What does a drywall finisher do?
As a part of the construction team, the drywall finisher is the last to touch the product and place pieces, paint, and decorations for the final look. Also, they are to put premade walls on surfaces. Drywall finishers cut out the excess, position it properly, and fasten it to the interior for a glossy finish. As it is, drywall finishers must have a great sense of focus to grasp the instructions given to avoid mistakes. They must communicate well with others on the team to finish the project entirely and perfectly.
Drywall finisher responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real drywall finisher resumes:
- Practice safe PPE around compound dust.
- Enforce safety requirements, PPE, regulation laws.
- Replace and finish all work around remove urinals, sinks or tubs.
- Discard hazardous materials according to OSHA, MOSH, fire and building codes.
- Lead and provide work direction for team of drywall finishers on commercial job sites.
- Follow by measuring from stud to stud and putting the measurements on the drywall.
- Apply multiple coats of drywall to sheet rock in order to prepare walls for painting.
- Bid jobs, paint and drywall, both new home and commercial paintig as well as remodel work.
- Fill out appropriate paperwork, occasionally run necessary machines such as the die cutter, CNC and cutters.
- Spread and smooth cementing material over tape, using trowels or floating machines to blend joints with wall surfaces.
- Build forms, dig footings, foundations, basements with skid loaders, backhoes, ditch witch and shovels.
- Concrete worker responsible for setting forms, operating bobcat, transportation of concrete, operating machinery and job-site cleanup.
- Used complex measurements to cut drywall accordingly in order to install correctly.
- Smooth out all rough edges of drywall in order for the drywall joints to fit evenly.
- Provide comprehensive construction support to complete indoor and outdoor commercial projects.
Drywall finisher skills and personality traits
We calculated that 16% of Drywall Finishers are proficient in Hand Tools, Ladders, and Scaffolding. They’re also known for soft skills such as Balance, Math skills, and Dexterity.
We break down the percentage of Drywall Finishers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Hand Tools, 16%
Use basic hand tools and some power tools also a Bazooka for taping.
- Ladders, 12%
Build scaffolds up to 3 stories/used 6-50 foot ladders to reach places not accessible from ground.
- Scaffolding, 9%
Worked wearing stilts as well as on scaffolding.
- Finishers, 8%
Lead and provided work direction for team of drywall finishers on commercial job sites.
- Texture, 8%
Hand texture and or plaster also some stucco I can also do patches on every level of finish.
- Tape Measure, 8%
Planned the installation by marking the lines on the drywall and using various measuring instruments such as tape measure.
"hand tools," "ladders," and "scaffolding" are among the most common skills that drywall finishers use at work. You can find even more drywall finisher responsibilities below, including:
Balance. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a drywall finisher to have is balance. Their role and responsibilities require that "drywall installers, ceiling tile installers, and tapers often wear stilts." Drywall finishers often use balance in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "have enough balance to walk on stilts. "
Math skills. Many drywall finisher duties rely on math skills. "drywall installers, ceiling tile installers, and tapers must be able to estimate the quantity of materials needed when cutting panels.," so a drywall finisher will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways drywall finisher responsibilities rely on math skills: "helped finish and set up forms for concrete layouts using math and measuring tools. "
Dexterity. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of drywall finishers is dexterity. This skill is critical to many everyday drywall finisher duties, as "drywall installers, ceiling tile installers, and tapers work with hand tools on every job." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "walked stilts, drove boom lifts, scissor lifts and used scaffolding to work in areas beyond physical reach. "
Physical strength. A big part of what drywall finishers do relies on "physical strength." You can see how essential it is to drywall finisher responsibilities because "drywall and ceiling tile installers must often lift heavy panels over their heads to secure onto the ceiling and must carry heavy materials to work areas." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical drywall finisher tasks: "walked stilts, drove boom lifts, scissor lifts and used scaffolding to work in areas beyond physical reach. "
The three companies that hire the most drywall finishers are:
- TPI25 drywall finishers jobs
- Caddell Construction25 drywall finishers jobs
- Precision Walls8 drywall finishers jobs
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Compare different drywall finishers
Drywall finisher vs. Sheet rocker
A construction foreman is responsible for overseeing construction operations and determining the construction progress by monitoring plans and schedules. A construction foreman allocates tasks to the workers and ensures that everyone adheres to the safety guidelines and regulations, preventing potential hazards in the work area and avoiding construction delays. They also identify cost-reduction opportunities by handling negotiation with trusted suppliers and third-party vendors. A construction foreman inspects the quality of materials, including the equipment and machinery, allocates adequate resources for production, and resolves issues immediately.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, drywall finisher responsibilities require skills like "hand tools," "ladders," "scaffolding," and "finishers." Meanwhile a typical sheet rocker has skills in areas such as "construction sites," "safety procedures," "nail guns," and "general contractors." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
On average, sheet rockers reach similar levels of education than drywall finishers. Sheet rockers are 0.6% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.4% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Drywall finisher vs. Construction foreman
Each career also uses different skills, according to real drywall finisher resumes. While drywall finisher responsibilities can utilize skills like "scaffolding," "finishers," "texture," and "tape measure," construction foremen use skills like "cdl," "strong work ethic," "construction equipment," and "customer satisfaction."
Construction foremen may earn a higher salary than drywall finishers, but construction foremen earn the most pay in the professional industry with an average salary of $62,811. On the other hand, drywall finishers receive higher pay in the professional industry, where they earn an average salary of $54,125.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Construction foremen tend to reach similar levels of education than drywall finishers. In fact, they're 1.7% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.4% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Drywall finisher vs. Exterior interior specialist
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from drywall finisher resumes include skills like "hand tools," "ladders," "scaffolding," and "finishers," whereas an exterior interior specialist is more likely to list skills in "air tools," "faa," "install vinyl," and "snow removal. "
When it comes to education, exterior interior specialists tend to earn similar degree levels compared to drywall finishers. In fact, they're 3.2% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.4% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Drywall finisher vs. Acoustical ceiling installer
Types of drywall finisher
Updated January 8, 2025
