Paperhangers

About the job

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.

What you'll do

• Apply acetic acid to damp plaster to prevent lime from bleeding through paper.
• Apply sizing to seal surfaces and maximize adhesion of coverings to surfaces.
• Apply thinned glue to waterproof porous surfaces, using brushes, rollers, or pasting machines.
• Measure surfaces and/or review work orders to estimate the quantities of materials needed.
• Mix paste, using paste powder and water, and brush paste onto surfaces.
• Remove old paper, using water, steam machines, or solvents and scrapers.
• Remove paint, varnish, dirt, and grease from surfaces, using paint remover and water soda solutions.
• Set up equipment such as pasteboards and scaffolds.
• Smooth rough spots on walls and ceilings, using sandpaper.
• Staple or tack advertising posters onto fences, walls, billboards, or poles.

Things you need to know

• Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Building and Construction - Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
• Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• Mechanical - Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
• Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

Abilities you'll need to have

• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
• Time Management - Managing one's own time and the time of others.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Complex Problem Solving - Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
• Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.