The quick answer#
Most homeowners pay $1.50 to $3.50 per square foot of surface to have drywall hung, taped and finished in 2026. Ceilings run a little higher at $1.50 to $3.80, and per sheet that works out to $30 to $70 hung and finished.
Walls, hung and finished
$1.50–$3.50per sq ftCeilings, hung and finished
$1.50–$3.80per sq ftHung only, no finishing
$0.85–$1.90per sq ftTear out and replace
$2.00–$6.00per sq ftAll three national surveys read for this guide, HomeGuide, HomeAdvisor and Fixr, agree on $1.50 to $3.50 per square foot for a typical job. The square foot here is wall and ceiling surface, not floor area: a 12 by 12 room with 8 foot walls has 144 square feet of floor and 528 square feet of drywall once the ceiling is included. Measure the surface first. The drywall calculator turns the room into a sheet count, screws and joint compound.
Before you price anything
Find out how many sheets your room takes
Enter the room size and ceiling height to get the surface area, 4x8 sheets with waste, screws and gallons of mud.
Cost by board type#
Standard half inch board covers most of a house. The specialty boards cost more for the board itself, and some cost more to hang because they are heavier or harder to cut.
| Board | Board only | Installed | Where it goes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | $0.42–$0.50 | $1.50–$2.50 | Most walls and ceilings in a house. |
| Moisture resistant | $0.54–$0.63 | $1.65–$2.75 | Bathrooms, laundry rooms and basements. Not a tile backer in a shower. |
| Fire rated | $0.50–$0.88 | $1.60–$3.50 | Garage walls shared with the house, and around furnaces, where code calls for it. |
| Paperless | $0.63–$0.92 | $1.75–$4.00 | Fiberglass faced, so mold has no paper to feed on. Basements. |
| Soundproof | $2.08–$3.15 | $3.55–$7.50 | Laminated board for media rooms and shared walls. |
Fixr's per square foot figures for each board type, materials and installed. HomeAdvisor's board-only prices run close: $0.40 to $0.50 for standard, $0.55 to $0.90 for fire resistant and $1.85 to $3.00 for soundproof.
Cost by room size#
Because drywall is priced on surface, a room's total grows faster than its floor area: the walls and ceiling both get bigger. Small rooms also cost more per square foot, since a crew charges a minimum to show up and mix mud at all.
| Room | 4x8 sheets | Installed |
|---|---|---|
| 5 x 8 bathroom | 9 | $300–$1,000 |
| 12 x 12 bedroom | 19 | $580–$1,800 |
| 12 x 20 primary bedroom | 26 | $750–$2,600 |
| 16 x 20 living room | 31 | $850–$3,100 |
| 20 x 20 garage | 36 | $1,000–$3,900 |
Installed totals are HomeGuide's room figures. Sheet counts are the drywall calculator's, for 8 foot walls plus the ceiling with 10 percent waste. HomeGuide puts a 1,000 square foot basement at $1,500 to $7,000 and a whole 2,000 square foot house at $8,000 to $30,000.
What moves the price#
Finish level#
Finishing is graded from level 0, board screwed up with no tape, to level 5, a skim coat over everything for walls that will take glossy paint or raking light. Most rooms in a house are level 4. The step from level 4 to level 5 is small per square foot but it is extra coats, so it adds days.
| Level | Per sq ft | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| Level 0 | $0.85–$1.90 | Hung only, no tape or mud. |
| Level 2 | $1.30–$2.60 | Garages, storage, and walls that will be tiled. |
| Level 3 | $1.50–$2.75 | Walls getting a medium or heavy texture. |
| Level 4 | $1.70–$3.20 | Flat paint or a light texture. Most living space. |
| Level 5 | $1.75–$3.50 | Satin or gloss paint, and walls under strong side light. |
HomeGuide's figures, hanging and finishing together. Taping and mudding on its own runs $0.35 to $1.10 per square foot.
Ceilings and height#
Ceiling board goes up overhead on a lift or with a second pair of hands, and HomeGuide prices it at $1.50 to $3.80 per square foot against $1.50 to $3.50 for walls. Walls taller than 8 feet push the rate up for the same reason: scaffolding, longer sheets, and more joints worked off a ladder.
Texture#
Orange peel, knockdown and similar textures add $0.80 to $2.00 per square foot on both HomeGuide's and HomeAdvisor's figures. Texture also hides imperfect finishing, which is why a textured wall can be finished to level 3 rather than level 4.
Tear-out#
Removing old drywall adds $0.50 to $2.50 per square foot on HomeGuide's figures, which is how a replacement job reaches $2 to $6 per square foot all in. In an older house, test joint compound and texture for asbestos before anyone sands or demolishes it. HomeAdvisor puts testing at about $500 on average.
Permits and minimums#
Replacing existing drywall rarely needs a permit, but hanging it on new framing usually does, and HomeAdvisor puts drywall permits at $50 to $400. Many crews also carry a minimum charge, $100 to $150 even for small repairs on HomeAdvisor's figures, which is why one patch costs nearly as much as three.
Materials by component#
Here is the material side of a 12 by 12 room with 8 foot walls and the ceiling done, 528 square feet of surface. The quantities are the drywall calculator's at 10 percent waste.
| Component | Quantity | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Board, 4x8 sheets | 19 sheets | $190–$285 |
| Joint compound, tape, screws, corner bead | 6 gal, 608 screws | $74–$137 |
| Total materials | 528 sq ft | $264–$422 |
Board is Fixr's $10 to $15 per 4x8 sheet. The total is HomeGuide's $0.50 to $0.80 per square foot of materials applied to 528 square feet, and the finishing line is the difference between the two. Joint compound is one gallon per 100 square feet, USG's published coverage, which is what the drywall calculator buys to.
The board is the obvious line, but it is the cheaper half of the work. Materials are $0.50 to $0.80 of the $1.50 to $3.50 per square foot an installed job costs, and HomeGuide puts labor at 65 to 75 percent of the total. If the walls are being framed new, the stud count comes first: the framing calculator counts studs, plates and headers for a wall with doors and windows in it, and every stud is a line the drywall has to land on.
Framing the room first?
Studs, plates and headers for the walls
Enter the wall length, stud spacing and openings to get the full stud count and linear feet of plate before the board goes up.
DIY versus contractor#
Labor is $1.00 to $2.70 per square foot on HomeGuide's figures, against $0.50 to $0.80 for materials. That gap is bigger than on almost any other interior job, and it is the number you are deciding about.
| Approach | Cost | Time |
|---|---|---|
| DIY, materials only | $264–$422 | A weekend to hang, then three or four evenings of mud |
| Contractor, installed | $792–$1,848 | 2 to 4 days, mostly drying time |
| What you keep | $528–$1,426 | — |
Installed is 528 square feet at $1.50 to $3.50. What you keep is the labor share, $1.00 to $2.70 per square foot. HomeGuide's own room figure for a 12 by 12 bedroom is $580 to $1,800, a little lower because not every quote includes the ceiling.
Hanging board on walls is reasonable DIY work. Ceilings are heavy overhead work, and renting a drywall lift for a day is worth it even for one room. Finishing is where amateur work shows: joints that are visible under paint, sanding marks, and corners that are not straight. A common split is to hang the board yourself and pay a finisher for the tape and mud only, at $0.35 to $1.10 per square foot on HomeGuide's figures.
Before the board goes up
Everything inside the wall has to be finished and inspected first: wiring, plumbing, blocking for anything heavy you will hang later, and insulation. Insulation is cheapest with the studs exposed, and the insulation cost guide covers what that runs. Once the board is up, any of those becomes a cut-and-patch job.
Build the shopping list
Sheets, screws and mud for your room
Set the room size, ceiling height and waste to get the sheet count and the supplies to finish it.
Checking a quote in two minutes#
Work out the surface area, then hold the quote against the per square foot range.
Take the 12 by 12 room with the ceiling, 528 square feet. At $1.50 to $3.50 that is $792 to $1,848. A quote of $1,300 is mid-range. A quote of $2,800 is over $5 per square foot, so ask what is in it: tear-out of the old board at up to $2.50 a foot, texture at up to $2.00, or a level 5 finish would each explain part of it. For a whole house, the framing calculator and the drywall calculator together give you the wall area to check against.
The same test runs the other way. A quote well under the range usually means level 3 rather than level 4, two coats of mud instead of three, or no primer before paint. Ask every bidder what finish level they are quoting and whether priming is included, and the cheap quotes tend to explain themselves. Painting is its own line after that, and the cost to paint a room guide prices it.
Save the drywall cost chart#
Sheets and installed cost for five common rooms, walls and ceiling. Save it and you can check a drywall quote against the room before the crew starts.
Save to PinterestOpens Pinterest with the chart and link ready to go.
Common questions#
How much does it cost to drywall a 12x12 room?#
HomeGuide puts a 12 by 12 bedroom at $580 to $1,800 hung and finished. With 8 foot walls and the ceiling done, the room has 528 square feet of surface, which at $1.50 to $3.50 per square foot comes to $792 to $1,848. It takes about 19 sheets of 4x8 board with 10 percent waste.
How much does a sheet of drywall cost?#
A standard 4x8 sheet costs $10 to $15 as board alone on Fixr's figures. Hung, taped and finished, HomeGuide puts it at $30 to $70 a sheet, and Fixr at $48 to $80. Moisture resistant, fire rated and soundproof board all cost more per sheet.
Is it cheaper to hang drywall yourself?#
Yes, by a wide margin, because labor is 65 to 75 percent of an installed drywall job. On a 12 by 12 room with the ceiling, materials are $264 to $422 against $792 to $1,848 installed. Hanging is the easier half; finishing is where DIY work shows, so some people hang the board and pay a finisher.
What drywall finish level do I need?#
Level 4 for most living space, which takes flat paint or a light texture and runs $1.70 to $3.20 per square foot hung and finished. Level 5 adds a skim coat for gloss paint or strong side light at $1.75 to $3.50. Garages and walls that will be tiled only need level 2.