Faith Baylis, from Peterborough, Ontario, was born to be a drywall finisher.
A personality test she took early in her career — through a government-funded trades program — even told her as much: between her values, goals and work-environment preferences, everything aligned with the drywall and painting trades. And, as soon as she got a taping knife in her hand, she knew. This was meant to be.
“I was always into painting,” Faith tells us over Zoom one summer afternoon. “The therapeutic experience of it, I guess, always just appealed to me to play around with paint. Then when I found mud, it was like that, but on a different level. I don't know what it is exactly about it — it's just so satisfying … I wanted to excel in that. I wanted to get better at the way that I was able to move the mud. I was satisfied watching people online move it in ways I hadn't seen before — it's beautiful, it looks amazing. I want to be at that level.”
With some help from her Trades Connect program, Faith was able to connect with a local drywaller, under whom she became the sole employee. She hit the ground running. This provided her with a bedrock of one-on-one training that would serve her throughout her entire career.
Faith was a natural at the job, and within a year, she was doing jobs on her own — soon enough, she was good enough to start training others in how to finish drywall. This eventually led to her becoming the co-owner/operator of her own business alongside her boyfriend, Ty. Today, that company, Fine Touch Taping, is a thriving drywall crew that offers both hanging and finishing services, known in their area for their careful attention to detail.
While Faith took to drywall finishing like a fish to water, that’s not to say there haven’t been challenges along the way — especially as a woman entering a trade that, historically, has been tailored toward men. Self-doubt, especially in the early days of her career, can be a very real obstacle. But, Faith says, if you can get yourself through that self-doubt, you might just surprise yourself on the other side.
“There's days where I've felt like, ‘Is this for me?’” Faith tells us. “I'm five-foot-four and 98 pounds — it can be hard sometimes. You just have to push past those moments where you feel like you're not good enough for this trade, be confident in yourself. If it's something that you want to get into, if you have the self-determination to be better at something, you will! Our parents were right when they said that you can be anything you want to be. This trade has really taught me that, because for myself, it really proved something to me when I got right into it.
“I wasn't sure that I'd ever find a job I enjoyed so much and that I was good at. So, if you're into any trade, just go learn — there's a lot of employers out there who are willing to take somebody eager to learn on. That's what we're all looking for, is somebody who's just willing to learn. As, now, an owner of a business, I understand that that's really all it takes — it just takes somebody caring enough to say, ‘Hey, I want to do a good job. Will you teach me how to do a good job?’ That's it. Just get out there and do it.”
So, what is it that pushes Faith through these moments of self-doubt?
It’s not complicated: she just loves the work. The satisfaction of moving mud around like an artist, of creating a beautiful room out of a bunch of bare drywall — or, as Faith puts it, “the love of the finish.”
“I think as women, we just figure it out whatever way works best for us,” Faith tells us. “Yes, it's difficult to lift an eight-foot piece of drywall by myself. But I've got hands and feet — I'll lift it whatever way works best for me. It takes determination. And there is definitely more love behind it than anything else. That's what keeps me in the trade: it's just the love for the finish. I'm not sure everybody has that. But if you're determined enough to get going, maybe you'll find it.”
Thank you to Faith for taking the time to speak to us! You can follow her work on her Instagram page. Want to hear more real stories from Trim-Tex’s “Women in Drywall” program? Hit the button below to learn more!
