Tapers

What the job really is

Seal joints between plasterboard or other wallboard to prepare wall surface for painting or papering.

At a glance

• Sector: Construction & Extraction
• O*NET-SOC code: 47-2082
• O*NET job zone: 2 — some preparation
• Work sample tasks on file: 12
• Tools and technologies listed: 12

What you actually do

Work sample tasks recorded for this occupation:

• Press paper tape over joints to embed tape into sealing compound and to seal joints.
• Apply additional coats to fill in holes and make surfaces smooth.
• Spread sealing compound between boards or panels or over cracks, holes, nail heads, or screw heads, using trowels, broadknives, or spatulas.
• Seal joints between plasterboard or other wallboard to prepare wall surfaces for painting or papering.
• Spread and smooth cementing material over tape, using trowels or floating machines to blend joints with wall surfaces.
• Sand or patch nicks or cracks in plasterboard or wallboard.
• Mix sealing compounds by hand or with portable electric mixers.
• Work on high ceilings, using scaffolding or other tools, such as stilts.
• Select the correct sealing compound or tape.
• Countersink nails or screws below surfaces of walls before applying sealing compounds, using hammers or screwdrivers.
• Remove extra compound after surfaces have been covered sufficiently.
• Install metal molding at wall corners to secure wallboard.

Tools and technology

Intuit QuickBooks, Microsoft Office software, Air compressors, Application brushes, Applied Computer Systems JOBPOWER, Automatic taping tools, Banjo drywall tapers, Construction Software Center EasyEst, Corner knives, Corner rollers, DevWave Estimate Works, Drywall knockdown knives

What employers expect you to already be comfortable with.

Where this job leads

Related occupations — the usual moves up and sideways:

• Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers
• Insulation Workers, Floor, Ceiling, and Wall
• Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers
• Plasterers and Stucco Masons
• Insulation Workers, Mechanical
• Roofers
• Construction Laborers
• Brickmasons and Blockmasons

Getting in

O*NET assigns this occupation job zone 2 (some preparation). The related occupations above are the realistic routes in and out.

Find openings

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Check this against the source

O*NET OnLine: Tapers — the authoritative public-domain profile this page is derived from, including the full task list, reported skills and the wage estimates for your region.

Derived and rewritten from the public-domain O*NET database (U.S. Department of Labor / Employment and Training Administration). Figures are observations, not promises — always confirm salary, licensing and visa requirements with the employer and the relevant authority.