Careermash
CAREERMASH (EN)FROM CONSTRUCTION & TRADES →

Plasterer

A plasterer applies smooth or textured plaster to walls and ceilings to give a clean, finished surface ready for decorating. It is a skilled trade that suits practical people who like working with their hands and take pride in a smooth, flawless finish.

Plasterer

4

Construction & Trades

AI IMPACT
AI CAN DO4%moving to49%
THE DOOR, NOWB
THE DOOR, 20 YRSD
STARTING PAYnot published
MOAT NOT YET CLASSIFIEDA real score, but the moat is not yet classified. No claim either way.
AI can do very little of this work today
Hands-on work, caring for people and dealing with the real world are among the hardest things to automate, and this job leans on them. We have not yet formally classified its moat, so we make no claim either way, but the exposure score speaks for itself.

The role

The work is preparing surfaces, mixing plaster, applying it evenly by hand and trowel, and smoothing it to a perfect finish, as well as rendering outside walls. It takes skill, a good eye, speed and a steady hand, since plaster sets fast and a smooth result is hard to get right - this is a craft that takes time to master.

You may work for a firm or be self-employed, travelling between jobs, doing physical work that is hard on the arms and back and often messy, with busier spells when building work picks up. Pay grows well with skill and reputation, and self-employed plasterers carry the ups and downs of finding work.

Most people learn through a plastering apprenticeship or college course, then build speed and skill on site. A CSCS card is usually needed for building sites, a driving licence helps, and a reputation for tidy, fast work brings repeat business.

Daily responsibilities

  • Prepare and clean surfaces
  • Mix plaster to the right consistency
  • Apply plaster evenly by trowel
  • Smooth walls and ceilings to a finish
  • Render outside walls
  • Repair cracks and damaged plaster
  • Clean up and clear away materials
Careermash

Careermash: navigate your career path with real data. Explore career profiles, salary benchmarks, AI impact forecasts, and the qualifications you need to get there.

AI EXPOSURE = the share of a job's day-to-day tasks AI can already do today, from the same exposure engine used across this site (Anthropic labour market research, 2026, observed real-world AI usage by occupation). Higher means more exposed. It is a measurement of now, not a prediction. THE DOOR = how hard the job is to get into, grade A (easy) to E (extremely hard), from each career's published forecast (OpenAI, "The AI Jobs Transition Framework", Richmond 2026, CC BY 4.0). A card marked MOAT NOT YET CLASSIFIED has a real exposure score but no entry yet in our moat register, so we make no claim about what structurally protects it. Scorecard grades and verdicts are Careermash editorial judgment: we show forecasts as forecasts and own our conclusions. Salary and pathway figures are each career's own published profile. Careermash is a service provided by What School Ltd.

Part of the Sand Education ecosystem:Spill.orgWhatSchool.aiWhatCareer.netCourseMash.org