Tapers
Architecture and ConstructionO*NET 47-2082.00United States
Seal joints between plasterboard or other wallboard to prepare wall surface for painting or papering.
- Median annual earnings
- $62,973
- Projected change
- −2.9%
- Typical education
- High school diploma or less
- Employment
- 17.53K jobs
50th percentile, United States
2025 to 2035
74.7% of the workforce
Growing to 17.02K by 2035
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These courses and certificates are connected through catalog career relationships and Lightcast skill tags.
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The work
What tapers do
Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.
- Spread sealing compound between boards or panels or over cracks, holes, nail heads, or screw heads, using trowels, broadknives, or spatulas.
- Press paper tape over joints to embed tape into sealing compound and to seal joints.
- Seal joints between plasterboard or other wallboard to prepare wall surfaces for painting or papering.
- Apply additional coats to fill in holes and make surfaces smooth.
- 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.
- Work on high ceilings, using scaffolding or other tools, such as stilts.
- Mix sealing compounds by hand or with portable electric mixers.
- Select the correct sealing compound or tape.
- Remove extra compound after surfaces have been covered sufficiently.
- Countersink nails or screws below surfaces of walls before applying sealing compounds, using hammers or screwdrivers.
- Install metal molding at wall corners to secure wallboard.
- Apply texturizing compounds or primers to walls or ceilings before final finishing, using trowels, brushes, rollers, or spray guns.
- Check adhesives to ensure that they will work and will remain durable.
- Use mechanical applicators that spread compounds and embed tape in one operation.
- Sand rough spots of dried cement between applications of compounds.
Pay and outlook
What the job pays and where it is heading
Annual earnings range
Reported earnings by percentile, United States
- 10th percentile
- $38,414
- 25th percentile
- $47,778
- 50th percentile
- $62,973
- 75th percentile
- $83,919
- 90th percentile
- $110,268
The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $62,973 and half earn less.
Employment outlook
2025 to 2035 projection
−2.9%projected to decline
202517,531 jobs
2035 projected17,017 jobs
514 fewer positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.
Preparation
Education levels
What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.
- High school diploma or less
- 74.7%
- Certificate
- 25.3%
Skills
Skills employers ask for
Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.
How the work gets done
Core competencies
Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.
- Monitoring
- Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Active Listening
- Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Speaking
- Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Time Management
- Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Critical Thinking
- Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
- Social Perceptiveness
- Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Coordination
- Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Operations Monitoring
- Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
- Reading Comprehension
- Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
- Active Learning
- Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
- Complex Problem Solving
- Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Service Orientation
- Actively looking for ways to help people.
- Operation and Control
- Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
- Management of Personnel Resources
- Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
- Learning Strategies
- Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
- Instructing
- Teaching others how to do something.
- Quality Control Analysis
- Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
- Persuasion
- Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
- Writing
- Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
In the market
Job titles and employers
Recent job postings in United StatesCommon job titles
- 01Construction Laborers1 postings
Top employers
- 01Quick Response Restoration1 postings
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