Plasterers and Stucco Masons
SOC: 47-2161.00

Description:

Apply interior or exterior plaster, cement, stucco, or similar materials. May also set ornamental plaster.

National Salary Information:

Hourly Statistics:

Annual Statistics:

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics 2015 wage data.

Employment Projections:

Employment (2014):
27,000 employed

Projected (2024):
28,900 employed

Projected growth (2014-2024)


Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics 2015 2014-2024 employment projections external site. "Projected growth" represents the estimated change in total employment over the projections period (2014-2024). "Projected job openings" represent openings due to growth and replacement.

Alternate Titles:

  • Applicator
  • Artisan
  • Artisan Plasterer
  • Dry Plasterer
  • Mason
  • Modeler
  • Molding Plasterer
  • Plaster and Stucco Worker
  • Plaster Applicator
  • Plaster Foreman
  • Plaster Mechanic
  • Plaster Molder
  • Plasterer
  • Plasterer Apprentice
  • Plasterer Foreman
  • Plasterer Journeyman
  • Plastering Contractor
  • Poured Wall Foreman
  • Stucco Applicator
  • Stucco Plasterer
  • Stucco Worker
  • Synthetic Plasterer

    • Job Zone One: Little or No Preparation Needed

    Experience:

    Little or no previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, a person can become a waiter or waitress even if he/she has never worked before.

    Education:

    Some of these occupations may require a high school diploma or GED certificate.

    Job Training:

    Employees in these occupations need anywhere from a few days to a few months of training. Usually, an experienced worker could show you how to do the job.

    Required Skills:

  • Reading Comprehension
  • Active Listening
  • Writing
  • Speaking
  • Mathematics
  • Critical Thinking
  • Active Learning
  • Learning Strategies
  • Monitoring
  • Social Perceptiveness
  • Coordination
  • Persuasion
  • Negotiation
  • Instructing
  • Service Orientation
  • Complex Problem Solving
  • Operations Analysis
  • Technology Design
  • Equipment Selection
  • Installation
  • Operation Monitoring
  • Operation and Control
  • Equipment Maintenance
  • Troubleshooting
  • Repairing
  • Quality Control Analysis
  • Judgment and Decision Making
  • Systems Analysis
  • Systems Evaluation
  • Time Management
  • Management of Financial Resources
  • Management of Material Resources
  • Management of Personnel Resources

    • Knowledge Used:

  • Administration and Management
  • Clerical
  • Economics and Accounting
  • Sales and Marketing
  • Customer and Personal Service
  • Personnel and Human Resources
  • Production and Processing
  • Computers and Electronics
  • Engineering and Technology
  • Design
  • Building and Construction
  • Mechanical
  • Mathematics
  • Physics
  • Chemistry
  • Biology
  • Psychology
  • Sociology and Anthropology
  • Geography
  • Medicine and Dentistry
  • Therapy and Counseling
  • Education and Training
  • English Language
  • Foreign Language
  • Public Safety and Security
  • Law and Government
  • Telecommunications
  • Transportation

    • Tasks:

  • 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.
  • Mold or install ornamental plaster pieces, panels, or trim.
  • Cover surfaces such as windows, doors, or sidewalks to protect from splashing.
  • Clean job sites.
  • Set up scaffolds.
  • Determine materials needed to complete the job and place orders accordingly.

    • Tools & Technology:

  • Chalk lines
  • Claw hammers
  • Corner tools
  • Darbies
  • Featheredgers
  • Floats
  • Hand saws
  • Hand trowels
  • Heat guns
  • Inside step tools
  • Joint knives
  • Keyhole saws
  • Ladders
  • Lime brushes
  • Nail guns
  • Nose step tools
  • Notebook computers
  • Ornamental cut and shape tools
  • Outside step tools
  • Personal computers
  • Piston pumps
  • Plaster mixers
  • Plaster molds
  • Plaster spraying machines
  • Plasterers' hammers
  • Plumb bobs
  • Power drills
  • Power sanders
  • Power trowels
  • Precision levels
  • Rulers
  • Scaffolding
  • Scraping tools
  • Scratcher trowels
  • Screeds
  • Spray guns
  • Stilts
  • Straightedges
  • T-squares
  • Trimming knives
  • Utility knives
  • A-Systems JobView
  • Construction Software Center EasyEst
  • Cost estimating software
  • Sage Construction Anywhere
  • Turtle Creek Software Goldenseal

    • construction and extraction

    industry stats

    SOC: 47-0000

    Total Employed: 5,477,820

    Average Annual Salary: $47,580