Also known as sheetrock, drywall is a significant component of any construction project. It is an expensive material and determining how much drywall you require is the first step if you are planning for house construction.
Mostly, contractors find it tough to do the construction takeoffs for drywall works. If you are also struggling with the estimation of drywall materials, then keep on reading.
Measure the Dimensions of the Area
To find how much drywall material will be required, measure the height width of the area. At times, the walls are not rectangular, so you can calculate the wall in small sections starting from more standard size and shape of the area and then moving towards the complex sections. Once completed, add them to complete the estimated materials needed. You can also use some online tools for complex area calculations.
Consider areas such as doors, or windows that will not be taken into consideration while estimating the material as these areas do not require drywalling. After getting the square footage, divide that number by the size of the drywall sheet you will be using. This will give you the approximate number of drywall sheets required for the project.
For example, if the surface of the wall is 1500 sq. ft. and the sheets you are using are standard 4′ x 8′ sheets, then divide 1500 by 32, and the estimation would be up to 47 sheets.
However, we recommend you add 10% in waste or cuts for the completion of the project.
Estimating Joint Compound and Tape for Drywall Project
When you estimate the number of drywall sheets needed, the next step is estimating how much tape and joint compound you will need. Joint compounds and mud products vary with respect to coverage and the estimate will be generated on the product you want to use for your project.
Measure Drywall Screws
To discover the pounds of screws required, you need to partition the complete square-foot zone of drywall by 300. For instance, if you have a 1200 square foot of drywall, you will separate (1200 by 300=4 pounds of the screw).
Sheetrock Size
The larger the sheets, the less it will cost for materials and labor to finish. However, such sheets are difficult to handle so you will have to understand the factors involved.
Large sheets do not fit through stairwells and doorways. These might or might not make sense in commercial projects and are not a safe bet when it comes to residential projects.
Other factors taken into account are delivery of the materials that should also be considered while estimating the drywall construction costs.
