• Commercial drywall finishing--often called taping--calls for a higher level of productivity and efficiency than residential drywall finishing. The large size of a commercial job requires speed and efficiency. Since many commercial drywall contractors employ several workers, it is common to have workers who specialize in one narrow aspect of drywall finishing. These workers--called tapers, whether they apply tape or not--use commercial taping tools to maximize their efficiency.
  
  

Pump

• The pump is the center of a commercial finishing system. Similar to air compressors, most models push joint compound through a tube to an applicator head, which the worker then uses to either tape or coat the drywall. Some models require the worker to mix the joint compound to a certain consistency before pumping. The applicator heads and pump are complete systems, but it is often possible to mix and match tools from different manufacturers.
  
  

Automatic Tapers

• Automatic tapers---also known as "bazookas"---allow drywall finishers to apply tape and joint compound at the same time. An automatic taper hooks up to a joint compound pump with a long rubber tube. When the applicator head touches against the joint, it extrudes joint compound onto the paper drywall tape, and then applies the tape to the joint. A worker following behind smoothes the tape with a drywall knife.
  
  

Coating Tools

• Coating tools also extrude joint compound. Now the goal is to hide the taped joints, so coating tools spread a wide coat of joint compound over the length of the taped joint. The worker can switch to different applicator heads to cover inside angles, outside angles and the heads of drywall screws.
  
  

Sanding Tools

• While most drywall professionals still use the traditional sanding pole, the large size of a commercial job calls for powered sanders. These sanders are large, flat, circular sanding disks on poles. The disk rotates at a high speed to sand the surface of the drywall. When a disk wears out, the worker attaches a fresh one. The result is a highly-polished surface that requires only minimal labor. Some models suck dust into the sanding disk, preventing it from floating around the job site.