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Story & photos by Richard Bermack, Contributing Writer
After the sheet rock is hung, the drywall finishers come in, and the race is on. A finisher loads the “bazooka” – an automated drywall finishing machine comprised of a three-foot pipe filled with drywall compound and tape dispensers on the side – and they are off. The finisher sprints across the room running the bazooka along the wall, leaving a trail of tape and drywall compound. Guys with flat knives, brushes, and corner machines go running after the bazooka, attacking the tape with their respective tools. Everyone is moving at break-neck speeds to the rhythm of a silent beat, trying to get their job done before the mud starts to harden.
When the drywall finishers are done, the second team springs into action. Painters in respirator suits start spraying paint, transforming the grey and mud spackled mess into a beautifully colored environment. The sprayers are followed by the meticulous brush and roller crew. They cut and trim, applying intricate color designs. When they are done, no speck of the wall remains uncovered.
On the Jobsite visited members of Painters and Drywall Finishers Local 913 and District Council 16 of Northern California and Nevada as they worked on a 12-story apartment building on Mission Street in San Francisco. The job is a project of the Mercy Housing Group, which specializes in providing affordable apartment units. Cahill is the general contractor.
Local 913 represents 800 painters and drywall finishers in the San Francisco and San Mateo Counties. It is part of District Council 16, which has over 10,000 members in Northern California, Fresno and Reno. Local 913’s office is at 555 De Haro Street, in San Francisco, and they encourage anyone interested in the trade to contact them. Their phone number is (415) 355-9130.
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 Tony Cottone
Painter, Foreman
The trick to running the crew on a big job is getting along with every different personality. That’s a chore. It took me a few years to figure it out and get to where I’m able to sleep soundly at night and get my well-deserved rest.
It is all about the final look of a job. You remember the start of the project and then seeing the finish with all the different colors – that’s your reward.
The biggest thing I ever painted was at San Jose State University: five buildings; they ran me ragged. That was the last job that stressed me out. Now I know to ask for help. We were doing the dorms, and I really wanted to make sure the kids would have a nice unit to live in while they were going to school.
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 Justin Moak
Drywall Finisher
My father’s been a drywall finisher for 35 years, and he got me a job when I needed one. I’ve been doing it eight years, and there are a lot of challenges. I like what I do. There is creativity to it, like the specialty finishes, the smooth walls, and the barrel ceilings. There’s an art to it and the challenge of making it look top-notch union quality.
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 Tina Staten
Painter
I’ve worked as a painter for 32 years. Look around; everything you see has a coat of paint. Painting is something you can make a living off of for your whole life. It’s about beauty and protection. I like the beauty, and the satisfaction of seeing the expression on a person’s face when they see a brand-new paint job. That is what keeps me going and gives me satisfaction.
My favorite work is new work, apartments and condominiums. I don’t like the spray, spray, spray jobs. I love the brush and roller. I’m the trim queen. I can use a sprayer, but a sprayer is messy, very messy. For me, the brush is it. The trick to using a brush is having a soft touch, a soft feminine touch.
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 Jaime Rodriguez
Painter
I like everything about painting, spraying, rolling, and cutting. It all comes easy to me. I started when I was 13, working with my uncle. I’ve been painting for 12 years.
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 Salvador Provencio
Painter
I’ve been painting since I was a little kid. I got a work permit in high school when I was 16 and have been painting every day since then. I like working hard and getting dirty. I like the flow of the paint and the beautiful way things look when I’m done.
I came to the Bay Area five years ago from Stockton. My dad is in the union, and he convinced me it was the way to go. I tried to get in for two years and finally I made it.
I have four kids, so being in the union and making more money and getting better benefits really helps. The other main difference is how the guys in the other trades look after you. If some of their stuff is in your way, they’ll help you move it. There’s a feeling of having something in common. On a non-union job you are on your own.
My father’s working down the street. We’ve worked on the same job together. He’s a good painter. I watch him and pick up things. We never bump heads when we work.
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 Jerry Calderon
Apprentice Drywall Finisher
Calderon works drywall during the day and performs in a rap group at night.
How would I compare drywall to rapping? They both take drive and ambition. And you got to learn to keep going and not stop for nothing. Construction teaches you to not be small minded, to be on time, and to not talk back to your bosses. You learn to do what it takes, and to not quit.
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 José Diaz
Drywall Finisher, 5 years
I do everything. I like running with the bazooka gun.
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 Dan Felix
Painter
My whole family is in the painting trade. My dad is a painter. I have six uncles, and five of them are painters.
My grandpa was a painter for 50 years. When he started, they used to mix their own paints. They gave you the brick color and the linseed oil, and you’d mix your own.
The big change is in safety; everything is a lot better now. When I started, it was get it done no matter what. Now it’s get it done, but be safe. I saw people fall off some pretty high stuff. During my grandpa’s day, they would paint off the sides of skyscrapers on a bosun’s chair. They didn’t consider you a man if you didn’t take risks. Now we tie up all the time, and even the company stresses safety.
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