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Drywall & Ceiling Installer

Skilled Trades

Apply plasterboard or other wallboard to ceilings or interior walls of buildings. Apply or mount acoustical tiles or blocks, strips, or sheets of shock-absorbing materials to ceilings and walls of buildings to reduce or reflect sound. Materials may be of decorative quality. Includes lathers who fasten wooden, metal, or rockboard lath to walls, ceilings, or partitions of buildings to provide support base for plaster, fireproofing, or acoustical material.

You can enter this career straight after SPM. A degree is optional, not required.

Architecture & Built Environment

What you'd do all day

The tasks that matter most in this job, most important first.

  1. 1Read blueprints or other specifications to determine methods of installation, work procedures, or material or tool requirements.
  2. 2Measure and mark surfaces to lay out work, according to blueprints or drawings, using tape measures, straightedges or squares, and marking devices.
  3. 3Fit and fasten wallboard or drywall into position on wood or metal frameworks, using glue, nails, or screws.
  4. 4Measure and cut openings in panels or tiles for electrical outlets, windows, vents, plumbing, or other fixtures, using keyhole saws or other cutting tools.
  5. 5Assemble or install metal framing or decorative trim for windows, doorways, or vents.
  6. 6Cut metal or wood framing and trim to size, using cutting tools.
  7. 7Inspect furrings, mechanical mountings, or masonry surfaces for plumbness and level, using spirit or water levels.
  8. 8Cut fixture or border tiles to size, using keyhole saws, and insert them into surrounding frameworks.
  9. 9Cut and screw together metal channels to make floor or ceiling frames, according to plans for the location of rooms or hallways.
  10. 10Hang 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.
  11. 11Trim rough edges from wallboard to maintain even joints, using knives.
  12. 12Coordinate work with drywall finishers who cover the seams between drywall panels.
  13. 13Suspend angle iron grids or channel irons from ceilings, using wire.
  14. 14Install horizontal and vertical metal or wooden studs to frames so that wallboard can be attached to interior walls.
  15. 15Scribe and cut edges of tile to fit walls where wall molding is not specified.
  16. 16Hang dry lines to wall moldings to guide positioning of main runners.
  17. 17Fasten metal or rockboard lath to the structural framework of walls, ceilings, or partitions of buildings, using nails, screws, staples, or wire-ties.
  18. 18Install blanket insulation between studs and tack plastic moisture barriers over insulation.
  19. 19Seal joints between ceiling tiles and walls.
  20. 20Remove existing plaster, drywall, or paneling, using crowbars and hammers.
  21. 21Apply 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.
  22. 22Mount tile, using adhesives, or by nailing, screwing, stapling, or wire-tying lath directly to structural frameworks.
  23. 23Nail channels or wood furring strips to surfaces to provide mounting for tile.
  24. 24Install metal lath where plaster applications will be exposed to weather or water, or for curved or irregular surfaces.
  25. 25Apply cement to backs of tiles and press tiles into place, aligning them with layout marks or joints of previously laid tile.
  26. 26Wash concrete surfaces before mounting tile to increase adhesive qualities of surfaces, using washing soda and zinc sulfate solution.

Also known as

What this job is called on JobStreet, LinkedIn and in job ads. Search these too.

  • Furrer
  • Lather
  • Drywaller
  • Lath Hand
  • Remodeler
  • Rock Lather
  • Wire Lather
  • Wood Lather
  • Metal Framer
  • Metal Furrer

How far is this from you?

Roughly how much preparation this job usually takes. In Malaysia your UPU route and the programme's syarat still decide entry, so treat this as a guide, not a gate.

  1. 1

    Entry straight after SPM

  2. Typical entry

    SPM + sijil / short TVET course

  3. 3

    Diploma / TVET (sijil–diploma)

  4. 4

    Degree (ijazah sarjana muda)

  5. 5

    Postgrad (sarjana / PhD) or professional route

Typical educationLess than high school

Subjects that matter here

The SPM subjects worth your effort for this career, with the reason for each.

Civil Engineering StudiesDraws directly on Building and Construction — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
Engineering DrawingDraws directly on Building and Construction — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
Design & Technology (RBT)Draws directly on Building and Construction — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
Additional MathematicsDraws directly on Mathematics — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
MathematicsDraws directly on Mathematics — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).

What you'd need to know

The subject areas this job leans on most, and the SPM subjects that build them.

  • Building and Construction89%

    Civil Engineering StudiesEngineering DrawingDesign & Technology (RBT)

  • Mathematics70%

    Additional MathematicsMathematics

  • Mechanical65%

    Mechanical Engineering StudiesPhysicsDesign & Technology (RBT)

  • Public Safety and Security64%
  • Administration and Management62%

    BusinessEconomics

  • Design59%

    Visual Art (PSV)Technical Comm. GraphicsEngineering Drawing

Tools you'd use

Software and equipment that show up in this job, worth learning early.

Where to learn these, free

Scholarships & funding

What the work feels like

Day-to-day working conditions, so you can tell whether the job suits how you like to work.

  • Face-to-face discussionsEvery day
  • Contact with other peopleContact most of the time
  • Leading or coordinating othersA little
  • Handling conflict situationsRarely
  • Indoors, air-conditionedAlmost never
  • Outdoors, in all weatherOften
  • Noisy environmentEvery day
  • Time spent sittingAlmost none

AI and demand for this job

A few real, dated data points — not a single score. AI making some tasks faster usually means a job changes, not that it disappears.

0%

Share of everyday tasks today's AI can already help with (2023)

This estimate is from 2023 — already out of date, since AI moves fast. Treat it as a rough, aging starting point, not the current picture.

Pay in Malaysia

We don't have a sourced Malaysian salary range for this job yet, and we'd rather show nothing than a number we can't stand behind.

Where to check:

  • JobStreet and Hiredly job ads for this title
  • DOSM Salaries & Wages Survey
  • SSPA scheme tables, if you're aiming for a government post

Check what you may qualify for

Enter your SPM grades and see which routes and programmes you may qualify for. An estimate to plan with, not an offer.

Check my eligibility Not sure yet? Take the quiz

How to get here

Post-SPM pathways with programmes in this career's fields. Tap one to see real programmes and entry requirements.

Asasi / Foundation

One-year runway into a specific university: public via UPU or private direct entry.

12 months

Diploma

Skill-first qualification. Work after, or enter degree Year 2. Polytechnics keep it affordable.

2.5–3 years

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About this information

This describes what the job involves. Pay, demand and entry routes differ in Malaysia, so check the Pathways and Programmes pages for local requirements.

O*NET occupation: Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers

Job responsibilities, knowledge areas and work context from O*NET 30.3, US Department of Labor, used under CC BY 4.0. onetcenter.org