How Fast Can Drywall Be Installed? (Read This First)

Drywall helps decorate your walls and ceiling. In addition, drywall works wonders in your garage. Hence, it is a recent trend to install drywall around homes.

However, before you start your installation, it is essential to note that some factors determine how fast you can install drywall. 

If you don’t have any prior experience in drywall installations, you have to consider these factors. 

Hence, how fast can a sheet of drywall be installed?

Professional installers take 25 to 35 minutes to hang a drywall sheet, apply layers of mud, and sand it. If you have no experience, installing a drywall sheet may take a long time. The mudding requires the most time because you have to apply different layers of mud and allow it to dry. 

After reading the above section, you must wonder how long it will take to complete this project. 

No worries, I will explain how long it will take you to hang and finish a drywall sheet. 

In addition, I will also explain the various factors you must watch out for when working on this project. 

How Fast Can You Install Drywall?

There’s no direct answer to your question. 

How fast you install drywall depends on the room size, framing complexity, sanding, mudding, and the number of workers.

A pro would take about 20 minutes to hang a sheet of drywall, use 10 minutes to apply each layer of mud coating, and 5 minutes to sand it. 

Applying layers of mud coat takes time off your hands. Hence, most installers prefer having someone who can apply the coat layers for them. 

As I mentioned, I can’t give you a fixed number of sheets you can install daily. So it would be best if you calculated yourself after considering the factors. 

Hence, below is a detailed explanation of how these factors affect your productivity: 

#1. Size of the Room

The size of the room is an essential factor. How fast you hang drywall depends significantly on the room size. 

The bigger the house or room, the more time you will spend installing drywall. 

If the size of your house is between 1000 to 2000 square feet, it will take an experienced crew about a week to finish the entire installation process. 

If you have a larger house, fixing drywall sheets will take your crew longer. 

Doing it yourself will take more time to finish. 

However, it wouldn’t be realistic for you to do this entire project yourself if you have that much space to cover. 

#2. Number of Workers

The number of workers on your team directly translates to how fast you can install drywall in your home. 

If two people can finish a house in a week, a group of four should do it half the time. 

However, if you’re doing the entire project without professional help, it will take more time to fix. 

Furthermore, there will be a lot of mistakes and wastage of materials. 

Hence, if you’re fixing drywall in a big house, you should employ the help of professional workers or at least a supervisor. 

Employing a supervisor will not only help you save time but will also cut down on the wastage of materials. 

In addition, the quality of the project will also increase. Thus, the finishing and overall beauty of the project will be visible. 

Even if you opt to get this project done without professional help, it would be best to have a helping hand. 

#3. Ceiling Height

A standard drywall sheet is 4X8. Hence, if your ceiling is only 8 feet above the ground, you can cover the wall’s height with one sheet.

However, installing drywall will be more technical if your ceiling is higher. 

Since this height will be constant, you’ll have to measure each board and cut it to the right height. 

Furthermore, most houses have ceilings that are higher than 8 feet. Thus, it would be best to consider the extra time it will take to cut each drywall sheet to the appropriate height.

#4. Complex Framing 

Hanging drywall alone isn’t complicated, but delays come when hanging drywall at edges, beams, and joists. 

Furthermore, making holes in drywall for air conditioning and lighting outlets takes more time off your hands. You will also need more time if your house has many windows. 

In addition, framing drywall around the garage door also takes time. 

#5. Joint Compounds

You may have finished hanging drywall around your house, but the project isn’t over yet. 

After hanging drywall, you have to mud the drywall to cover up the joints. Mudding requires time and precision for you to get the right finish. Muds are of different compositions. 

Some joint compounds dry off quickly, while others take some time. If you want to save time, use setting-type fast-drying joint compounds. 

A drywall coat consists of three different layers. Before you apply another coat, the previous mud has to dry up first. 

Hence, you must wait for a layer of mud to dry off completely. However, this will result in more time on the project. 

#6. Weather Condition

As I mentioned in the previous section, each layer of mud requires some time to dry before you coat it again. 

How quickly mud dries depends on the humidity and weather. For example, a mud layer will take longer to dry on a rainy day. 

Don’t rush the project, especially if the mud hasn’t dried up. If you rush and apply the next coat, it will give you some issues in the future. 

How Much Drywall Can Be Installed in a Day?

A pro should be able to hang between 32 to 40 sheets without mudding on an average 8-hour workday. 

However, if you’re working alone, you can hang, on average, 24 sheets. 

The project will go faster if you have someone to help you mud these sheets while you hang them up. 

It will take half the time to hang 24 sheets if someone is helping you with the project. 

You can hang 24 sheets in four hours if you work with someone else. Hence, you should manage 40-48 sheets in a day. 

How Long Does It Take to Hang One Sheet of Drywall? 

It takes an amateur three to five hours to hang a single drywall sheet. 

How long it takes to hang a sheet of drywall depends on experience level, the job’s complexity, and the sheet’s size. 

If a single sheet requires cutting, taping, and screwing, it will take a long time to hang a drywall. 

Furthermore, you must spend more time on each board if you want quality results. 

Considering all these, it may take you a long time to hang a sheet of drywall. However, a pro can hang between 4 to 5 sheets of drywall per hour.

How Long Does It Take to Drywall a 1000 Square Foot House? 

It takes professional drywall installers 5 to 7 days to finish a 1000-square-foot house. 

If you’ve to do the installation yourself, it will take you a long time to finish the project. 

Consider hiring some professional help if your house is that big. 

The pricing to fix drywall on a 1000-square-foot house is constantly fluctuating. Furthermore, the price varies with different contractors. 

If you need a budget to hire some help, below is a range of prices you should be expecting:

House Size (square feet)	Price ($)	Fixing time (days)
1000	3000 – 4500	5-7
1500	5000 – 6000	9 – 13