Insulation Workers, Floor, Ceiling, and Wall

Line and cover structures with insulating materials. May work with batt, roll, or blown insulation materials.

What you'd actually do

• Measure and cut insulation for covering surfaces, using tape measures, handsaws, power saws, knives, or scissors.
• Fit, wrap, staple, or glue insulating materials to structures or surfaces, using hand tools or wires.
• Cover and line structures with blown or rolled forms of materials to insulate against cold, heat, or moisture, using saws, knives, rasps, trowels, blowers, or other tools and implements.
• Distribute insulating materials evenly into small spaces within floors, ceilings, or walls, using blowers and hose attachments, or cement mortars.
• Move controls, buttons, or levers to start blowers and regulate flow of materials through nozzles.
• Fill blower hoppers with insulating materials.

How you get there

Typical entry-level education: Less than high school. Overall preparation: some preparation (Job Zone 2 of 5).

The feel of the work

Much of the work happens outdoors; much of the day is spent working solo. (Compared against the other 818 careers in the guide.)

Working for yourself

About 3.5% of insulation workers, floor, ceiling, and wall are self-employed.

Who it tends to fit

This work tends to fit people who are hands-on and organized and detail-focused.

Related careers

• Structural Iron and Steel Workers
• Electricians
• Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters
• Construction and Building Inspectors
• First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers
• Pipelayers

Quick questions

How much does a insulation workers, floor, ceiling, and wall make?

The median pay is $23.62 per hour — roughly $49,000 a year, with the real range running from about $17.80/hr (10th percentile) to $37.59/hr (90th percentile). Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Do you need a degree to be a insulation workers, floor, ceiling, and wall?

The typical entry-level education is: Less than high school. Overall preparation level: some preparation (Job Zone 2 of 5).

What does a insulation workers, floor, ceiling, and wall actually do all day?

Measure and cut insulation for covering surfaces, using tape measures, handsaws, power saws, knives, or scissors. Fit, wrap, staple, or glue insulating materials to structures or surfaces, using hand tools or wires. Cover and line structures with blown or rolled forms of materials to insulate against cold, heat, or moisture, using saws, knives, rasps, trowels, blowers, or other tools and implements.