Taper

Drywall is manufactured in large sheets, and Drywall Installers are the workers who cut those sheets to fit the size and contours of a room. They also install those panels by screwing them into studs on the wall. After their work is done, a Taper steps in. The job of a Taper is to apply adhesive and tape in the seams so it looks as though the room is made of one continuous piece of drywall, not many small pieces tacked together.

If you’re a Taper, you likely work as part of a construction or painting crew, so you’ll have the same set of coworkers on most days. While the drywall is being cut and hung onto the walls, you mix together your adhesive compound. Using a trowel, you apply the adhesive in the seams, after which you put cloth tape over it. Then you scrape away any excess adhesive.

You place adhesive in any nail or screw holes in the wall as well. After it has dried, you sand the surface to make it smooth and uniform. You may use a spray gun to apply a texture to the walls for a final decorative step. You then move on to another room and begin the process again.

Your job is to hide installation imperfections, and it may be tempting to tease the Installers to encourage them to work with care and precision. You’ll need to remind yourself, though, that you work with these people every day, and the more mistakes they make, the more opportunity you have to showcase your excellent patching and taping skills.