Drywall Installation Prices

When you are constructing walls or ceilings inside of a home or building, you want to have an idea as to the installation costs.

This is typically not a DIY project because of the level of difficulty, but with a bit of work anything is possible. Now, you’ll want to consider all of the costs, if you plan on hiring a professional. Additionally, when you look at costs, you will want to realize that drywall is often referred to as wallboard and sheet rock as well.

The actual costs of drywall installation are going to vary from room to room because of the amount of supplies required. Additionally, the material and labor costs are going to vary from city to city around the country, but here are some ways price is determined.

Things to consider when pricing drywall installation:

Average Cost of Materials

To make matters simple, installing drywall is going to be figured upon a 12’ x 12’ room with 8’ ceilings. There is going to be about 600 square feet of drywall required in order to cover the walls as well as the ceilings. In order to do this, 4’ x 8’ sheets will be used and there is a cost of $9 on average associated with this. At 20 sheets, the cost would be $180. There is also having materials involved. This includes drywall screws, tape, and joint compound. Drywall screws are traditionally sold by the pound and there are 300 screws in a bound. The average carpenter will use one pound of drywall screws for 500 square feet of drywall. The average cost for a pound of drywall screws is $6 and 2 pounds of them would therefore cost $12.

The specialty tape costs about $4.50 for 150 feet and that should be sufficient to complete the room.

The joint compound will typically be calculated by using the square footage divided by 7.25 to determine pounds. This would equal 85 pounds. One pail is 45 pounds at $14 each, so two pails would be required, costing a total of $28.

The labor is a cost that has to be considered – and about half of the total cost involved with drywall installation is going to be dedicated toward labor. This involves asking for a variety of quotes as well as confirming that there is insurance from the contractors.

Finally, there is the cost of cleanup. Contractors will provide the cleanup, including dust and debris that is left from the installation. Should you do the project on your own, this is something that you would have to do on your own.

Getting the Better Prices

The only way to be sure that you are paying the best price possible is to make some comparisons between suppliers as well as contractors. You want quality materials but you shouldn’t have to pay top dollar for them as well. Some places may also provide you with kits, providing you with the compound, the tape, the drywall screws and the drywall. Cost these out together and separately to avoid being ripped off. You only want to purchase as much supplies as you need – especially because it is not likely that you will be able to return anything that you don’t use.

Drywall installation may be cheaper as a DIY project, but because of the difficulty factor involved, you likely want to hire the labor and have professionals do it for you.