Settings
Wall drywall thickness

½″ is standard for walls · ⅝″ for fire-rated walls or garages

Sheet size

Taller sheets reduce horizontal seams on high walls

Waste / cut factor
Cost per sheet ($)

½″ 4×8: ~$14–$18 · ⅝″ 4×8: ~$16–$20 · 4×12: ~$24–$30

Number of rooms
1 rooms

Add each room separately to account for different heights or configurations.

Room dimensions
Ceiling drywall
⅝″ drywall for ceilings — sag-resistant and standard for new construction
Ceiling sheet cost ($ / sheet)

⅝″ 4×8: ~$16–$21. Ceiling drywall is priced per sheet same as walls here — adjust if different.

Include ceiling in sheet count

Ceiling area is calculated from room length × width.

Sloped / angled walls (knee walls, dormers, gables)
Adds triangular area: ½ × base × height at peak

Add each sloped section separately. Each entry calculates as a right triangle (½ × base × height).

1 sloped sections
Outside corners & corner bead
Outside corner count
4

Each outside corner requires a full-height bead strip. Count all protruding corners across all rooms.

Avg corner height (ft)
Corner bead cost ($ / 8-ft piece)

Metal or vinyl bead: ~$1.50–$3.50 per 8-ft piece.

Joint compound (mud) & tape
3-coat system: tape coat, filler coat, finish coat
Compound type

Lightweight is easiest to sand · Hot mud sets faster — better for first coat

Number of coats

3 coats is standard. 2 coats acceptable for utility spaces.

Compound cost ($ / 4.5-gal bucket)

Lightweight pre-mixed: ~$16–$22 per 4.5-gal bucket (covers ~180 sq ft per coat).

Paper tape cost ($ / 500-ft roll)

Paper tape: ~$6–$10/roll. Fiberglass mesh: ~$8–$14/roll (not for butt joints).

Include finish texture
Adds compound for knockdown, orange peel, or skim coat finish
Drywall primer
PVA primer seals compound and paper face — skipping this causes flashing through paint
Primer cost ($ / gal)

PVA drywall primer: ~$18–$30/gal. Coverage ~300–400 sq ft / gallon.

Screws & fasteners
Coarse-thread for wood framing, fine-thread for metal studs
Framing type
Screw cost ($ / 1-lb box)

~$8–$12 per lb. ~145 screws / lb. ~32 screws per 4×8 sheet standard.

Labor
Hanging, taping, mudding, and finishing
Hanging labor ($ / sheet)

Includes cutting, positioning, and fastening. Typical: $25–$50/sheet.

Finishing labor ($ / sq ft)

Taping, 3-coat mudding, and sanding. Typical: $0.90–$1.75/sq ft.

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Total sq ft
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Sheets needed
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Materials
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Est. total
Cost breakdown
Wall drywall sheets—
Corner bead—
Total estimate—
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Wall sheets
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Ceiling sheets
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Mud buckets
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Tape rolls (500 ft)
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Corner bead pieces
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Screw lbs needed

Sheet count rounded up · Mud coverage ~180 sq ft per coat per 4.5-gal bucket · Tape: ~1 roll per 500 lin ft of seams · Primer coverage ~350 sq ft / gallon · Prices exclude tax and delivery