How to Start Your Career as a Drywall Finisher or Drywall Installer
Drywall panels consist of a thin layer of gypsum plaster between two sheets of heavy paper. Different thicknesses and kinds of covering on the drywall offer different levels of moisture resistance, fire resistance, and other characteristics.
Today, drywall construction is used in most new and renovated buildings because drywall can be installed cheaply and quickly. The panels are easier to work with than traditional plaster, which must be applied wet and allowed to dry before work can proceed. The widespread use of drywall has created a need for workers who are skilled in its installation.
It may be possible for students to visit a job site and observe installers and finishers at work. Part-time or summer employment as a helper to drywall workers, carpenters, or painters or even as a laborer on a construction job is a good way to get some practical experience in this field.
Approximately 188,000 drywall installers and finishers are employed in the United States. Roughly 20 percent of this number are self-employed. Most drywall installers and finishers work primarily for drywall contractors associated with the construction industry. Typically installers and finishers find work in more heavily populated areas, such as cities, where there is enough work for full-time employment in their specialty.
If you want to work in this field, you can start out as an on-the-job trainee or as an apprentice. Those who plan to learn the trade as they work may apply directly to contracting companies for entry-level jobs as helpers. Good places to look for job openings include the offices of the state employment service, the classified ads section in local newspapers, and the local offices of the major unions in the field. Information about apprenticeship possibilities may be obtained from local contractors or local unions.
Opportunities for advancement are good for people who stay in the trade. Experienced workers who show leadership abilities and good judgment may be promoted to supervisors of work crews. Sometimes they become cost estimators for contractors. Other workers open their own drywall contracting business, hiring employees of their own. Once you gain experience, the sky is the limit in terms of earnings and opportunity.
