Considering the fact that you have come to a Do-it-yourself site to find out how much does drywall cost, I think it’s fair to assume you do not have a lot of experience in dealing with drywall. Professional contractors probably spend more time than they would like to admit in places like the Home Depot or Lowes picking up all kinds of supplies, including drywall, and therefore have a good handle on the current price of a sheet of drywall. Let me be clear; there is certainly nothing wrong whatsoever with your position or lack of experience, and in no way am I suggesting that this is a dumb question. Instead, along with answering your basic, to the point question of how much does drywall cost, I want to highlight a few other things that you may want to consider especially if my assumptions above regarding your lack of experience are correct. If you’re looking to tackle a do-it-yourself drywall project in your home and you’re wondering how much does a sheet of drywall cost in your area, I’m going to assume that you probably don’t have all the tools necessary for this project. Believe me, just like so many other jobs and life, having the right tools is half the battle. For example, if you think about all those home renovation shows you see on TV, they make whatever project they’re working on look like a piece of cake. Not only that, they are able to get it done in relatively very little time. A big part of the reason for this is that they have every specific tool and for every little specific job imaginable. So even when they talk about a job that they described as a $100 do-it-yourself job, they may very well be using thousands of dollars worth of tools to get it done.
When it comes to putting up drywall, consider some of the tools necessary to get this job done; screw guns, cords, a drywall saw and board knife, circle cutter and rasp, tape… and I haven’t even mentioned either scaffolding or ladders or the help of someone else because there’s no way this is a one-man job. Not to mention all the tools just mentioned are used simply to hang drywall, which many people consider the easy, grunt work part. But like so many other things, the devil is in the details.
And when it comes to installing drywall, the details involve finishing the scenes or joints, installing the corner bead and covering up the nail holes. Very (and I mean VERY) qualified drywall finishers are good enough at taping and mudding drywall that you need to add texture to the wall before painting it. More than likely though, texturing will be your friend as it hides many of the flaws that would stand out like a sore thumb without it. For you to learn how to tape in my drywall adequately would take more time and effort than it’s worth. Just plan on texturing the wall.
Now if you want to consider the additional tools necessary for finishing the drywall you’ll need to consider the following additional tools; 6 inch, 8 inch and 10 inch knife along with your mud pan. Either a mud stomper, or an attachment to your heavy duty half-inch drill known as a drill bit mixer. And of course you’re going to need to be able to spray the texture on the wall therefore don’t need an air compressor in the hopper along with masking materials such as plastic sheeting, paper and tape.
Once you’ve used all these items and have the drywall hung, finished with mud and tape and textured, you’ll be ready to paint it. Oh, but first you need to prime it. THEN you’ll be ready to paint the wall yourself. So obviously you’re going to need some brushes or rollers or power painter for this part of the job.
If you add it all up you could easily be looking at well over $1000 worth of tools and supplies NOT including the drywall itself. As far as how much does drywall cost per square foot, you’re probably looking at about $.30-$.90 per square foot for just the drywall sheet. For what it’s worth, professional installation will probably add about $1 – $1.75 per square foot to the cost of the drywall.
All things considered, between the equipment needed, drywall installation cost, drywall finishing cost, and the time and effort necessary not only to physically do the work, but to learn it as you do it… often times professional drywall installation is the way to go, especially for smaller, one-off jobs. If you’re tackling a monster job on your own and think that you will be able to more than make up the cost difference between the cost of the equipment against the labor cost, then learning how to mud and tape drywall, hang it, texture it etc., it may be worth your while.