Career: Plasterers
Plaster provides a surface that stands up relatively well to scratches, sound, and even fire. Perhaps it’s for this reason that plastering is one of the oldest crafts in the building trade. Some plasterers also work with stucco -- a mixture of cement, lime, and sand -- which they use to finish the outside walls of houses and other buildings.
If you develop special skills as a plasterer, you might also work on historic homes and buildings. You’d create or restore once-popular decorative details such as chubby-cheeked angels and flower garlands.
Plasterers mix various compounds, which they apply in layers, to interior walls, ceilings, exterior walls, and decorative elements.
Did You Know?
- Developing a good trowel technique will help you execute a variety of finishes, from smooth to swirled.
Are You Ready To...?
- Clean and prepare surfaces for applications of plaster or stucco
- Install wire mesh, lath, or similar materials to hold stucco in place
- Mix stucco and plaster
- Apply coats of plaster or stucco to surfaces using trowels, brushes, or spray guns
- Create decorative textures
- Mold and install ornamental plaster pieces
- Read blueprints
- Work on your feet
- Work in dusty, dirty conditions
It Helps to Be...
Physically fit -- the work is strenuous -- and good with your hands. It also helps to be patient and a bit of a perfectionist.
Make High School Count
- Vocational classes in construction and other general building skills will give you a head start on y career as a plasterer.
- Classes in shop will also help you later on the job.
- Learn communication skills in English. You’ll be reading blueprints and safety warnings and following written instructions. You’ll also need to know how to ask the right questions.
Did You Know?
- Stucco exteriors are especially popular in Florida, the Southwest, and California.
Outlook
Government economists expect job opportunities for plasterers to grow about as fast as the average for all occupations through 2018. Keep in mind that the construction industry rises and falls with the economy. You could find yourself out of work during times of slow growth.
Compensation
The average yearly salary for plasterers in 2009 was $41,260, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. Keep in mind that apprentices start at about half the pay rate of experienced plasterers.
