How much does drywall cost ?

Taking on a drywall job by yourself can be a rough task. Although it may look easy, you need to make sure that you hang the drywall square, leave proper openings for electrical and other outlets, and complete the finish with a smooth and paintable surface. You may think you are saving money by doing the job yourself; however, if you calculate your time versus how good of a job a professional will do, you will see that hiring a contractor just may be the best idea.

When you consider drywall installation cost, you will need to determine how much area you want to cover. Pricing will be quoted to you based on either cost per sheet or cost per square foot. If you prefer to receive a quote by either cost per square foot or cost per sheet, simply do the math to come up with the method that works best for you. Cost per square foot can be divided by 32 and you will come up with the price per square foot. Multiply the cost per square foot by 32 and you will have your cost per sheet quote.

Cost Per Sheet.

When receiving a quote based on cost per sheet, you will need to keep in mind that a standard sheet size is 4’ by 8’. The cost per sheet will run you between $45 and $75 per sheet with half of the price being considered materials and the other being considered labor. That means at $45 per sheet you should figure that $22 is for materials (e.g., drywall, screws, mud, tape) and the other $22 is for installation and finishing. These costs include finished drywall ready to paint and not the painting itself.

Cost Per Square Foot.

If being quoted a price per square foot, you should expect to pay approximately $1.50 to $2.25 per square foot for finished drywall (including materials and labor). Again, half of this price should be considered material and the other half should be considered labor.

Installation Cost.

If you happen to have drywall already and are just looking for drywall installation cost, then you will be looking at approximately $22 to $37 per sheet or $0.75 to $1.05 per square foot. The most common reason why people are only looking for installation cost is due to finishing the drywall. While most people can get the hang (no pun intended) of putting up drywall, the mud and taping part of the project is usually messy and time consuming if not done correctly. As such, you may want to consider at least contracting out the finishing of the drywall that you hang yourself.

Additional Price Consideration.

When obtaining an estimate on drywall, make sure that you consider a contractor who will use screws as opposed to nails. This may increase the price of the job slightly; however, you will have fewer “nail pops” in your walls years after the installation is complete. This will save you from headaches and massive repairs in the future.

As with all major projects, drywall installation cost includes installation only and you will need to haul away the old material that you are removing from your wall (e.g., plaster, paneling, old drywall). The easiest way to do this is to rent a dumpster from your local garbage collection company. These places will allow you to deposit such materials into landfills and as such you can fill up a dumpster with as much of it as you have. Of course, see if this is included with the estimate prior to going out and renting one on your own.

To get a better idea of costs, here are some drywall estimates from professionals.

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