Step 37 - Drywall Costs

Estimates

How to Estimate Drywall and the Cost of Materials

There will come a time that you will need repairs and remodeling to your house because of the natural wear and tear brought about by changes in season. Before having someone install drywall in your house, there are various considerations that you need to take into account. The cost of materials, labor costs, permits, taxes, etc. To effectively compare the cost, you will need to know how to estimate drywall costs.

 

The first thing that you have to do is determine what type of drywall you are going to use. This consideration depends on the type of room and the existing building code in your area. There are three main types of drywall.

 

For common rooms, you may use a regular drywall, which can vary in thickness. You may use a ½-inch thick drywall sheet for a stud spacing of 16-inch on the center. For a stud spacing of 24-inches on center, you may use a 5/8-inch thick drywall sheet. Sheetrock also comes in ¼ inch and 3/8 inch thickness. This type of sheetrock is used for laminating over existing plaster walls and damaged areas. Ideally, a 4'x8' drywall sheet is best for homeowners, as they are not too small and not too large. Professionals use sheets as long as 16 feet.

 

For bathrooms, you should use a water resistant drywall or green board. Green board comes in ½ 5/8 and 3/8-inch sheets. These green or purple boards are also referred to as mold tough sheetrock.

Other Things We Learned Along The Way

5 Sheetrock Mistakes Everyone Makes and How to Fix Them

How to Clean Sheetrock Mud

How to Estimate Drywall and the Cost of Materials

Learning to Plaster: The Simple Way

Sheetrock Prices Revealed & Installation Tips

Recommended Sheetrock Nails & Screws

 

There are also fire-resistant boards or Type-X drywall that you should use for garages and may be required by your local building code. You may buy them in 5/8-inch thickness.

How to Estimate Drywall Cost

Know the total area for your walls and ceilings (if you want to). If your ceiling is lower than 8-feet, then you should plan for a horizontal drywall installation, which means the longer side of the sheet is parallel to the floor.

A simple trick to measure the amount of sheetrock needed is to measure the square foot of floor space and multiply it by 3.5. For example if you have a 10x10 room you have 100 square feet of floor space. Multiply 100x 3.5= 350 square feet of sheetrock. An 8 foot sheet covers 32 square feet so you would need (11) 8 foot sheets that will cover 352 square feet to do the walls and ceilings. Always add a sheet or two for mistakes and waste, about 10% is optimal.

Calculate the tools and materials that you will need for installation. This includes nails, screws, joint compound, corner bead, and drywall tape.

Generally, you will need about 5-6 pounds of nails for every 1000 square-foot.

For drywall tape, you will need about 220 feet for a 200 square foot and about 5 gallons of joint compound for every 10 drywall sheets.

List all the quantities that you were able to derive and contact your local store for their corresponding pricelist.

Keep in mind that prices of items vary in different locations. Some areas may have a higher pricelist for each item. Make sure you compare prices before placing your orders. It is also highly advisable that you confirm the existing building codes in your areas. You may also get an experienced contractor who knows how to estimate drywall costs so you will also get an idea of all the cost including the cost of labor (if you are going to have them install it).

Navigation

The Land

 

Planning

 

Construction

 

Framing Phase

Rough-in Phase

Drywall Phase

Interior Carpentry

Flat-work Phase

Paint & Stain

Finishing Phase

Completion