Plasterers, drywall installers and lathers

NOC

73102

- Plasterers, drywall installers and finishers and lathers

Plasterers apply plaster on walls, ceilings and building partitions. Drywall installers install and finish drywall sheets. Lathers install support framework for ceilings, walls and building partitions.

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Full NOC Description

Plasterers apply finish, and maintain and restore plaster or similar materials, on interior and exterior walls, ceilings and building partitions to produce plain or decorative surfaces. Drywall installers and finishers install and finish drywall sheets and various types of ceiling systems. Lathers install support framework for ceiling systems, interior and exterior walls and building partitions. They are employed by construction companies and by plastering, drywalling and lathing contractors, or they may be self-employed. Apprentices are also included in this unit group.

Main Duties

This group performs some or all of the following duties:

Plasterers

Clean and prepare surfaces

Mix plaster ingredients in trough to desired consistency

Apply, level and smooth coats of plaster using trowels, floats, brushes and spraying equipment

Trowel or spray coats of stucco over exteriors of buildings to form weatherproof surfaces

Finish corners and angles and create decorative designs in finish coat, if required

Cure freshly plastered surfaces

Mould and install ornamental plaster panels, cornices and trim

Spray acoustic materials or texture finish over walls and ceilings.

Drywall installers and finishers

Measure, cut and fit drywall sheets for installation on walls and ceilings

Position and secure sheets to metal or wooden studs or joists

Cut and install metal corner beads to protect exterior corners

Fill joints, nail indentations, holes and cracks with joint compound using trowel and broad knife

Tape over joints using taping machine and embed tape in compound

Smooth out excess compound and allow coat to dry

Apply successive coats of compound and sand seams and joints

Fabricate and install suspended metal ceiling grids and place in panels to form acoustical and coffered ceilings.

Lathers

Prepare wall and ceiling layouts

Install metal stud framing and furring for interior drywall or plaster walls and ceilings, using hand and power tools

Attach metal or gypsum lath to studs or furring using nails, screws, clips or wire ties

Cut openings in lath for heating and ventilation piping, ducts and electrical outlets

Install corner beads and wire mesh around beams to which plaster is to be applied

May install acoustic tile, hangers for suspended ceilings and metal studs for composition wallboard or lath.

Also Known As

acoustical ceiling installer
ceiling installer
drywall applicator
drywall finisher
drywall installer and finisher apprentice

drywall taper

lather

lather (interior systems mechanic)

lather apprentice

plasterer

plasterer apprentice

sheetrock applicator

wood lather

Requirements

Employment Requirements

Completion of secondary school is usually required.

Completion of a three- or four-year apprenticeship program in plastering, drywalling or lathing or A combination of over three years of work experience and some high school, college or industry courses in plastering, drywalling or lathing is usually required.

Plasterer trade certification is compulsory in Quebec and available, but voluntary, in Ontario, Saskatchewan and British Columbia.

Drywall installer and finisher trade certification is available, but voluntary, in British Columbia.

Trade certification for lathers (interior systems mechanics) is compulsory in Quebec and available, but voluntary, in all other provinces and the Yukon.

Red Seal endorsement is also available to qualified lathers (interior systems mechanic) upon successful completion of the interprovincial Red Seal examination.

Provincial Regulation

Provincially Regulated: Yes
Compulsory: No
Red Seal: Yes

Regulation Body

Skilled Trades NB

Employment by Sex

The following graph shows the percentage of men and women working in this occupation in New Brunswick.

Data legend

2.7%

Female

97.3%

Male

Employment by age

The following graph shows the breakdown of all persons working in this occupation in New Brunswick by age group.

Data legend

9.5%

15-24

17.6%

25-34

23.0%

35-44

16.2%

45-54

29.7%

55-64

4.1%

65+

Employment by highest level of education

The following graph shows the breakdown of all persons working in this occupation in New Brunswick by highest level of education achieved.

Data legend

40.0%

No Certificate, Diploma or Degree

37.3%

High School, Diploma or Equivalent

10.7%

Apprenticeship or Trades Certificate or Diploma

12.0%

College or University Below Bachelor Level

0.0%

University - Bachelor Level or Above

Employment by Industry

The following graph shows the industry groups in which the largest shares of persons working in this occupation in New Brunswick are employed. Small percentages for all top three industry groups may suggest employment for this occupation is widely distributed amongst many industry groups.

Data legend

94.6%

Construction

N/A

5.4%

All Other Industries

Employment by Economic Regions

The following graph shows the breakdown of all persons employed in this occupation in New Brunswick by which economic region they reside in.

Data legend

13.50%

Northeast

45.90%

Southeast

18.90%

Southwest

16.20%

Central

5.40%

Northwest

Economic Regions

The following map displays New Brunswick’s five economic regions. An economic region (ER) is a grouping of counties, created as a standard unit for analysis of regional economic activity across Canada.

Annual Average Salary by Economic Regions

The following graph shows the average salary of all persons employed in this occupation in each of New Brunswick’s five economic regions.

Data legend

$45,000

Northeast

$50,000

Southeast

$52,000

Southwest

$38,000

Central

N/A

Northwest

Economic Regions

Hourly Median Wages by Economic Regions

The following represents the median hourly wage of all persons employed in this occupation in each of New Brunswick’s five economic regions.

Salary

The following shows the average salary of everyone who worked full-time and year-round in this occupation across each of the Atlantic Provinces and nationally.

Employment Outlook

The following represents the number of job openings that are expected to occur in this occupation over the next three and ten years respectively, broken down by openings expected to result from growth (“new jobs”) and openings expected to result from attrition (death and retirements).

Occupational Profiles