What You'll Do

  • Apply coats of plaster or stucco to walls, ceilings, or partitions of buildings, using trowels, brushes, or spray guns.
  • Mix mortar and plaster to desired consistency or direct workers who perform mixing.
  • Create decorative textures in finish coat, using brushes or trowels, sand, pebbles, or stones.
  • Apply insulation to building exteriors by installing prefabricated insulation systems over existing walls or by covering the outer wall with insulation board, reinforcing mesh, and a base coat.
  • Cure freshly plastered surfaces.
  • Clean and prepare surfaces for applications of plaster, cement, stucco, or similar materials, such as by drywall taping.
  • Rough the undercoat surface with a scratcher so the finish coat will adhere.
  • Apply weatherproof, decorative coverings to exterior surfaces of buildings, such as by troweling or spraying on coats of stucco.
  • Install guide wires on exterior surfaces of buildings to indicate thickness of plaster or stucco and nail wire mesh, lath, or similar materials to the outside surface to hold stucco in place.
  • Spray acoustic materials or texture finish over walls or ceilings.

Essential Skills

Active Listening 3.0/5
Quality Control Analysis 3.0/5
Time Management 3.0/5
Speaking 2.88/5
Monitoring 2.88/5
Coordination 2.88/5
Service Orientation 2.88/5
Operations Monitoring 2.88/5
Reading Comprehension 2.75/5
Critical Thinking 2.75/5
Active Learning 2.75/5
Social Perceptiveness 2.75/5

Career Fit Overview

Use this summary to sense whether the day to day rhythm and focus of this path line up with what energizes you.

Top passions

  • Maker: Building and fixing energizes you. You like tangible results and practical tools.
  • Organizer: Bringing order to data and processes satisfies you.
  • Artist: Creating original work and expressing ideas feels natural.

Common styles

Attention to Detail, Dependability, Integrity, Self-Control, Cooperation

Want a personal read on fit. Take the free assessment and see your exact compatibility with this career and many related roles.

Key Abilities

This career demands strong capabilities in the following areas:

Near Vision 3.75/5
Arm-Hand Steadiness 3.62/5
Manual Dexterity 3.62/5
Trunk Strength 3.5/5
Extent Flexibility 3.5/5
Multilimb Coordination 3.25/5
Static Strength 3.25/5
Gross Body Equilibrium 3.25/5

Technologies & Tools

A-Systems JobView Accounting software Autodesk 3ds Max Design Autodesk Maya Construction Software Center EasyEst Corel Paint Shop Pro Corel Painter Cost estimating software Dassault Systemes CATIA Embedded systems development software IBM Maximo Asset Management Linux Microsoft Excel Microsoft Office software Microsoft operating system Microsoft Word Oracle Database Sage Construction Anywhere Salesforce software Turtle Creek Software Goldenseal

Work Environment & Style

Common Styles for This Career

  • Attention to Detail (High importance: 4.28/5)
  • Dependability (High importance: 4.04/5)
  • Integrity (High importance: 3.71/5)
  • Self-Control (High importance: 3.7/5)
  • Cooperation (High importance: 3.63/5)

Want to see how YOUR work style matches this career?

Take Free 15-Min Assessment →

How to Become One

Little or no previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for this career. Training is provided on the job.

Similar Careers to Explore

Also Known As

This career is known by many different job titles across industries. Here are all the variations:

Applicator Artisan Artisan Plasterer Decorative Plasterer Dry Plasterer Hard Surface Plasterer Mason Mason Plasterer Modeler Molding Plasterer Ornamental Plasterer Plaster and Stucco Worker Plaster Applicator Plaster Mechanic Plaster Molder Plasterer Plasterer Journeyman Plastering Contractor Stucco Applicator Stucco Mason Stucco Plasterer Stucco Worker Swimming Pool Plasterer Synthetic Plasterer