To bid a drywall job, measure the total square footage of wall and ceiling, then price per square foot or per board. In 2026, hanging only runs about $0.30–$0.65 per sq ft, and hang-and-finish to a smooth taped surface runs about $1.50–$3.00 per sq ft. Add materials, waste, and your margin, and name the finish level in writing.
The number is the easy part. What separates a bid that books from one that loses money is what you remember to include: waste, ceiling height, debris, dust protection, and the time you spend quoting. Here's the full step-by-step.
Measure everything. Total the square footage of all walls and ceilings getting board. Count sheets at 32 sq ft per 4x8.
Pick the scope. Hang only, or hang-and-finish? Name the finish level — Level 4 standard, Level 5 skim under gloss or raking light.
Price labor. Apply your per-sq-ft or per-board rate. Add a premium for ceilings over 9 ft, stairwells, and tight access.
Add materials and waste. Board, mud, tape, screws, corner bead — plus 5%–15% waste depending on the layout.
Add overhead and profit, then write it down with the scope spelled out.
Board hung and screwed, ready for a finisher. Roughly $10–$20 per 4x8 sheet installed. Fast work, lower margin per foot.
Hung, taped, mudded, and sanded to a paint-ready surface. Roughly $50–$90 a board. Most of the labor and most of the margin live in the finish.
Small repairs price as a minimum service charge, not by the foot. Texture matching and multiple coats with dry time are what drive the number up.
Not every job is worth a formal bid. A tiny patch isn't worth a measured estimate — quote your minimum service charge and move on. And if a job is wildly out of your wheelhouse, like a Level 5 finish in a high-end home when you only do production hanging, the honest move is to refer it out rather than learn on the customer's dime and risk a callback that eats the job.
A clean written estimate template covers most of your work without overthinking it. The trap is winging numbers on the back of a card — that's where margin quietly disappears.
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Measure total wall and ceiling square footage, then price per square foot or per board. Hang only runs $0.30–$0.65/sq ft; hang-and-finish $1.50–$3.00/sq ft. Add materials, waste, overhead, and profit.
Level 4 for most walls under flat or eggshell paint; Level 5 skim coat under gloss or raking light. Name the level in writing so you're not held to a higher standard than you priced.
Waste, high ceilings and scaffolding, debris haul-off, dust protection, and quoting time. Those omissions are usually what turns a winning bid into a losing job.
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