Have you ever considered doing decorative work like drywall installation in your home but felt it would take too long to finish?
While that is a valid point, many factors contribute to the drywall installation duration.
If you are looking for the correct information on how to go about it, you are in the right place.
Read on to find out how many hours it takes to finish drywall and why.
It will take a drywalling crew at least six days to four weeks to install drywall. However, so many factors influence how long the process takes. They include the size of your home, weather conditions, crew size, type of drywall, type of framing, and the height and size of your ceiling. The duration varies according to the circumstances.
In this article, I’ll walk you through the working hours for drywall installation and the entire process. I’ll then go further to explain why your drywall installation is time-consuming.
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How Many Hours Should Drywall Finishing Take?
When it comes to drywall installation, there are no cutting corners. You will need to follow detailed guidelines no matter how long it will take to complete the process.
On the other hand, there is no specific time duration you can use for your installation since so many factors affect the time range.
However, it will take a drywalling crew at least six days to complete a single installation. Finishing more complex home designs would take at least 2 to 4 weeks.
Below are some factors responsible for how many hours your drywalling takes.
#1. Home Size
Your home size is the most crucial factor to consider for this. For example, you should not expect a 3-man crew to finish drywalling a large home at the same time a 6-man crew finishes.
The square footage of the house is the defining factor for how many hours a drywalling crew will finish working.
A 1000 – 2000 feet house will take a crew at least one week to completely drywall.
#2. Framing Dexterity
Homes with fewer windows, doors, rooms, and corners will take less time to drywall.
Most corners take a diverse framing pattern, making the crew spend more time painting and drywalling every part of the corners.
#3. Height And Size Of Your Wall And Ceiling
Most drywall comes in an 8 feet long sheet. While short, narrow, and smaller walls take less time to drywall, larger and taller walls do not.
For instance, larger walls require more wrapping of sheets and are time-consuming.
On the other hand, if you opt for larger sheets, you must understand that they are heavy to carry and expensive to purchase.
Taller ceilings are also challenging to reach and may not necessarily have even surfaces or designs, which makes it essential for professionals to take extra time when drywalling them.
#4. The Type Of Drywall Finishing
After drywalling, most professionals prefer to leave the drywall smooth without further enhancement.
However, texturing your drywall after installing it in your home is possible. To save time, you can skip the texturing part without worrying about issues like pinholes.
#5. The Size Of Your Crew And Their Individual Experiences
Here is another important factor influencing how much time you will spend fixing drywall.
A crew with the right expertise, team spirit, and skill set will likely achieve more in less time than a crew that depends simply on their number.
Additionally, you can trust an experienced crew to do a stable and efficient job. Fortunately, this does not rule out the possibility of installing your drywall yourself.
If you must do that, it will take longer and may give you low-quality or poor outcomes.
#6. Environmental Conditions
Environmental conditions such as high humidity levels, heat, and heavy rainfall all contribute to the total duration of drywall.
For example, high humidity makes drywall take longer to dry completely. Drywall installation follows sequencing. You can not put another layer if the previous layer is wet.
When this happens, the crew will have to wait a few more days to allow the drywall to dry before they can continue working.
Still, it is always worth the wait to stop your drywall from getting damaged or wearing out quickly.
Is Drywall Finishing Hard?
Of course, Drywall finishing requires precision and expertise. It is the finishing touch for your drywalling.
If done wrongly, you may encounter several issues, including Pinholes. Ensure you use suitable materials and tools when finishing.
Also, when not done correctly, it could result in damage, cracks, Pinholes, and little bubbles can form in them.
Drywall finishing is necessary for every part of the room, but especially for ceilings, doors, windows, and curved areas.
Here are some of the steps involved in drywall finishing:
- Clean the surfaces and remove contaminants such as dirt, dust, and cracks.
- Apply paper tape to the surfaces.
- After that, put fiberglass on the walls.
- Finish the interior corners, curves, and walls first.
- You can now go ahead to finish the exterior corners and also drill nails where necessary.
- The next step is to apply the fill coat to your surfaces.
- Allow the fill coat to dry, then apply your finishing coat
- Finally, use sandpaper to scrub and level out the joint compound
For professional drywall finishing, I recommend JMA Painters. They have so far gained a good reputation with their customers for their outstanding services.
How Much Drywall Can One Man Finish In 8 Hours?
The number of drywall sheets one man can install depends on factors such as his experience, the size of the room, and the framing dexterity of the doors, windows, and ceiling.
However, the standard time for hanging each wrap of a 4X8 drywall sheet is about 10 to 20 minutes if every necessary condition falls in place.
Therefore, that means that in an hour, one man can hang at least 3 to 4 drywalls which is about 24 layers of sheets.
While this number of sheets may sound unachievable, one man can do more with the right tools and expertise if he has smooth work experience.
However, one man can lay this number of drywalls if he does not encounter issues such as:
- Mistakenly undercutting or overcutting the drywall sheets. When this happens, the installer has to discard the former pieces, re-measure them and recut them.
- Uneven and unequal sizes of power outlets and light switches. You will have to cut it separately to fix the drywall.
- Varying sizes of rooms, ceilings, and walls
- The stud may refuse to line in where they should be.
- If the framing is not as straight or accurate as possible, the installer will also encounter delays during the drywall installation process.
- Lastly, another long sheet can cause your drywall to crack, destroying its structural integrity.
How Much Should I Charge To Finish Drywall?
The general cost for drywall finishing ranges from around $1000 to as high as $3000 for each installation.
When drywalling an old room of about 1,000 square feet, the price group ranges around $1,800 for every half-inch drywall.
However, a few cost factors contribute to the money you should charge for drywall finishing.
That said, let’s quickly run through these factors.
#1. The Cost For A Drywall Finishing Per Square Foot
Drywall installers often charge homeowners depending on the size of the house. For example, the price for a single project is usually lower than the cost of drywalling an entire house.
The labor cost per square foot is often $1.00. Therefore, you can charge at least $1.50 to $3.50 per square foot for a single drywall finish.
#2. Cost Consideration For Different Drywall Types
Here’s another fact you must consider when deciding how much to charge for drywall finishing.
Every drywall type has unique specifications and various soundproof properties, sizes, and quality.
For example, soundproof drywall costs at least $50.00 to $75.00 per sheet to install. On the other hand, standard drywall costs about $10.00 to $12.00 per sheet to install.
Regarding the sizes, drywall comes in 4 by 8 sheets, 4 by 12 sheets, and 4 by 16 sheets.
Below is a table showing the finishing cost for each drywall size.
| Size Of Drywall Sheet | Cost Of Finishing |
|---|---|
| 4 by 8 sheets | $10.00 per sheet |
| 4 by 12 sheets | $12.00 to $18.00 per sheet |
| 4 by 60 sheets | $16 .00 to $25.00 per sheet |
#3. Finish Level Cost
The finish level is the last factor for charging drywall projects. Labor costs usually differ according to the finish level or type of finishing, such as the level 0-1 finish, level 2-3 finish, and level 4-5 finish.
Here is a table showing the labor cost for each finished level.
| Finish Level | Labor Cost |
|---|---|
| Level 0-1 | $0.15 to $1.40 for mud-trapped walls |
| Level 2-3 | $0.60 to $1.76 for primer and decorative textures |
| Level 4-5 | $0.80 to $2.50 for thinner and lighter paint finish |
Can Drywall Be Done In One Day?
Of course not, except if you only remodel a small part of your house, you can do that within minutes.
Drywalling isn’t just about layering drywall sheets over a wall. For example, the type of drywall sheet determines the speed at which a drywalling crew finishes their job.
How much experience and expertise the crew has also gone a long way in making up the total time a single drywall project will take.
Numerous other factors affect how fast your drywall job gets completed. However, if you wonder if you can drywall a whole house in one day, the answer is No.Â
