Your work. Your records.
Drywall Installer Workplace Records
Drywall and ceiling-tile installation may involve layout, framing and lifting panels before other trades complete finishing work. A workplace concern about progress or rework needs the specific stage and instruction. Distinguish the work you performed from an earlier layout or a later change directed by someone else.
Call now(800) 800-5555Free initial case evaluation. Representation depends on work state and case eligibility. This guide explains record preparation; it does not determine whether a legal claim exists.
A record map for your role
What to organize first
Installation sequence
List layout, framing and panel work you handled, including the person directing changes.
Interruption record
Note material or access problems, your report and any alternative work assigned.
Time and response
Keep your own time correction or evaluation response with the dated assignment chronology.
Start with the work you actually do
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.
O*NET classifies this occupation as Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers (47-2081.00). Its description covers a typical occupation, not every workplace or individual job. It does not establish employee status, overtime eligibility or employer misconduct.
- Read blueprints or other specifications to determine methods of installation, work procedures, or material or tool requirements.Source task 13504 · updated 08/2026
- Measure and mark surfaces to lay out work, according to blueprints or drawings, using tape measures, straightedges or squares, and marking devices.Source task 13503 · updated 08/2026
- Cut and screw together metal channels to make floor or ceiling frames, according to plans for the location of rooms or hallways.Source task 13512 · updated 08/2026
- Hang 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.Source task 13508 · updated 08/2026
A reference point for your pay records
May 2025 wage estimates by state
Compare your pay records with published BLS estimates for Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers (SOC 47-2081). These describe an occupation across employers. They are not a required pay rate, an overtime calculation, or evidence of discrimination or unpaid wages.
Select your work state to see its published pay range. No personal pay information is requested or sent.
The 25th and 75th percentiles mark the middle half of the estimated wage distribution; the median is its midpoint. Actual pay can differ with experience, employer, location and duties. Hourly and annual figures are shown as published, without converting one into the other.
All published state estimates for this occupation
| State | Hourly 25th | Hourly median | Hourly 75th | Annual median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $20.04 | $23.08 | $24.75 | $48,000 |
| Alaska | $29.23 | $35.43 | $36.47 | $73,690 |
| Arizona | $20.00 | $24.18 | $28.26 | $50,290 |
| Arkansas | $17.82 | $21.42 | $22.65 | $44,550 |
| Connecticut | $23.00 | $29.08 | $37.30 | $60,480 |
| Delaware | $18.80 | $24.12 | $29.46 | $50,170 |
| Florida | $18.87 | $23.54 | $26.31 | $48,970 |
| Georgia | $24.62 | $28.01 | $29.83 | $58,260 |
| Hawaii | $35.36 | $50.40 | $55.47 | $104,830 |
| Idaho | $17.11 | $21.05 | $27.68 | $43,790 |
| Indiana | $22.04 | $23.95 | $30.49 | $49,810 |
| Iowa | $21.54 | $24.53 | $29.70 | $51,030 |
| Kansas | $17.25 | $19.18 | $26.89 | $39,890 |
| Kentucky | $19.92 | $23.24 | $27.76 | $48,340 |
| Louisiana | $16.01 | $22.80 | $29.20 | $47,420 |
| Maine | $25.17 | $28.89 | $30.98 | $60,080 |
| Michigan | $22.82 | $28.10 | $34.00 | $58,440 |
| Minnesota | $27.86 | $29.46 | $37.31 | $61,290 |
| Mississippi | $14.46 | $17.94 | $21.42 | $37,310 |
| Missouri | $25.36 | $30.09 | $38.74 | $62,580 |
| Montana | $23.34 | $28.92 | $31.63 | $60,140 |
| Nebraska | $21.64 | $23.38 | $28.70 | $48,620 |
| New Hampshire | $26.77 | $29.79 | $36.00 | $61,960 |
| New Mexico | $21.00 | $25.91 | $36.06 | $53,900 |
| New York | $25.22 | $29.46 | $36.34 | $61,280 |
| North Carolina | $17.43 | $21.67 | $24.29 | $45,080 |
| North Dakota | $21.13 | $21.69 | $23.31 | $45,110 |
| Ohio | $23.65 | $29.53 | $34.11 | $61,420 |
| Oklahoma | $22.00 | $22.15 | $23.26 | $46,080 |
| Pennsylvania | $23.28 | $29.40 | $34.01 | $61,160 |
| Rhode Island | $20.01 | $22.65 | $35.13 | $47,110 |
| South Dakota | $23.07 | $23.49 | $27.92 | $48,850 |
| Tennessee | $18.98 | $22.84 | $27.18 | $47,510 |
| Texas | $19.28 | $22.88 | $28.09 | $47,590 |
| Utah | $21.74 | $24.53 | $28.71 | $51,020 |
| Vermont | $23.08 | $28.76 | $31.00 | $59,820 |
| Virginia | $22.84 | $26.84 | $29.22 | $55,840 |
| Wisconsin | $23.05 | $28.83 | $33.42 | $59,970 |
| Wyoming | $21.00 | $21.15 | $26.11 | $43,990 |
“Not published” preserves unavailable or suppressed source cells. “Above reporting limit” preserves a top-coded source value without inventing a number. A missing state estimate does not establish service eligibility. The data describe wage and salary employment; they do not measure self-employment income.
Source: BLS May 2025 state workbook · OEWS tables · BLS technical notes. Use your own schedule, pay statement and compensation terms to identify the question you want reviewed.
Trace layout and specification changes
Describe the general area, installation stage and instruction version you received. Note who directed a revised opening, frame or panel arrangement. Separate requested design changes from correction of an error, and identify what remained uncertain rather than assigning responsibility from the finished wall alone.
Explain access and material conditions
Record unavailable lifts, delayed panels, blocked areas or coordination with other trades that affected the assignment. Note your report and the next instruction. Compare your own time entries with preparation and cleanup; completed surface area may not capture all work you were assigned.
Keep project evidence in place
Retain your own permitted schedule, pay records and supervisor messages. Do not remove building plans, private site images or another contractor’s documents. Identify relevant project records for review, and never reenter a restricted site or stage a lifting condition to obtain evidence.
Choose your next step
Review the workplace retaliation guide, unpaid wages guide, or discrimination guide if those concerns fit your experience. A job title alone does not establish a claim.
Call now(800) 800-5555Current service-state coverage
AK, AL, AR, AZ, CT, DE, FL, GA, HI, IA, ID, IN, KS, KY, LA, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, MT, NC, ND, NE, NH, NM, NY, OH, OK, PA, RI, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, VT, WI, WV, WY. Eligibility is evaluated individually; this list does not promise representation.
Explore state resources