How To Become A Drywall Contractor: A Career Overview

Have you ever thought of building a career in the drywall installation business? Well, if you are interested in the construction field, then you surely need to give it a try.

As per the reports of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual salary for drywall and ceiling tile installers in May 2021 was $48,040. Also, there are no strict qualifications required. Just a high school diploma with on-the-job training along with physical strength as a general requirement will do.

Being physically active is advisable as you will be carrying moderate to heavy loads followed by putting them into place. Now that you find the drywall installation business quite interesting, let’s find out how to become a drywall contractor.

Understanding Drywall and the Role of a Drywall Contractor

Drywall is a wallboard, plasterboard, gypsum board, and sheetrock commonly used to quote the interior walls. Further, it covers insulation, dampens sound, wires, and plumbing, and provides fire resistance to some extent. The hanger performs the following tasks:

• A sheetrock contractor or drywall subcontractor performs the task of installing the drywall and hanging the panels during construction.
• As per the designed plan, the hanger measures marks and cuts each panel appropriately and then affixes the sheets on the wall with nails, screws, or glue.
• The hanger matches and trims the rough spots if required, and then hangs the panels.
• After which, he must seal the joints layering the drywall with sealant, and then sand the joint and holes to smooth it down.

How to Become a Drywall Contractor

1. Procure a high school diploma or equivalent

You are not required to get high qualifying degrees or attend college to become a drywall contractor. All you need to have is a diploma from high school or any GED, as some apprenticeship programs have such basic requirements for individuals to get admitted. Individuals will benefit if they possess some high school courses, such as mathematics or shop courses, in order to get basic concept clarity for the purpose of installing drywall.

2. Get experience

To get expertise as a drywall installer, you need to get in touch with the employer who provides you with on-the-job training. Just Google search “drywall installers near me” and find an experienced employer. He will introduce you to the basics of the installation process, for example, how to install drywall, how to cut unwanted or rough edges, and various such things.

For an entry-level position, this one-year training is enough; however, if you want in-depth training, then you need to enroll yourself in the apprenticeship program for a duration of 3-4 years.

Programs for apprenticeship usually involve classroom time that strengthens different aspects of the drywall construction industry. It involves learning building codes and blueprint reading, which ultimately improves your drywall installation skills.

3. Obtain licence

A licensing board requires a drywall installer to provide a surety that he owns all the financial responsibility relating to the project and that the client will not be at any risk. For this, a dry wall worker or contractor needs a contractor license; however, the requirement of the license may differ from state to state or even by region.

For example, some states require you to have a specified degree or certain amount of experience, while other states require the completion of certain apprenticeship programs.

4. Manage finance

As a standard part of the licensing process, drywall contractors must submit their financial specifications. As an example of these specifications, a credit report is submitted by the contractor that the licensing board will review.

Also, a contractor’s license protects the interests of the client. It releases the licensing board from the worry that the contractor will not run out of money while undergoing the construction project.

5. Start your own drywall company

Now, when you are all set to land in the market after figuring out all the essential requirements to grab the construction project, all you need to have is an accurate business plan to start your own company. You need to figure out which audience you need to target, for example, residential, commercial, or industrial. This will make things easy for you as you will know whom to target, resultantly it will smoothen your marketing efforts.

6. Start submitting bids and grab the project

After gearing up for all the financial requirements and eventually starting your own drywall business, contact general contractors instead of working directly with building owners.

A general contractor usually announces the opening for drywall contractors. A contractor will submit bids in which pricing should be in a way that is comparatively lower than the existing competitors in the market (learn how to price drywall jobs). However, you need to go through the following requirements before you submit bids:

• Study the construction plans and construct the roadmap of how your drywall business will complete the construction project.
• Estimate all the relevant material costs and labor costs accurately for the drywall project. InvoiceOwl makes it easy for you to create multiple estimates in no time.
• After this, start submitting bids that are lower than your competitors in a way that you don’t need to lower your profits.

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Conclusion

So, what’s your take on becoming a drywall contractor? There has been an increase of 2.4% per year on average over the past five years, from 2017-2022, in the drywall and installation business.

Hence, one thing is sure: it is a money-making business, and after reading this detailed blog, there won’t be any confusion about how to become a drywall contractor. All you need to do is go through the entire process and build a hassle-free path for your startup as a drywall installer.