Drywall Courses, Classes and Training Program Options
Students who are interested in working with drywall are most likely to find employment in the construction industry. Some areas of specialization for drywall education include drywall finishing and drywall and lathing. Students who study drywall typically learn skills like taping and finishing drywall for walls and ceilings, blueprint reading and hanging gypsum boards.
Drywall Courses
Finishing Tools
Through hands-on experience with flat and angle boxes and nail spotters, students learn the use of drywall finishing tools. Students go over safety equipment, like goggles and gloves, and procedures for using power tools. This usually is an introductory-level course for drywall finishing programs.
Drywall Methods
These courses usually focus on wall coverings made of common drywall materials like gypsum. Application and rigging of drywall on frames and ceilings is also often taught, as are trim application methods like cornerbeading and bullnose trim. This course is often one of the first courses taken in a drywall finishing program.
Taping
Through lectures and coursework involving hands-on practice, students learn how to apply tape to freshly hung drywall. This tape covers the seams between pieces of drywall to help create smoothly finished walls. Students learn how to properly apply tape and use taping tools such as corner finishers.
Metal Framing
Discussion of framing walls, floors, ceilings, windows and doors with metal. Students discuss the use of blueprints for layouts and framing, safety procedures and tools for trimming metal-framed walls and ceilings. Students might consider taking framing classes near the middle of their program, because the skills taught are slightly advanced but necessary for more complicated construction topics.
Arches
Cutting and hanging drywall for special entrances, wall or ceiling shapes is examined and practiced. Arches, furring, barrel ceilings, curves and soffits are a few of these unique special entrances and surface shapes drywallers might work with. Students also learn how to recognize these forms on blueprints and to assess which tools to use for which special form.
Drywall Finishing
Students have the opportunity to study different wall covering techniques through this course. Plaster, orange peel, splatter and knockdown finishes are some of the finishing technique options that may be covered in these classes. Some programs might require students to practice the application of finishes in an apprenticeship or internship setting.
Blueprint Reading
The primary focus of this course is interpreting architectural plans for commercial and residential properties. Students learn how to find errors, read notes and recognize blueprint symbols. Details of electric, doors and windows, dimensions, titles and measurements are identified. Blueprint reading is an important skill for construction workers, including drywall workers, and is often taught in construction degree or certificate programs.
Drywall Training Program Options
Students who want a career working with drywall have a few educational options to consider. Degrees and certifications in construction are often available at community colleges or vocational and technical schools. These construction programs usually cover drywall as part of a broader construction curriculum including other topics like carpentry and masonry. Some colleges and universities offer specific drywall and lathing certificates and degrees, and drywall finishing associate degrees and certificates are also available at some schools. Apprenticeships, internships or other hands-on learning experience are often a required part of these programs.
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