How do I price drywall jobs?
Short answerPrice drywall by phase: hanging the board, taping, mudding coats, and sanding, each with its own rate per square foot or per sheet, plus a minimum for patches. Splitting the phases shows where labor really goes and lets you adjust for ceiling height, finish level and access.
The explanation
A single price per square foot hides the drivers. Hanging is fast on open walls and slow on ceilings and stairwells. Finishing is slow and depends on the finish level the customer expects, since a smooth surface under gloss paint takes more coats than a textured one.
Build your rate sheet from your own crew's measured output. Time a few jobs, divide labor cost by area for each phase, and add materials and a margin for overhead. Then add multipliers for high ceilings, many cuts, or second-floor carrying.
For repairs, quote a minimum for the first patch and a smaller amount for each extra one. Small repairs cost mostly in travel and setup, so the minimum protects the trip. Also add drying time to your schedule, because the next phase cannot start until the coat is dry.
Steps
- Time several finished jobs and compute cost per square foot for each phase.
- Add materials and an overhead margin to each phase rate.
- Create multipliers for ceiling height, finish level and difficult access.
- Set a minimum charge for patches and repairs.
In drywall contractor
Drywall runs in phases with drying time between coats, and finish level changes the labor a lot. Pricing each phase separately keeps the estimate aligned with the schedule. All drywall contractor scheduling questions.
How Apex does it
Rolling out
The screen and the rules are built and tested. Saving real customer data is not connected yet. Status as of 2026-10-07; the badge shows the least-built feature involved.
Apex is designed to build estimates, support measurement takeoffs in square feet and keep estimate templates by service. These pieces are rolling out, so check each feature badge.
- ES01Estimates / quotes builder(Rolling out)
- ES11Measurement takeoffs (sqft, linear ft)(Rolling out)
- ES15Estimate templates by service(Rolling out)
Apex Flow Scheduler is in early access. See how we label status.
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