# Tape & Float Drywall Price



## jproffer (Mar 12, 2005)

Probably more than you would have paid them to hang, tape and mud it. Problem is, if YOU hang it and ask them to finish it, they don't know what they're getting into. You could have bad joints, offsets, butt joints over studs instead of floated...I'm not saying you do have, but they just don't know. If THEY hang it though, it will be done with the finishing foremost in their mind because, well, that's what they get to do tomorrow, and they want to do it as fast as possible and still have a good finished product.

But to answer your question...how do you figure how much to pay them....well..whatever amount is on the bill of course. It's not up to you to "figure out" what they should be paid, they'll do that and let you know by way of an estimate.


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## gkmotion (Jan 26, 2006)

As for the pricing, I always get a minimum of three quotes to establish pricing, then try to find out about the reliability of the low bidder. Often it turns out the middle price is a safe choice.

Having just finished hanging drywall for the first time in my home office, I was curious as to why not have butt joints on studs? None of the info I got online mentioned floating them, and they were a pain in the rear. Does floating them make them easier to finish?


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## ERIK2173 (Oct 19, 2005)

I had the same question, I always thought you should have the butt joints over studs for support. Do you do this just for cut joints or for factory edges too? I know it is alway a pain to finish the edges if I screw the board too close to the edge, I guess floating the edges would get rid of thet problem.


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## jproffer (Mar 12, 2005)

Butt joints should be floated to make for easier finishing. I have hit the ONE stud that was twisted just a little, or out of line by just a little, one too many times and it is a ROYAL PITA. If the stud is twisted, one half of the joint will be higher than the other. If the stud is straight but out of line, the pieces align BUT they approach the stud at a slight angle, which makes them hard to feather out smooth. 

As far as supporting the joint: When I say floated I don't mean just hanging out there in the middle of nowhere..at least not alone. A floated joint is backed by a 4 or 5 inch strip of plywood (which, BTW, extends beyond the top edge to the peice above it), and that plywood floats in the stud cavity and (by the rule of "least resistance") it will go where it's most "comfortable"... I.E.-straight in line with the studs on either side.


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## gdgndrg (Mar 27, 2008)

help on pricing


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## AtlanticWBConst. (May 12, 2006)

gdgndrg said:


> help on pricing


Help on your post.

?huh?:blink:


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## gdgndrg (Mar 27, 2008)

*drywall*



AtlanticWBConst. said:


> Help on your post.
> 
> ?huh?:blink:


i would like to know what it would cost to hang only, tape only, mud and sand only, 1100 sq ft. the framing is ready to be hung, celing is allready done, walls only.
glenn


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## jogr (Jul 24, 2007)

No one can tell you guys what someone else is going to charge you on a job we can't see. Call your local drywall guys and ask them for a bid.


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## gdgndrg (Mar 27, 2008)

*drywal*



jogr said:


> No one can tell you guys what someone else is going to charge you on a job we can't see. Call your local drywall guys and ask them for a bid.


This is not rocket science, there is nothing to do except hang, tape, mud and sand. 1100 square ft. i am not asking for a definite price, i just want to get an ideal of the ball park what to expect????????


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## Sftail2 (Mar 13, 2008)

Around here its about $20.00 per sheet of sheetrock hung for tape & texture. Maybe a little more if you have rounded corners and arches. To hang, tape & texture around $42.00 to $50.00 a sheet.


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## jogr (Jul 24, 2007)

gdgndrg said:


> This is not rocket science, there is nothing to do except hang, tape, mud and sand. 1100 square ft. i am not asking for a definite price, i just want to get an ideal of the ball park what to expect????????


Picking up a phone to call a drywall guy ain't rocket science either. There are huge regional differences, job differences and business practice differences that will affect what your guy will charge you. 

I'm trying to help you, pick up the darn phone and call some local drywall guys. If you have the framing ready already you need to be lining up the drywall work right now anyway.


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## Double A (Sep 10, 2006)

gdgndrg said:


> This is not rocket science, there is nothing to do except hang, tape, mud and sand. 1100 square ft. i am not asking for a definite price, i just want to get an ideal of the ball park what to expect????????


Expect a price somewhere between a new TV and good used truck. You might ask if there is a discount for impatience, and a keen ability to discern the difference between remodel construction and applied physics.


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## gdgndrg (Mar 27, 2008)

*drywall*



Sftail2 said:


> Around here its about $20.00 per sheet of sheetrock hung for tape & texture. Maybe a little more if you have rounded corners and arches. To hang, tape & texture around $42.00 to $50.00 a sheet.


Thank you very much, you have been most helpful, more than i can say for some on here. You have a wonderful day.
glenn


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## AtlanticWBConst. (May 12, 2006)

Just realize that the price given to you was regional. For all you know, that could be Canadian Dollars. 

I have to run out, otherwise I'd offer some more information to help you. Feel free to PM me, if you want. (there are many factors that will affect drywall pricing)


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## kcdave (Jan 19, 2008)

We just had our basement finshed here in Kansas City and it ran about $1.15 a square foot. That was to hang and finish, ready for paint. He also sprayed the ceiling.


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## LawnGuyLandSparky (Nov 18, 2007)

jproffer said:


> Butt joints should be floated to make for easier finishing. I have hit the ONE stud that was twisted just a little, or out of line by just a little, one too many times and it is a ROYAL PITA. If the stud is twisted, one half of the joint will be higher than the other. If the stud is straight but out of line, the pieces align BUT they approach the stud at a slight angle, which makes them hard to feather out smooth.
> 
> As far as supporting the joint: When I say floated I don't mean just hanging out there in the middle of nowhere..at least not alone. A floated joint is backed by a 4 or 5 inch strip of plywood (which, BTW, extends beyond the top edge to the peice above it), and that plywood floats in the stud cavity and (by the rule of "least resistance") it will go where it's most "comfortable"... I.E.-straight in line with the studs on either side.


Nobody is really doing this in the real world. Studs are 16" OC so that the sheetrock joints purposely land on every 4th stud.


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## LawnGuyLandSparky (Nov 18, 2007)

gdgndrg said:


> Thank you very much, you have been most helpful, more than i can say for some on here. You have a wonderful day.
> glenn


What you don't understand is that when you;re hiring a professional to complete some work, you are not buying milk by the gallon.

A 12 x 12 room will cost more per sq. ft. than an entire floor per sq. ft. And if your room is 9 x10 it wouldn't suprise me if nobody wanted the job.


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## kcdave (Jan 19, 2008)

There is a difference between a ball park figure and an estimate though. When I had my basement sheet rocked I had two guys come out for an estimate. After looking at the estimates I immediately knew that the work wasn't getting done for a while due to lack of funds. The idea of a ball park figure is to give the homeowner an idea of how much the work is probably going to cost and whether you even want the work done or done at a later date. You also don't waste the contractors time driving out to your house or your time having to take off work to meet the guy, until the time comes for the estimate.

Everyone should be able to give a ball park figure. I actually got one from a drywall guy, price per square foot is typically $#.##. An electrician may say the typical cost of an outlet or a light is $#.##. Sure, that price is going to vary from state to state and job to job. But, it's a ball park figure!


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