I built an addition onto my house, 12'x23', and had a guy suppose to hang the drywall, tape, mud, and finish, ready to paint for 200.00, I supplied the material. (total of 6 4.0-5.0 windows, 1 exterior door, and 1 double french doors going into the house.) The roof slopes front to back from 8' to 10'6". He hung the sheetrock, tape and mudded, and that was it. I ended up paying him 150.00. Now I have someone coming in to finish sanding the first coat of mud, and adding a couple more layers of mud, and sanding and making ready to paint. He is also going to install a knockdown ceiling, all for 500.00. I will be paying for the 30 gallons of mud for the knockdown. All totalled, it will cost me 650.00, not including material. Is this a good price, and if not, what would a good average market price be to hang, tape, mud, finish, and install a knockdown ceiling in this addition. Thanks.

i am flipping a house. it is 1341 sq ft, 3 br 1 ba, living room, dining and kitchen. 95 % of ceilings and walls need to be replaced. i had an estimate for hanging drywall, tape, mud, and finish the ceilings and the walls. it will take an estimate of 110 sheets of 4 x 12. Labor for removing old drywall is $800. Labor for new drywall is $2100 including materials (mud, tape, screws, etc). The price for 4 x 12 sheets is 14.95 which totals $1760. The guys said it will take approximately 2 weeks to finish. Total prices for all is $4600. Is this a good price??? I need some insight. Thanks!!

I am not far from Philadelphia, Pa. and to finish my basement I paid about $1.10 per sqft for about 108 sheets of 4x9 sheetrock - walls only. Hung on metal studs, taped and sanded. Total floor area finished was about 2000 sqft., but again no ceilings walls only.

I am building a house. The prices I got for drywall are 29 cents a sq ft for 1/2 inch 4x12 drywall delivered and stacked. I got a price of 48 cents a sq ft to hang and finish. this price included materials. The house has 17 ft ceilings and the finish on the ceiling will be knockdown. Total price for drywall, material, hang, and finish is 77 cents a sq ft.

I am a new member.

Jimbo60 please let me have your drywall and framing contractor's details. I have a basement project in new construction - will have about 1300 sg ft finished space( 2 rooms and bathroom carved out) all open floor plan. I am getting quotes of $ 28,000 - for framing, drywalling, soffits and ceilings !

I live just outside King of Prussia - I could use some references and advise. Thanks !

I just bought a home in pasadena, ca and I need to drywall the ceiling only. How much would it cost for 3br 2ba, 1200sq/ft? Right now there is a lightweight material up there, so I'm guessing I'm going to need some thin drywall.

What would be a fair price per square foot to hang and finish sheetrock. I have all material in my basement where needed and ready to go.

With the cost of materials alone, some of the methods above lead to unrealistically low (impossible) prices. Nobody works for free, at least not for very long....and that's not to say anything about the quality of the job.

Let's take that ".77/sq. foot" example for everything. So that's $24.64/sheet, right? Let's say a sheet is $12 with tax. We're already down to $12.64 a sheet profit, and we haven't even taken out cost of delivery, mud, tape, gas (multi-trips), etc.

So let's say there's a 4 room basement that needs 60-80 sheets or so, with some ductwork boxed in. You think $720-$960 TOTAL profit for the drywallers over a couple days is reasonable and will get you a quality job? I don't think so.

In my example I forgot to take out some more of the costs. If they use delivery, that's $75. Other materials (mud, tape, screws, corner bead, etc, another $150-$175. So now that crew's total profit is around $500-$750.

This kind of reminds me of calculating ceramic tile install costs. The numbers that one may read on the web have little to do with the reality of several quotes, especially for smaller jobs (which most are). If a guy quotes $500 labor to remove/install a new bathroom tile floor, folks go crazy. But they'll go even crazier actually trying to find someone to do that 25 sf bathroom floor at $6-$8 sf labor, like they read somewhere on the web. Just not worth it.

just thought i respond,

live in northeast, just had my basement drywalled (walls, celing), taped, sanded smooth; ceiling was a smooth finish. room size, 22x16.

no fancy angles etc.. $2,000.

I just wanted to add one additional item as my previous message,, the price included sanding etc. The job was near perfect,,, did not have to sand or straighten any joints out,,, pretty much just vacuum a bit of dust,, wipe the walls down,, and prime...

no gympsum dust in your eyes, ears, nose, mouth,, hands, clothes,,,,,,what a relief.. worth every single penny..

Thanks,

Jim

I have a room that is 19x16x8. I was quoted $950 for the entire room. South and North wall has 1 window, East wall has 2 windows and the West wall has an entry way into the dinning room. The cost would include materials and labor. It would be ready to paint when they were done. Is that a good price?

Also when figuring sq ft. Are you calc the sq ft of the room or the sq ft of the amount of drywall used? Thanks

also, the price didn't include the ceiling. We are only doing the walls

babel,

seems like a decent price,, hope they do good work. Mine included the celing. Plus like I said, I did not have to do much aferwards.

Also, you have to watch out,, what they mean is all you have to do is paint. Wait and see how good the taping is done,,,the seams, etc. Plus I gather, i find it hard it to believe all you have to do is just start painting. Are they going to prime the walls? remove and wipe down all the walls prior to priming; if they dont, you will end up with "specs' or litle particles visible on the wall prior to painting.

Have 3 rooms that need to be done

Room one 23 feet long walls 8 ½ feet high and 8 feet wide

Room Two 10 ½ by 10 ½ and 8 feet high

3rd room about same size as 2nd room

owner provides sheet rock maybe ceiling also and walls. what could this cost? please help

What in the world am I missing? The prices you guys are paying for drywall seems assinine. I'm a newbie with drywall, but i am a DIY'r and I'm getting quotes right now (will let people know what I get quoted with), and if I can't find a decent estimate, I will be attempting this on my own. But what am I missing? Some of you are paying 50-1.00 for a sq ft of drywall material? At Home Depot here in Metro Detroit right now, for 4 x 8' sheet (32 sqft) it's $5.44. Some of you are saying you are paying 12 bucks or more for a 4'x8' sheet. That's ridiculous.

Anyways, I have just finished the prep work in my basement. I did all stud work, insulation, electrical, lighting, and now I'm ready to drywall. The room is 23 x 33' and 7ft ceiling. I'm getting the ceiling drywalled as well. This is 1453 sqft of wall + ceiling that will be drywalled, or about 46 sheets 4x8 drywall. 2 soffits at ceiling.

I'm really hoping to pay 1500 or less to get this thing done, preferably as close to 1,000 as possible. I have buddies that are willing to help me hang it, but they said "you on your own with the mudding" LOL. Anyways, is my target price unreasonable?

I did the remodel in the basement myself because someone quoted me at something like 8000 to remodel it for me and I just didn't want to spend that, so the more I can do the better. On the othe hand, I didn't do all this work to take a shot at finishing the drywall and have the room look like crap. So I'd almost rather pay for the labor and know it will look good when done.

hawk,

just curious how you made out. here in CT, 1,000-1500, for that,,, a pipe dream. maybe now, that the real estate market is tanking, maybe more contractors are available and a bit hungry..

curious how you made out...

I think that we are all forgetting drywall is not like the other trades. It's time frame is usually for new construction five to seven days. A crew of 3 is needed to hang and finish a basement 24x23, which is almost 3500sqft of drywall 50-60sheets. To break this down for labor 3 guys 8 hours for 5 days. 3guysx8hours=24hours a day; 24hoursx5.15min. wage=123.60dollars a day; 123.60x5days=618dollars for a week worth for labor. Most drywallers are not making min. wage min 10.00 an hour you do the math.

I live in the Northwest, and have been remodeling as a side job for years. I am just now working on putting it all together as a business. I don't think you can compare the cost very well between regions, with the cost of materials and the cost of living varying so broadly. Not to mention the differing housing markets.

I have had many clients that have had someone cheap, a relative, a neighbor, etc... come in to do a drywall job, and they end up with a mess. If I have to come in and cut out a bunch of goobered up joints and scrape a bunch of texture, you can bet that they will end up paying more for the taping than they would have with a good taper from the start.

For any work that you contract out on your home, ask for references from the contractors previous clients. If possible, physically look at some of their work to see if it is up to your standards.

Check local codes, and make sure your contractor is following them. It is a good idea, although sometimes expensive, to permit all work on your home. If code enforcement wanders by, they can shut the site down and fine you a tidy sum. On one job that I was on, the plumbing and electrical hadn't been permitted. Code enforcement made us yank every other sheet for inspection and set the job back two weeks with quite a cost to the owner.

Anyhow, with all that said... In my area I currently charge $0.75-$0.85 sq/ft to hang, tape, texture and prime 1/2" drywall with 8' or lower ceilings. Drywall at this point in time, costs about $7.50 - $8.50 a sheet. This will go as high as $12.00 a sheet when there are hurricanes in the south.
The variance of $0.75-$0.85 depends on the quality and amount of framing, electrical, wrapped windows, duct work, specialty textures, etc... If the floor joists are out of whack, they need to be shimmed or furled out. Wrapped windows usually need furling to square the framing up, etc...

no place,,,

so you are telling me,,, lets say for a basement room,,,,24x14,,plus the ceiling for a raised ranch type of home,,,,

you would only charge about $500 for labor?????

I would say add material costs of lets say,, $250,,

that seem unbeivable....Am i missing something?

Yea it's a little slim I know... It would depend on the current price of drywall of coarse. It's a fine line.

I could have it done in 2-3 days. A job that small, I'd probably just do by myself. I would only need a helper for an hour to bring in the drywall.

-First day Hang and tape with 1 or 2 coats mud, depending on humidity.

-Second day, last coat, and texture...Maybe prime if humidity is good.

-Couple hours a third day to prime.

You couldn't keep a whole crew constantly busy on that small of a job, because there is drying time between coats. So they would be off on other jobs.

Or another option would be to have help hanging and get it done quick, then initial taping. Then run to another job in the afternoon. Keep stopping in for a couple days until it's done.

What would be a fair price to you?

No place,

Well, based upon what we paid, we wree very, very happy with the outcome and the price. Loacted in central Connecticut, we had our basemnet done. The size is as above, there are 3 windows to cut around. Contractor did the lower wall, upper wall (above grade),,,,,ceiling, plus taped...

$2,000....

Now, he loaded the sheets himslef (4x12)... he didnt tape, just some of the spot finishing, etc. helped a bit with putting the sheet rock up.

We went with a smooth finish ceiling, they had to cut around around 15 or so recessed cans.

But conclusion,,,, we were very haappy. The other quotes cam in about the same range, 1 a bit less,,, one a bit more...They didnt prime, I wanted to do that myself.

Well worth from our ends, no problems with joints,,,,no sanding whatsoever, looks smoother than glass. I would of been happy to pay anywhere from 1750-2250.....

Your price seems too low to be honest. But hey,,,, thats what its all about, if you are happy with it,, thats all that matters and never mind what the next guy makes or doenst make.

If the three windows were wrapped, I would charge a little bit more.

Honestly, I wish I could charge more. It seems like there is quite a bit of competition here. Maybe I should move to Connecticut.

As far as quality, I've never had a complaint. Fast, smooth, no anomalies in the texture, etc... Plus if there is anything that fails by my own doing, I will always come back and fix it free of charge.

noplacelikehome,
Where in the northwest are you from. I am bidding out drywall right now. I live in whatcom county. If you're close I would like to get a bid. Thanks

Spokane

I have a friend who has offered to tape and sand my basement walls & ceiling (~1500 sq ft of walls + 650 sq ft of ceiling). He does not want to set a price and I do not want to underpay him. What would be a fair price for that work?
Thanks.

I need help please. I have about 850 sq.ft.ceiling that needs to have an overlay of 1/4" sheetrock on top of existing 1/2" and 3 walls sheetrocked. One wall is 13'long X 8' heigth and has 2 windows. One wall is 13'X 8'. The 3rd wall in 22' X 8' and has 6 windows and a door. Very little sheetrock, mainly cutouts. I am furnishing the sheetrock. I want to have it hung, floated, taped and finished out. The ceilings will be smooth not textured. Ideas on what is a reasonable cost to have this done. This is a remodeled kitchen/laundry/gathering room. We live in the south (i.e. Mississippi)
thanks

Any thoughts on hanging rock on an existing ceiling with stucco on it?

I live in the Baton Rouge area and I started a small handyman buisness.I have noticed some of the prices on this site.My prices are a lot higher because for instance if someone call me to patch a 4'x4' hole in their ceiling.I would have to cut it out ,install go home and let first pass dry come back put on a second coat let dry again come back and put a finish coat and texture come back to back to paint. So that is 3 trips and sometimes my customers want a free estimate and usually that will be an additioal trip because they are calling all over town to get it done for as cheap as they can.
So here's the senerio a 4'x4' which will be 16sq.ft. even at a dollar a ft that is 16.00.Maybe where ya'll come from that is good money but that want even pay the gas and a cold drink to make the estimate.
I will usually charge between 250.-350. depending if that cutomer has other projects.
I did come across a problem job in a small bathroom that I would like some of your opinions.I customer playing Mr do it yourself removed wallpaer in his bathroom. In the process of removing wallpaper he removed the paper on the drywall.He wanted me to repair it but I suggested for him to overlay wall w/3/8".
The question I have is after you peel of the slick paper and there is loose fiber paper showing is it redeemable or is it better to just yank it out and replace.

I'm a newly licensed contractor in the Los Angeles area and I just want to shoot a quick question at you guys. I have a friend that is getting me lots of work hanging and finishing drywall. I myself am more of an electrical guy but I have the man power to get these jobs and get them done right. I just don't know what would be a fair but profit making price to charge per square foot for the jobs. So I'm asking around and hopefully someone will give me an answer.

One thing I havent noticed mentioned is the price of insurance to be in business. Which can include disability, compensation, liability, and even comercial auto in some states. Im not sure about any other state then NY, but I can tell you it isnt getting any cheaper here. Is it worth someone who isnt covered doing a job for cheaper? Guess thats a decision you have to make. Just my $.02

I've been involved in the drywall industry now for 19 years, and I've worked around alot of really bad drywall guys and a few good ones too. Having been on both ends of the spectrum, I think I can offer a little insight from my perspective. Even though now my price is higher than Joe cheapguy, I don't always make as much $ as the jackleg who will throw out a low figure to land the job and then shortcut his way thru, leaving you a shoddy job in the end. For example, I put in more time and trips completing the job properly as opposed to the racehorse who leaves it half finished.
But too often it's too late before you realize you've been had. The walls and ceiling are already painted, the carpet is down, the furniture is in the room, and you're laid back on the couch looking at the ceiling when you see lines from the butt joints that didn't get run properly or didn't get run the necessary 2nd or 3rd coat, or screw- holes that maybe didn't quite get filled the third time,or the flats that are shallow, or worse, crowned. And you think of that $400 you saved.......just saying.
It ALWAYS costs more to come in behind someone else.And some people just don't know a good job from a shoddy job till much later. I have come to the conclusion that it is far more beneficial to me to "let" the bargain hunters look elsewhere, and then catch them on the flip 2 or 3, 5 or 7 years later after they've learned a hard lessonrather than taking a cut to get the job,and then resenting and regretting forever. I hope 1 person sees this and avoids the mistake of "going with the cheapest" when it comes to your walls and ceilings. Do your homework, look at their work and talk to their references.

I've been working in the construction industry for about 7 years. I work for GC in SC. You can not make money on small drywall jobs! Gas is too exspensive! That guy either sits and watches it dry or he leaves, if he leaves he is burning fuel. Three or four trips depending on distance gets crazy. I would not get my butt kicked for 5 cents a square foot. Size matters! The smaller the more it cost per Sq ft. We charge between $40-$50 a 4x8 sheet hung, finished, sanded, primed. TIPS: Don't let them tape with 20 min mud, don't let them cook the room with a heater to dry faster, Make them prime before you pay them, and last but least check corners and around outlets if they trimed hole too big and just mud it to make it look good it will crack and fall off. Most hispanic crews like to do tape and two quick coats with minumum sanding. usually not good enough once you prime. Check your screw heads after everything drys! what could look good one minute can be bad the next. I always run my hand over everything and look close with light in many directions. If you let them go before they prime you will not be happy and will have to call them back 98% of time. I am real picky about sheetrock so I hope that helps.

I have 2200 sqft of drywall (walls and ceilings). I got a price of $1430, $730 for materials and $700 for labor. This price is for hanging the sheets, no mud or tape.

1. Is this a good price. Seems pretty right on to me @$0.65 a sqft, but I'm not an expert.
2. What should I expect to pay to have it mudded and taped?

I'm in the St. Louis area. I've looked all over for a "finish only" price and have had no luck.

Mike C.

You Get $40-$50 a board for sheetrock? That can not be the going rate?? Is it??? That is $1.40 per sq ft...???

Mark

Yes , the average cost is 1.50 for standard walls and cielings. Add a bit more for high work and or rounded walls , materials will cost more also . That's material , hang ,and finish drywall . Please don't hire a company that mows lawns on the weekend . Call a good guy like myself who will back up his work for at least a year or two. Shawn Lally N.J

Shawn is right in the ballpark.
I am in Iowa City, Iowa. I have been a remodeling contractor for 22 years. My drywaller charges between 1.50 and 2.00 a square foot of sheetrock depending on the size of the job. My guy does excellent work, has insurance, a decent looking truck, a spray rig, and is not a drunk or drug addict, which in the drywall industry is saying a lot. I have schedules to keep and homeowners to keep happy. It is well worth it to have someone who shows up when they say they will, do their job clean up their mess and lock the door behind them on the way out. New construction is running right at 1.00 a foot here. That is per square foot of wall or ceiling.

I have hung, mudded and taped plenty of gyp on DIY projects for my own houses, friends, family, etc. Hanging I do not mind as much, but the mudding and taping I HATE. My wife is actually pretty good at hanging with me as well and does not mind it (she is a great girl!).
However do any of your pro-drywallers offer just mudding and taping if the hanging is done? I understand completely it has to be hung correctly, as it is reflected in the finish work or amount of time it takes to finish it. Is this something you offer or prefer to avoid completely? We are working on designing our new house, and working on pricing. This is one area we are up in the air about. I will be building it myself, but subbing out some of the areas.

Hanging & finishing for 6-years.
Average price hang = $1.00 to $1.50 per square foot.
Average price finish = $1.00 to $1.50 per square foot.
Ceilings, soffits, 2nd-stories, stairwells = + .50 per sq ft. Another way to calculate is $34 per panel, which includes cost of materials, delivery, hanging and finishing. Price per panel decreases as # of panels increases & sq. ft. increases. So if over 300 panels you are looking at $28 per panel. Some guys quote less, but in the end that is what you will pay for the job to be done right -- anything less and you will pay for it in other ways! Beware the non-English speaking illegals -- they may be cheaper but they are illegal and they don't finish right. Plus you'll go to the clink. I know a cop who got busted using illegals -- now he's no longer a cop. Also beware of other g.c.'s who want a top-quality job but don't to pay subs -- they are giving us good g.c.'s a hard time to find good subs who won't work w/out 30% deposit. . Also beware Chinese drywall -- there is still some of it out there -- it will ruin all the appliances.

I live in the northeast and was wondering how much should it cost me for labor only per sheet of drywall to hang, tape, and mud 4*8 drywall sheets

Where do you live Bestworker? We just paid almost 5k for about 70 sheets.

I'm charging for labor only, hang and tape and primer $30 per sheet. If they want mento paint also its $40 per sheet. Be very careful who you choose to your drywall, anyone can say they know how to do it. A good contact is one that people will refer to you. I've had to go fix other drywall work because they didn't know how to float seams and it looked like humps on walls and ceilings. That is why I recommend they primer, so that you both can spot any imperfections. Hope this helps

I live In southwest Virginia. Jobs are hard to find around here because of the economy I've been doing construction work for about 16 years but I really took a liking to drywall work and over the years I've got really good at it but anyway I usually. Charge 8 dollars a 4x8 board to hang and the same to finish that includes 3 coats of mud if the want a slick finish or 2 coats of mud and I also spray and texture for that price it's .50 cents a foot. I usually work alone and use a drywall lift for ceilings so it cuts down on having to pay help I do perty good if I can hang 70 4x8 sheets in 5 days it's comes out to be 560 bucks that's perty decent money where I live I'm not out to get Rick just to make it but if you do quality work at a fair price that's just the right thing to do

So ive been in the trade since I was 14 hanging on weekends and after school ( family ) im now 33 and have been full time since highs school, I have over 15 years of solid exp as a piece worker, hanging and finish, seeing someone say if they can hang 70 sheets in a week they are happy makes me wonder if they really know how much money they could make if they learned how to "piece work"??!!.... my brother and I charge $25 per sheet for a basic house with 8 ft cielings, if its a house with more detail we could charge up to $35 per sheet, that's just labor, if we supply material its anywhere from $50 up to $70....the location plays a factor also....houses on the coast tend to be a higher price....anyways say we have a house that's 150 sheets ( 12 foot sheets ALWAYS ) we hang it in 2 days and tape, finish, sand in 5 days.... hanging is always faster money cause your only doing it once! so say we are charging 25 we split it in half 12.50 to hang 12.50 to tape...so that's $1,875 we split 50 50 that we made in 2 days.... we always get a check after hanging then again after finish....and most of our contractors are right there to pay when the last screw is in then when the dust hits the floor......if we are charging 35 we would take 15 to hang 20 to tape....we also do commercial work when we want a break from houses....and that's through another bigger drywall company.... but you can make a lot more piece working commercial stand ups....we mostly tape when it comes to that but we can do anywhere from 350 - 500 sheets a week 10' stand ups, but since its through a different company and not for our own we may get 12-14 a sheet.... but still 350 sheets a week at 12 is a 2,000$$ week!! ( its not always like that but it can be!!) and if your thinking well why doesn't every0ne do that then.... cause not just anyone can!! even guys that are good drywallers and do a great clean job and really know the skill doesn't mean they know to "flow" and hang 80 sheets a day or tape 400 a week.....and just an fyi, our work is by far top quality so no just because we run and go fast doesn't mean we "butch" anything!!.... its called pride and wanting to be the best at what you do!

and you don't need a 3 man crew!!! ever!! 2 guys to hang is best why would I wanna give my money to someone to just be in the way lol .....our system is the reason we get called every day

What would be an average cost to frame (3 rooms) basement, drywall, mudd and tape? We are leaving ceiling exposed so no need to do that. Labor only!

$99.95

?

You wanted a price?

I live in Florida I have 2 wall to hang,tape,texture,and paint what do I charge for a small job ...