# How much drywall?



## prpainter (Dec 5, 2011)

I have been doing drywall for almost 3 years and got a decent method to estimating price. but wat is best way to estimate how many sheets of drywall in a room? how many per square foot or how else do you all measure it?


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## jb4211 (Jul 13, 2010)

you've been doing drywall for three yrs and still don't know?


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## essrmo (May 2, 2007)

measure it in plaster yards.


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## prpainter (Dec 5, 2011)

I've never done it for myself before so it never mattered to me.


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## jb4211 (Jul 13, 2010)

how many sq feet are in a standard 4' x 8' sheet of drywall?:whistling


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## Sar-Con (Jun 23, 2010)

We all start somewhere don't we?

I don't do many boarding estimates anymore, but when I do this gets me close enough.

I measure each room's walls in length x height / board size. No deducts for window or door openings, unless it's greater than the size of board you're using.

For bulkheads I generally take them off to the nearest 12" width x length.

Wastage allowance is 5%, unless there is some funky angles or bumpouts. Adjust according to your skills...


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## Sar-Con (Jun 23, 2010)

jb4211 said:


> how many sq feet are in a standard 4' x 8' sheet of drywall?:whistling


Was that standard or metric?:no:


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## VinylHanger (Jul 14, 2011)

Measure the square footage of the room and you should be good to go. Don't forget the lid. If you have a funky room, or exposed beams or any number of odd items, you can figure it by sheets that it will take you to cover. If I rip it here, I can use it there.

I like to do it by sheets unless it is a straight box. I usually only do small jobs, so it is easier to keep the numbers tight. On a whole house, I measure the square footage and allow room for wastage.


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## griz (Nov 26, 2009)

If someone in an office doesn't order the board & send it out...

Every hanging crew I have ever seen comes in & does a board count.
They do not use a tape measure. They count studs & joist & lickety split they have how many of what length board they need.


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## jb4211 (Jul 13, 2010)

griz said:


> They count studs & joist & lickety split they have how many of what length board they need.


Who is this "lickety split" you speak of? Are they two drywall guys out in CA: Mr. Lickety and Mr. Split?


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## Anti-wingnut (Mar 12, 2009)

jb4211 said:


> how many sq feet are in a standard 4' x 8' sheet of drywall?:whistling


How thick is it?


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## jb4211 (Jul 13, 2010)

Anti-wingnut said:


> How thick is it?


:laughing::laughing:


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## Terrorron (Nov 7, 2008)

If asked to "pull a number out of your *ss" (for a rough estimate) on the number of square feet of board in a typical house, I have found that footprint x 4 x number of floors will put you right in the ballpark (+/- 10%), nine times out of ten. This is close enough to drop a preliminary number; _be sure you emphsize _that this will be _subject to change_, following the actual layout/sheet count. For firing out a quick answer over the phone? It works.:thumbsup:

Cheers, Ron


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## Big Shoe (Jun 16, 2008)

Terrorron said:


> If asked to "pull a number out of your *ss" (for a rough estimate) on the number of square feet of board in a typical house, I have found that footprint x 4 x number of floors will put you right in the ballpark (+/- 10%), nine times out of ten. This is close enough to drop a preliminary number; _be sure you emphsize _that this will be _subject to change_, following the actual layout/sheet count. For firing out a quick answer over the phone? It works.:thumbsup:
> 
> Cheers, Ron


So my 25'x70' 2 story house would be 350 boards..............Let me get back to you on that one.:thumbsup:


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## Big Shoe (Jun 16, 2008)

jb4211 said:


> how many sq feet are in a standard 4' x 8' sheet of drywall?:whistling


Sometimes not saying anything is better.


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## jb4211 (Jul 13, 2010)

Big Shoe said:


> Sometimes not saying anything is better.



I actually wasn't trying to be a smartarz. I was trying to start a conversation and allow him to discover the answer. I think that's a better way of educating than to just say, this is how I do it. By opening up some dialog we both may learn something. But, he never posted any other comments.


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## The Coastal Craftsman (Jun 29, 2009)

The drywall supplier here will measure it for you from plans or go out to measure. They will get you a full list of what you need and they do this for free. I do it my self as I don't do drywall much but it's really not hard.


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## Terrorron (Nov 7, 2008)

BCConstruction said:


> The drywall supplier here will measure it for you from plans or go out to measure. They will get you a full list of what you need and they do this for free. I do it my self as I don't do drywall much but it's really not hard.


No thank you. I'll have my butt joints fall where _I _want them to fall. That said? I do my own taping too...


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## PrecisionTaping (Jan 8, 2012)

Is this a joke?
Whats the best way to count drywall for a room?
Look at it!
Its like anything else.
Im not a hardwood, tile or carpet guy, but im pretty sure I know how to get the square footage of a room. Measure!
I cant believe there's so many comments on this thread...for this!? lol. wow. Let me break it down for you.
4 x 8 Sheet = 32 Square ft
4 x 10 Sheet = 40 Square ft
4 x 12 Sheet = 48 Square ft.

Count how many sheets you need! Simple as that.
Judge for yourself where you'd like your butt joints and measure accordingly. You charge by the squ/ft.
So go around, count how many sheets you need and at the end of your job figure out what you square footage is.

So if you have 40 12ft's, you'd do 40 x 48(squ/ft in a 12ft length) 
= 1920 squ/ft. 
and so on and so forth with the amount of 10's and 8's you have.
Then you'll have your total square footage and thats how you know how much to charge. Charge by the square foot.
Square ft rates vary in different places so its hard to give you a figure. Ask around in your local area.


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## greg24k (May 19, 2007)

Here You Go, have fun with it :thumbsup:


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