Sat 1 Mar 2008
Plasterer and Drywaller
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Are you strong? Do you have an eye for detail? Would you enjoy working with precision tools? Are you creative? Do you like a challenge? Then, you could become a plasterer and drywaller!
What the work is like
Plasterers apply, maintain and restore plaster on interior and exterior walls, and on ceilings. Drywallers install and finish drywall sheets and various types of ceiling systems.
Plasters and drywallers are employed by construction companies and by plastering and drywalling contractors or they may be self-employed.
Plasterers and drywallers work in the new home building and renovation, and institutional and commercial construction sectors.
Your duties
As a plasterer, your duties may include:
- Applying, levelling and smoothing coats of plaster
- Spraying coats of stucco over the exteriors of buildings to form weatherproof surfaces
- Cleaning and preparing surfaces
- Mixing plaster ingredients
- Finishing corners and angles and creating decorative designs
- Spraying finish over walls and ceilings
As a drywaller, your duties may include:
- Measuring, cutting and fitting drywall sheets for installation on walls and ceilings
- Positioning and securing drywall sheets to metal or wooden studs
- Cutting and installing metal corner beads to protect exterior corners
- Filling joints, holes and cracks with compound using a trowel and broad knife
- Smoothing out excess compound and sanding over dry compound
Work conditions
The standard work week for plasterers and drywallers is 40 hours (8 hours a day, 5 days a week). As with many careers in construction, there are peak periods that will require you to work overtime. The number of additional hours you work each week depends on the construction sector and region you work in, and will vary from one job to the next.
As a plasterer and drywaller, you will work mostly indoors, with some outdoor work. You may work alone or with other construction crew members. The job is physically demanding—you will be on your feet most of the time, working with heavy drywall sheets.
As with all careers in the construction industry, safety is the top priority. Plasterers and drywallers are trained to work safely, and use equipment such as masks and safety goggles to protect themselves from dust.
Essential skills
Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC) has identified nine essential skills that are necessary to succeed in the workplace. These skills provide the foundation for learning all other skills and are applicable to most construction careers. Best of all, you can learn and improve on these skills in school, on the job, and during your everyday life.
The most important Essential Skills for plasterers and drywallers are:
- Numeracy—working with numbers to perform calculations
- Significant use of memory—performing tasks that call upon greater memory use than most jobs
- Working with others—interacting with co-workers to get the job done
Apprenticeship
Apprenticeship is one way of starting out in the construction industry. It involves both classroom studies and on-the-job training under the supervision of a certified plasterer and drywaller, called a journeyperson.
As an apprentice, you earn while you learn and are paid by the hour while working on the job site. Wages start at about 45% of a journeyperson’s hourly rate and increase during your apprenticeship, until you reach the full rate.
Entering an apprenticeship program
Requirements for plasterer and drywaller apprenticeship programs vary across Canada. In most provinces and territories, you must be at least 16 years old and have a Grade 10 education, or equivalent, to enter a plasterer and drywaller apprenticeship program.
Some provinces and territories offer secondary school apprenticeship programs that allow high school students to work towards a career as a plasterer and drywaller.
Program length
Apprenticeship training programs for plasterers and drywallers vary across Canada. They generally last four years, and include both on-the-job training and in-class technical training.
Related work experience or completion of a plasterer and drywaller program at a college or technical institute can reduce the time required to complete your apprenticeship.
Certification
Plasterer and drywaller certification is required in Québec, and is available but voluntary in most other provinces. Even where certification is voluntary, it is still recommended. Certification tells employers and other workers that you are a skilled professional. It also helps you get jobs.
To be certified as a plasterer and drywaller, you usually need to complete a three- to four-year apprenticeship program. Once you successfully complete the on-the-job training, technical training and examinations required by the program, you are awarded a journeyperson certificate.
If you have over three years of on-the-job experience and some high school, college or industry courses for plasterers and drywallers, you may be eligible for certification in some provinces and territories.
In provinces and territories where certification is not available, it may be possible to study as an apprentice through your local labour organization.
As a certified plasterer or drywaller, you may attempt the Interprovincial Exam to qualify for the Interprovincial Standards’ Red Seal *. With a Red Seal, you can work as a plasterer and drywaller anywhere in Canada.
*Under the Red Seal program, plasterer and drywaller is classified as “lather”.
To keep your skills current, you have to keep up with new technological developments by reading and talking with other plasterers and drywallers.
Salary ranges
TYPICAL WORK WEEK/YEAR *
| JOURNEYPERSON |
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| HOURLY SALARY RANGE | |||||||||||||||||||||
| LOW | HIGH | ||||||||||||||||||||
| $17 | $29 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| APPRENTICE | ||
| HOURLY SALARY RANGE | ||
| LOW | HIGH | |
| YEAR 1 – 45 % | $ 7.65 | $ 13.05 |
| YEAR 2 – 60 % | $ 10.25 | $ 17.40 |
| YEAR 3 – 75 % | $ 12.75 | $ 21.75 |
| YEAR 4 – 90 % | $ 15.30 | $ 26.10 |
In addition to their hourly rate, many construction workers receive statutory holiday and vacation pay. Depending on the contract, you may also receive benefits such as group insurance for health, dental and vision care, retirement packages, and training benefits up to 30% of your hourly rate.
If you are self-employed, it’s up to you to arrange your own benefits.
* Wages vary across Canada, among labour organization locals and among open-shop construction contractors.
** Most construction work involves overtime, so your annual salary will vary depending on the number of hours you work. The salary range listed above represents the annual salary range for full-time journeyperson plasterers and drywallers across Canada, based on a 40-hour work week, without taking overtime into account.
Building your career
With experience and additional training, you can move into supervisory or estimator positions. You can also become self-employed and contract your services for smaller jobs.
As with most careers in the construction industry, your skills are portable. If you want to move, you can take your skills with you.
