Paperhangers

What the job really is

Cover interior walls or ceilings of rooms with decorative wallpaper or fabric, or attach advertising posters on surfaces such as walls and billboards. May remove old materials or prepare surfaces to be papered.

At a glance

• Sector: Construction & Extraction
• O*NET-SOC code: 47-2142
• O*NET job zone: 2 — some preparation
• Work sample tasks on file: 12
• Tools and technologies listed: 12

What you actually do

Work sample tasks recorded for this occupation:

• Smooth strips or sections of paper with brushes or rollers to remove wrinkles and bubbles and to smooth joints.
• Trim rough edges from strips, using straightedges and trimming knives.
• Trim excess material at ceilings or baseboards, using knives.
• Check finished wallcoverings for proper alignment, pattern matching, and neatness of seams.
• Mark vertical guidelines on walls to align strips, using plumb bobs and chalk lines.
• Cover interior walls and ceilings of rooms with decorative wallpaper or fabric, using hand tools.
• Apply adhesives to the backs of paper strips, using brushes, or dunk strips of prepasted wallcovering in water, wiping off any excess adhesive.
• Measure and cut strips from rolls of wallpaper or fabric, using shears or razors.
• Place strips or sections of paper on surfaces, aligning section edges and patterns.
• Fill holes, cracks, and other surface imperfections preparatory to covering surfaces.
• Measure surfaces or review work orders to estimate the quantities of materials needed.
• Apply sizing to seal surfaces and maximize adhesion of coverings to surfaces.

Tools and technology

Google Docs, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Word, A-Systems JobView, Aluminum straightedges, Border holdups, Break off knives, Broad knives, Chalk line markers, Construction Software Center EasyEst, Corel Painter, Double cutting wallpaper knives

What employers expect you to already be comfortable with.

Where this job leads

Related occupations — the usual moves up and sideways:

• Floor Layers, Except Carpet, Wood, and Hard Tiles
• Carpet Installers
• Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers
• Painters, Construction and Maintenance
• Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers
• Tile and Stone Setters
• Insulation Workers, Floor, Ceiling, and Wall
• Helpers--Painters, Paperhangers, Plasterers, and Stucco Masons

Getting in

O*NET assigns this occupation job zone 2 (some preparation). The related occupations above are the realistic routes in and out.

Find openings

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Check this against the source

O*NET OnLine: Paperhangers — the authoritative public-domain profile this page is derived from, including the full task list, reported skills and the wage estimates for your region.

Derived and rewritten from the public-domain O*NET database (U.S. Department of Labor / Employment and Training Administration). Figures are observations, not promises — always confirm salary, licensing and visa requirements with the employer and the relevant authority.