Sensitivity

      Telling the difference between sounds.

    • Speech Recognition

      Recognizing spoken words.

    • Glare Sensitivity

      Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.

    • Trunk Strength

      Using your lower back and stomach.

    • Stamina

      Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.

    • Gross Body Coordination

      Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.

    • Near Vision

      Seeing details up close.

    • Dynamic Strength

      Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.

    • Far Vision

      Seeing details that are far away.

    • Oral Comprehension

      Listening and understanding what people say.

    • Memorization

      Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.

    • Rate Control

      Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.

    • Sound Localization

      Noticing the direction that a sound came from.

    • Night Vision

      Seeing at night or under low light.

    • Static Strength

      Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.

    • Information Ordering

      Ordering or arranging things.

    • Category Flexibility

      Grouping things in different ways.

    • Visualization

      Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.

    • Fluency of Ideas

      Coming up with lots of ideas.

    • Time Sharing

      Doing two or more things at the same time.

    • Perceptual Speed

      Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.

    • Control Precision

      Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.

    • Gross Body Equilibrium

      Keeping your balance or staying upright.

    • Oral Expression

      Communicating by speaking.

    • Flexibility of Closure

      Seeing hidden patterns.

    • Finger Dexterity

      Putting together small parts with your fingers.

    • Number Facility

      Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.

    • Written Expression

      Communicating by writing.

    • Mathematical Reasoning

      Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.

    • Visual Color Discrimination

      Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.

    • Dynamic Flexibility

      Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.

    • Response Orientation

      Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.

    • Arm-Hand Steadiness

      Keeping your arm or hand steady.

    • Wrist-Finger Speed

      Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.

    • Manual Dexterity

      Holding or moving items with your hands.

    • Explosive Strength

      Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.

    • Peripheral Vision

      Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.

    • Auditory Attention

      Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.

    • Speech Clarity

      Speaking clearly.

    Knowledge

    • Personnel and Human Resources

      Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.

    • Geography

      Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.

    • Customer and Personal Service

      Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

    • Transportation

      Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.

    • Chemistry

      Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.

    • Education and Training

      Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

    • Biology

      Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.

    • Psychology

      Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.

    • Foreign Language

      Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.

    • Communications and Media

      Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.

    • Physics

      Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.

    • Therapy and Counseling

      Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.

    • Fine Arts

      Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.

    • Law and Government

      Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.

    • Food Production

      Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.

    • Economics and Accounting

      Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.

    • Telecommunications

      Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.

    • Administrative

      Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.

    • Mechanical

      Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.

    • Public Safety and Security

      Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.

    • Engineering and Technology

      Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.

    • Production and Processing

      Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.

    • Medicine and Dentistry

      Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.

    • Philosophy and Theology

      Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.

    • Building and Construction

      Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.

    • Sociology and Anthropology

      Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.

    • Sales and Marketing

      Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.

    • Design

      Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.

    • Mathematics

      Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.

    • English Language

      Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.

    • Administration and Management

      Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

    • History and Archeology

      Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.

    • Computers and Electronics

      Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

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    Pay

    • Ohio Annual Salary 61420/yr
    • Typical Salary
    • Ohio Hourly Wage 29.53/hr
    • Typical Hourly Wage

    Ohio Employment Trends

    • Currently Employed 1,640
    • Yearly Projected Openings 110

    Typical Education

    Personality

    Realistic: People interested in this work like activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions.They do well at jobs that need:
    • Dependability
    • Attention to Detail

    Tools

    • Air compressors
    • Caulking guns
    • Chalk lines
    • Glue guns
    • Hacksaw
    • Hammers
    • Hand sprayers
    • Hatchets
    • Hole saws
    • Jacks
    • Ladders
    • Laser printers
    • Levels
    • Lifts
    • Miter saw
    • Notebook computer
    • Pad or keyhole saw
    • Paint brushes
    • Personal computer
    • Personal digital assistant PDAs or organizer
    • Plaster or mortar mixers
    • Power drills
    • Power routers
    • Power sanders
    • Power saws
    • Power screwguns
    • Putty knives
    • Rasps
    • Respirators
    • Safety harnesses or belts
    • Saws
    • Scaffolding
    • Screwdrivers
    • Scribers
    • Spatulas
    • Staple guns
    • T squares
    • Tablet computer
    • Tape guide
    • Tape measures
    • Tinners snips
    • Trowels
    • Utility knives

    Technology

    • Accounting software
    • Data base user interface and query software
    • Office suite software
    • Operating system software
    • Optical character reader OCR or scanning software
    • Project management software
    • Word processing software

    Tags

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