Apply material to fill gaps in surfaces
Little of this can be handed to software today.
This happens in the physical world, so software agents do not touch it. Automation here means robotics and machinery, which is a different market from the one mapped on this site, on a much slower clock.
| How automatable | Barely automatable |
|---|---|
| Kind of work | Physical, manual and inspection work |
| Jobs that do it | 13 occupations |
| Tool categories that apply | None |
| O*NET activity | Handling and Moving Objects (4.A.3.a.2) |
What this looks like on the job
Not our paraphrase. These are real task statements recorded against this activity, spread across the 13 occupations that perform it.
- Fill cracks or other defects in plaster or plasterboard and sand patch, using patching plaster, trowel, and sanding tool.
- Form a smooth foundation by stapling plywood or Masonite over the floor or by brushing waterproof compound onto surface and filling cracks with plaster, putty, or grout to seal pores.
- Wet surface to prepare for bonding, fill holes and cracks with grout or slurry, and smooth, using trowel.
- Wet surface to prepare for bonding, fill holes and cracks with grout or slurry, and smooth with a trowel.
- Place strips of material, such as cork, asphalt, or steel into joints, or place rolls of expansion-joint material on machines that automatically insert material.
- Seal joints between ceiling tiles and walls.
- Seal joints between plasterboard or other wallboard to prepare wall surfaces for painting or papering.
- Fasten glass panes into wood sashes or frames with clips, points, or moldings, adding weather seals or putty around pane edges to seal joints.
- Fill cracks, holes, or joints with caulk, putty, plaster, or other fillers, using caulking guns or putty knives.
- Fill holes, cracks, and other surface imperfections preparatory to covering surfaces.
- Apply grout between joints of bricks or tiles, using grouting trowels.
- Fill cracks or breaks in surfaces of plaster articles or areas with putty or epoxy compounds.
- Install and seal air ducts, combustion air openings, or ventilation openings to improve heating and cooling efficiency.
- Heat and soften floor covering materials to patch cracks or fit floor coverings around irregular surfaces, using blowtorch.
- Fill slight grinding depressions with matching grout material and hand-trowel for a smooth, uniform surface.
- Apply additional coats to fill in holes and make surfaces smooth.
- Pack spaces between moldings and glass with glazing compounds and trim excess material with glazing knives.
- Correct surface imperfections or fill chipped, cracked, or broken bricks or tiles, using fillers, adhesives, or grouting materials.
What we would actually use
Nothing in our landscape addresses this work. That is the honest answer rather than a padded list: this activity needs a person present, or a machine rather than a software agent.
Nothing on this site applies. Automation here is robotics and machinery, a different market on a much slower clock, and no software subscription moves it.
Chosen for the cheapest thing that does the job, not the best funded. Nothing on this site is sponsored, and the full landscape is there when you want to disagree with us.
How people actually do it
No workflow names this activity yet, but these automate the same kind of work, with the prompts to paste and what to keep for yourself.
Who does this work
13 occupations in the O*NET database perform this activity. Each one has a full breakdown of its other tasks.
- Carpenters
- Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers
- Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers
- Floor Layers, Except Carpet, Wood, and Hard Tiles
- Glaziers
- Helpers--Brickmasons, Blockmasons, Stonemasons, and Tile and Marble Setters
- Helpers--Painters, Paperhangers, Plasterers, and Stucco Masons
- Painters, Construction and Maintenance
- Paperhangers
- Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators
- Tapers
- Terrazzo Workers and Finishers
- Weatherization Installers and Technicians
Work that goes with it
O*NET groups these under “Apply materials to fill gaps or imperfections”. In practice they tend to be done by the same person, in the same sitting.
| Activity | Jobs |
|---|---|
| Fill cracks, imperfections, or holes in products or workpieces | 8 |
| Seal gaps or cracks to prevent leakage or moisture intrusion | 6 |
| Apply mortar | 4 |
Method. The activity, its taxonomy placement and the occupations that perform it come straight from the public-domain O*NET 30.3 database. The automatability band is ours: we map each of O*NET’s 41 generalized work activities to how much of its output current software can produce, assuming a person still reviews and owns the result. It is a coarse three-way judgment on purpose. A precise-looking percentage here would be invented.