According to people in this career, the main tasks are...
| Task | Importance |
|---|---|
| Read blueprints or other specifications to determine methods of installation, work procedures, or material or tool requirements. | 83% |
| Measure and mark surfaces to lay out work, according to blueprints or drawings, using tape measures, straightedges or squares, and marking devices. | 83% |
| Fit and fasten wallboard or drywall into position on wood or metal frameworks, using glue, nails, or screws. | 79% |
| Measure and cut openings in panels or tiles for electrical outlets, windows, vents, plumbing, or other fixtures, using keyhole saws or other cutting tools. | 78% |
| Assemble or install metal framing or decorative trim for windows, doorways, or vents. | 77% |
| Cut metal or wood framing and trim to size, using cutting tools. | 75% |
| Inspect furrings, mechanical mountings, or masonry surfaces for plumbness and level, using spirit or water levels. | 75% |
| Cut fixture or border tiles to size, using keyhole saws, and insert them into surrounding frameworks. | 74% |
| Cut and screw together metal channels to make floor or ceiling frames, according to plans for the location of rooms or hallways. | 74% |
| Hang drywall panels on metal frameworks of walls and ceilings in offices, schools, or other large buildings, using lifts or hoists to adjust panel heights, when necessary. | 74% |
| Trim rough edges from wallboard to maintain even joints, using knives. | 74% |
| Coordinate work with drywall finishers who cover the seams between drywall panels. | 73% |
| Suspend angle iron grids or channel irons from ceilings, using wire. | 73% |
| Install horizontal and vertical metal or wooden studs to frames so that wallboard can be attached to interior walls. | 72% |
| Scribe and cut edges of tile to fit walls where wall molding is not specified. | 71% |
| Hang dry lines to wall moldings to guide positioning of main runners. | 71% |
| Fasten metal or rockboard lath to the structural framework of walls, ceilings, or partitions of buildings, using nails, screws, staples, or wire-ties. | 69% |
| Install blanket insulation between studs and tack plastic moisture barriers over insulation. | 69% |
| Seal joints between ceiling tiles and walls. | 68% |
| Remove existing plaster, drywall, or paneling, using crowbars and hammers. | 68% |
| Apply or mount acoustical tile or blocks, strips, or sheets of shock-absorbing materials to ceilings or walls of buildings to reduce reflection of sound or to decorate rooms. | 65% |
| Mount tile, using adhesives, or by nailing, screwing, stapling, or wire-tying lath directly to structural frameworks. | 63% |
| Nail channels or wood furring strips to surfaces to provide mounting for tile. | 63% |
| Install metal lath where plaster applications will be exposed to weather or water, or for curved or irregular surfaces. | 60% |
| Apply cement to backs of tiles and press tiles into place, aligning them with layout marks or joints of previously laid tile. | 56% |
| Wash concrete surfaces before mounting tile to increase adhesive qualities of surfaces, using washing soda and zinc sulfate solution. | 56% |
