Plasterers and Stucco Masons
Plasterers and stucco masons apply interior or exterior plaster, cement, stucco, or similar materials. They may also set ornamental plaster and cover surfaces such as windows, doors, or sidewalks to protect from splashing.
A typical day for an operative plasterer and stucco mason includes tasks such as applying coats of plaster or stucco to walls, ceilings, or partitions of buildings, using spray guns, trowels or brushes. They create decorative textures in a finish coat, using brushes or trowels, sand, pebbles, or stones. They determine the materials needed to complete the job and place orders accordingly. Moreover, they mix mortar and plaster to desired consistency or direct workers who perform mixing to cure freshly plastered surfaces.
People suitable for plaster technician job description and cement mason tend to like work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They usually work with materials like wood, tools, and machinery, with different forms, designs and patterns. They are mostly independent and self-expressed, which allows them to work without a clear set of rules.
The five key skills which an operative plasterer and stucco mason should be equipped with are great abilities of speaking, time management, critical thinking, quality control analysis and monitoring.
To have a successful career as a plasterer and stucco mason it is ideal to have previous work-related skills, knowledge or experience. Careers in this category need a few months to one year of on-the-job training.
Qualifications
Every career requires an element of study and academic qualification, and there can be several study routes and pathways you can take. In following any academic pathway you will study subjects that contribute to the specialised knowledge required to achieve your career goals. These qualifications provide a future employer with the evidence that you have the desired knowledge, understanding and experience of their industry, so it’s important to consider the various types of qualifications available to you and to understand how they can boost your career and create opportunities for you.
- NSQF Level 2 Assistant Mason
- NSQF Level 4 Mason Special Finishing
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.
Progression Routes
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