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Building trades

Plasterer

Plaquiste / Plâtrier

Builds partitions, lines walls and ceilings, tapes joints, and creates smooth surfaces ready for paint or finishing work.

Advantages

  • The trade transforms empty interiors into clean and usable rooms.
  • The work mixes structure, finishing, and neat surface preparation.
  • Plasterers are needed in renovation as well as new housing projects.
  • The results are visible quickly when partitions and ceilings take shape.
  • Good finishing quality is highly valued before painting and decoration.

Disadvantages

  • Boards, rails, and bags of compound can be heavy to handle.
  • Dust from cutting and sanding requires careful protection.
  • Joint finishing demands patience and a lot of precision.
  • Poor alignment or bad joints are easy to notice after painting.
  • Ceiling work can be tiring for the neck, shoulders, and arms.

Tools

Main tools used in this job

Each card shows the English term, the French term, and one visual reference to help students recognize the item more easily.

Screw gun

Screw gun

Visseuse a placo

Fixes plasterboard quickly onto rails, studs, or timber supports.

Photo: Bill Bradley · CC BY-SA

Joint knife

Joint knife

Couteau a joint

Applies and smooths joint compound over plasterboard joints.

Taping knife

Taping knife

Lame a enduire large

Spreads finishing coats more widely on joints and flat areas.

Mixer

Mixing paddle

Helice de malaxage

Mixes plaster and joint compound evenly in buckets.

Drywall saw

Drywall saw

Scie a placo

Cuts openings and shapes in plasterboard sheets.

Rasp

Plasterboard rasp

Rabot a placo

Refines the edges of boards after cutting.

Crimping tool

Crimping tool

Pince a sertir les rails

Joins some metal rails and studs without screws.

Drywall lift

Drywall lifter

Leve-plaque

Raises and holds plasterboard safely during ceiling installation.

Materials

Main materials used in this job

Materials are shown with the same bilingual format so the learner can connect the right object, name, and usage.

Plasterboard

Plasterboard

Plaque de platre

Main board used for partitions, wall linings, and ceilings.

Photo: Panamitsu · CC BY-SA 4.0

Moisture board

Moisture-resistant board

Plaque hydrofuge

Special plasterboard used in bathrooms and damp rooms.

Plaster tile

Plaster tile

Carreau de platre

Prefabricated plaster element used for some interior partitions.

Stud

Metal stud

Montant metallique

Vertical metal profile used to create partition frames.

Photo: Achim Hering · CC BY 3.0

Rail

Track rail

Rail

Horizontal profile fixed to the floor and ceiling before the studs.

Tape

Joint tape

Bande a joint

Reinforces plasterboard joints before finishing coats.

Photo: Ron Hollis / USFWS · Public domain

Compound

Joint compound

Enduit a joint

Fills and smooths joints between boards before sanding.

Plaster

Plaster

Platre

Used for patching, skim work, and some traditional plaster finishes.

Screw

Drywall screw

Vis a placo

Fixes plasterboard sheets to metal or timber supports.

Photo: Nathan Eady / Jonadab · Public domain

Insulation wool

Acoustic insulation wool

Laine isolante acoustique

Improves sound and thermal performance inside partitions and ceilings.