73102 Plasterers, drywall installers and finishers and lathers

What this occupation covers

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.

Official main duties

The NOC profile lists 22 main duties for this code.

• 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.
• 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.
• 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.

Do not copy these lines into your reference letter. The letter has to describe what you actually did, in your employer’s words. DUTYPROOF flags wording lifted from the NOC as something to review, and an officer reading a letter that mirrors the NOC reads it the same way.

What DUTYPROOF screens for

This is DUTYPROOF’s screening threshold, not IRCC’s decision. For this NOC, screening requires at least 4 of its 22 official duties to be evidenced in your own words, plus the required letter elements. IRCC asks that you performed the actions in the occupation’s lead statement and a substantial number of its main duties — so treat the duty coverage as the number that matters, not the badge.

Codes this one is confused with

The NOC profile names these itself. Choosing the wrong code of a look-alike pair is the most common way genuine work experience fails to establish eligibility.

• 72014 Contractors and supervisors, other construction trades, installers, repairers and servicers

Excluded from this code

• Contractors and supervisors, other construction trades, installers, repairers and servicers (See 72014 Contractors and supervisors, other construction trades, installers, repairers and servicers)

Job titles filed under this code

A title on this list does not by itself put your experience in this code — the duties in your letter decide that.

acoustic tile and drywall installer · acoustic tile installer · acoustical ceiling installer · apprentice drywall applicator · apprentice plasterer · ceiling installer · ceiling system installer · drywall and acoustic mechanic · drywall and ceiling system installer · drywall and lather applicator · drywall applicator · drywall finisher · drywall finisher apprentice · drywall hanger · drywall installer · drywall installer and finisher · drywall installer and finisher apprentice · drywall installer lead hand · drywall installer team leader · drywall interior systems installer · drywall mechanic · drywall nailer · drywall nailing person · drywall taper

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.