Skills
Plasterer Skills & Tools
The technical skills, people skills and tools employers look for in plasterers, and how to build and show them.
What skills do plasterers need?
Plasterers need technical skills such as mixing plaster, troweling, and lath installation, plus people skills like patience and craftsmanship. They also use tools such as Trowels and Hawks.
Technical (hard) skills
- Mixing plaster
- Troweling
- Lath installation
- Stucco systems
- Texture finishes
- Ornamental work
People (soft) skills
- Patience
- Craftsmanship
- Stamina
- Teamwork
Tools, equipment and technology
- Trowels
- Hawks
- Mixers
- Darbies
- Scaffolding
- Spray rigs
Skills in action: common tasks
These step-by-step guides show how plasterers put their skills to work:
- How to apply a three-coat stucco system
- How to patch historic plaster
- How to trowel a smooth finish coat
How to show these skills on a resume
- Lead your skills section with the technical skills from the job posting, for example, “Mixing plaster” and “Troweling.”
- Prove soft skills with results: instead of listing “patience,” describe a situation where you used it.
- List credentials such as Plasterer apprenticeship near the top, with the issuing organization and date.
- Use the employer’s vocabulary. Our plasterer glossary covers the terms hiring managers expect.
How to build these skills
Formal training, supervised practice and certification are the most direct routes. Our Plasterer training introduces each of these skills with plain-language lessons, procedures and a final knowledge check: a strong foundation before hands-on training or your first day.