Ok, so you've made it through the major phases of finishing a basement. How do you know when you're ready to start the drywall stage for your finished basement?
Have you passed both your framing and electrical inspections? If the answer is yes, then you're ready for drywall. If not, you still have some work to do. Don't do it, don't skip the inspections!
Installing drywall in your basement is bitter-sweet. On the one hand you're finally turning the corner from working on your basement to finishing your basement. On the other hand, all of your masterful framing, plumbing and electrical accomplishments are about to be covered up forever.
When I was getting close to the drywall stage of my basement finishing project I had a ton of questions:
- How much is installing drywall in my basement going to cost?
- What thickness of drywall should I buy?
- Do I install drywall in the basement bathroom? Or do I need some sort of special waterproof sheet rock?
- People told me that hanging drywall is super dusty. How dusty? What do I have to do to prep?
- How long will it take to install it.
- How heavy is a sheet of drywall? Can I lift a sheet on my own?
- What drywall tools and books do I need if I'm going to do it myself?
I'm going to write about all of the questions above but the big question to start with is...
Should I Install Drywall For My Basement On My Own?
Or, should I hire a drywall contractor. So let's get deep. Deep into some drywall discussation. Yeah, I made up a new word, I'll let you use it for free…. For now.
Let's talk about staggered drywall butt joints and the best off-seam taping patterns.
Or... let's not.
Look. I'm as gung-ho as they come when talking about home improvement but the numbers for installing all of your own drywall work just didn't add up for me and I suspect that they won't add up for you either.
5 Reasons to Hire Someone to Install Your Basement Drywall
First, I could not get the same pricing on drywall sheets that my drywall guy was getting.
He just bought a ton more drywall than I ever would and he had relationships with the best and most cost effective suppliers.
Second, I did not have any drywall tools.
There are multiple taping knife's, giant T measuring thingies, tape dispensers, pointing tools, mud buckets, you name it. It's different from buying tiling tools, which I did do, because I know I will use those again. I wasn't sure if I would ever use drywall tools again.
Third, I didn't have a willing or knowledgeable partner to assist me.
Yes, technically it's possible to drywall by yourself but you would have to buy a drywall lift for the ceiling sheets and a couple of other support tools which of course add even more to the cost. None of my friends had ever drywalled before and they had zero enthusiasm when I asked if they wanted to learn with me.
Fourth - I didn't want to wait.
I had been working on the basement for months. I knew I still had months to go after the drywall phase. I wanted to speed things up a bit and I didn't relish the thought of spending 8 to 10 weekends just on drywall.
Fifth - I was a afraid to screw up.
I had all of this beautiful framing and electrical work in place. If I went and botched my finished basement drywall job - it would all be for not.
Yes, I know, I preach on this website a lot to not worry about screwing up. But in this case, I wasn't even sure if I would know if I'd screwed it up until well after the first coat of paint went up.
I did several hours of Google searching and more than a few people were not happy with their first attempt at installing drywall. I just couldn't afford risking all that time and money only to be unhappy with the results.
Installing Drywall is My Destiny
Look, I know what you're thinking... "Jason is really wimping out on me here. I'm doing my own. I don't care how long it takes. I've made it this far and I'm not about to let someone come in here and rob me of my drywall destiny."
Fair enough, just make sure you know what you're getting into. If this is your destiny, and I am your basement Yoda, then I want you to be prepared. Here's a great website about hanging drywall. It has a zillion tips on how to do it right.
Personally my drywall installation crew was outstanding. In the end I think I ended up paying (maybe) a couple hundred bucks more than if I had tried to install it myself. Maybe. It really could have been a break-even situation.
They finished installing the drywall in my 1300 square foot basement in 10 days. They did 3 finish coats of mud and it was ready to be primed and painted. (which I did myself, more on that to come)
So who's tackled their own drywall out there? How did it go? What are your experiences with drywall contractors? Do you plan to install your own drywall? Let us know in the comments below.
Cheers - Jason
If you decide to hire someone to install your drywall be sure to check-out my e-book on how to hire a great contractor.
More Drywall Stuff:
- 4 Critical Things to Do Before Your Basement Drywall Is Installed
- Drywall sizes and other questions
- Need some basement tools? Check out my Amazon store
One of my top tips for saving money on your finished basement involves the drywall stage and it's the second or third email in the newsletter series. You can sign up for the free newsletter, right here.
How much did you end up spending?
Phil - I spent around $2600, 18% of my total cost. I have the cost break down here.
I'm interested in your ebook that you said can be found here:
https://ifinishedmybasement.com/save-time-money-hiring-contractor/
But that link is broken. It was working last week when I visited the site for the first time, I thought the price was fair. Can you provide a working link again? Thanks!
Hello Keith - My bad, I was working on the page for the new book and it broke the old page for a about a day. I sent you an email, check it out and let me know. The page is back up and should be working.
Jason
Hey Jason how did you find the guys who did your drywall, just a google search? Any recommended ways of finding people?
Hello Adam - I've got a great tip for finding drywall contractors. Have you subscribed to the newsletter? It's the second email. Where are you located? Email me jason@ifinishedmybasement.com
So, was that $2600 price just the labor to hang and finish, or did it include materials as well?
BTW, great website Jason!
Thanks Ken. $2600 included labor and material. Everything. - Jason
$2600.....labor & materials????
10 days for the drywall contractor.....
How much did the Sheetrock, screws, mud & tape cost?.......let's say $400
If 2 guys did the job over 10 days........they worked for $120 a day each????
Jesus.......maybe the cost of living is VERY low where you live....or they are rich & do it for fun!
In NJ, a decent contractor is $300-$500 a day
Hi Rick - Jesus had nothing to do with it, at least not directly, if anything he would have done the framing. You have to remember that for days 3 - 10 they only worked at my house for about 2 hours. The mud has to dry between coats for 24 hours - so there's only so much they can do. On an daily basis they probably are in the $350 a day range. They were working on about 4 different jobs that week.
Look, I realize that was an extremely good price and I can't promise that's what everyone will get. But I know this, you have to do some digging. You need to ask around. Don't take the first contract that walks through the door. If you'll do the work up front, you can save a lot of money and get a great result.
- Jason
One of the funniest replies I have ever read! Thanks for the laugh!!!!
Jason, good reply to a smart ass comment! Haha!!!
As a professional drywall finisher I have done a lot of jobs where the customer has done the boarding themselves but want me to tape and finish it. First of this is a big mistake. There is way more to it than covering the walls and ceilings with board. Knowing where to put your joints is a huge step In a proper job. Second, having nice tight joints with minimal gaps reduces the amount of mud needed to finish properly. And lastly, people often try to save money on board by piecing in scrap bits rather than using a fresh sheet of board. Saving $20 on a sheet of board can cost you lots more on the finish and it will not turn out as well. So in the end just hire a pro it will save on money and the finished product will look better and last longer.
Ian - Great points! I couldn't agree more. People - don't cover up your awesome framing and electrical work with a bad drywall job in your basement. Higher the pros for this phase. - Jason
Jason,
I'm also in the Chicago suburbs and just starting to work up the courage to finish my basement. Is there anyway to share the contact info for your drywall contractor?
Thanks!
Great website! I'm finishing my basement here in the NOVA. Who did you use to do your drywall?
Hey Jason,
Awesome site, although I may have found it a bit too late. I'm near the finish line with my basement. Just need to caulk, paint, install switch plates and doorknobs.
When I got to the drywall stage, I decided to hang it myself with the help of a friend. He had all the tools and know-how, and since I was aware of what a bear it would be, I paid him for his time. The original quote for hanging and mudding 650 sq ft. was about $1500 in King George, VA for labor and materials. To just mud it was about half that. I retrospect, I think it would have been better to just pay the contractor to do both, since it took a lot longer and was actually more money (because I paid my friend) to do it myself. In the end, I couldn't schedule the original contractor and had to go with another. The cost? $1450 with materials for just finish and mud. Lesson learned!
Cesar - Thanks for that comment - It's good to hear some other real world examples. - Jason
Hi Jason,
Approximately how would you say it would cost to drywall a basement, 1300sqft, 2 rooms, 1 bathroom..total of apprx 250 ft of linear walls? Im talking hanging, finishing, sanding, and ready for paint. Thanks in advance
Hello Dee - I hate giving this estimate because there are so many variables - but I sympathize with wanting to know a ballpark figure - so here goes. 1300 sq ft. Hanging, finishing, sanding and ready for paint... 2500-3000. Here some factors that affect that estimate - cost of drywall (it change a lot over time, sometimes up sometimes down), cost of labor, 8' or 12' boards, numbers of doors, can they fit 12' sheets into your basement (walk in, walk down basement yes, no exterior door - probably not). Hope that helps - Jason
Hi all,
Spent entire evening figuring out whether to drywall myself or to outsource. My experience is frustrating: 1 contractor didn't show up after and estimate, 2 others gave 2x price, comparing to the phone price (that was $6K for 700 sq ft 2 bed 1 bath basement), the last one was complete idiot - asked the house dimensions to figure out the project size.
I'm desperate. Apart from insane prices I feel that those whom I interviewed will work having quick money in mind, not caring about results. I'm in North NJ. Any advice on finding a good drywaller?
Get the exact Square Foot number fo all the drywall (remember to add both sides of a wall).
Then call around saying the following.
a. "what is your average price per square foot to supply and install"? (do the calculations yourself while talking on the phone example: $2 x 1000 sq. ft.=$2000)
b. Ask if they are available on "x date" to commence. c. Tell them the project and square footage and ask if you are eligible for any deductions to their "average price".
I could keep going here but hopefully next time that save you time
I made a huge mistake. I was so shocked by the price I couldn't believe it. I live in Wisconsin, I received to quotes to hang, mud, and texture. They ranged from 3150 to 3300. My handy brother's in law said they could help. So we purchased 5/8 thick 4x8 sheets and went to work... Granted there are a couple spots that are not perfect. but all in all it went fast... SO NOW, I went to go get a quote on the taping and mud portion. including texture. (just sand texture) The quotes are 2450 and 2300... my basement consists of bathroom, bedroom and family room. totaling 720 sq feet.
Anyone reading the comments section. PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF BEER, PAY A PROFESSIONAL AND HAVE A BREWSKI WHILE THEY WORK!
smh
!!! I'm with your Derek. The taping, mudding and sanding is the hardest part, hence most of the money of the quote. Listen to us people! Beers not drywall. - Jason
Nice website, good tips & story (Jesus would have framed it, HA!).
I finished my basement a few months after moving into a new-ish house (7 yr old at the time). I've got a LOT of carpentry & DIY experience, so I wasn't intimidated about anything.... except finishing the drywall. I think hanging drywall is fun - kinda like a great big, easy puzzle. When you get going it looks like you're really making progress and fast. And if you're going to do it, just rent a lift. Once you get the hang of it they're kinda fun too.
FYI – lightweight ½” drywall is a piece of cake to hang on the walls. 5/8” on the ceiling isn’t much fun. Especially if you’re a one man show and working with 12’ pieces. Least fun was hanging 2 layers of 5/8” on all surfaces. Extra-least fun was screwing heavy duty 2.5” screws through 2 layers of 5/8” into studs instead of hat-track. By the end of that I was afraid to shake hands with anyone with my new Popeye forearms and accidentally give them the Bam-Bam treatment.
But I HATE finishing. H-A-T-E. To the main point of this article, finishing is a great stage to potentially ruin all your hard work. With expedience. I’ve finished enough that I do it myself. But this time I asked an “expert” for tips to avoiding bubbles & pock-marks. FWIW, the orange apron guy officially doesn’t count as an expert. He said the way to easy sanding, no shrinking & cracks, and avoiding bubbles was dry-mix. Worst. Idea. Ever. Maybe the guys who live finishing can make it make sense, but I’ll recommend to every DIYer to just go with the premix, add water and mix until a not-too-loose consistency is made, and start spreading.
Lifesaver in this stage? Rent the power sander. No, not a palm sander like for wood. But the one that hooks up to your shop vac and has a 12” (?) round head attached to what looks like a long arse shop vac wand. Saves TONS of time, neck & should aches, and cuts down on the dust immensely. Easy to get the hang of, too
I had an unfinished basement and I chose to hang the drywall myself, and I'm happy I did it. Here's how it went down:
My basement is approx 800sq ft, split into 3 rooms, which already had the walls framed.. Before deciding on DYI, I got a couple quotes from reputed installers to hang/mud/tape and for labour/materials including ceiling, both quotes were around $9k (Ontario, Canada). The quotes were about $4k more than I was willing to spend, so I decided on DYI. I found this website (which is great, even though Jason recommends hiring someone) but was not deterred.
1st step: buy drywall.
I'm a big fan of Lowes, and they have sales all the time. After a few weeks, the drywall was on sale "buy 1 get 1 half-price", so I bought 80 sheets (8 foot, 1/2" thick) for around $800. They delivered it to my garage for an extra $75 (good deal!). Since I was doing this alone, I also bought a drywall lift for the ceiling. This tool is a must-have ($200) and is easily sold second-hand once you're done with it.
2nd step: check the basement framing.
The walls were already framed but needed "backing" here and there. The bulkhead wasn't framed at all. Also, though not mandatory, I wanted ceiling strapping as to not have drywall directly on the above floor joists. So, I bought a bunch of 2x4 and 1x4 lumber (spent around $150. I also borrowed a mitre-saw from someone, which is also a must-have).
3rd step: start framing.
Jason's page on Framing is really good. Read through it before you start. Framing will take you time and patience but is pretty easy.
4th step: start drywalling. Some notes:
- Drywall IS HEAVY. Even the 1/2" "lightweight" stuff is heavy and awkward to carry, but as long as you're not a super weakling it's manageable for walls. For the ceiling, again, drywall lift is essential if you're alone.
- All of my drywall was stored in the garage, and I brought down each piece as I went along. This was a pain, but kept the basement less crowded. Also, I couldn't fit the 8' drywall pieces as-is down the basement stairwell, so I had to trim 2" off each piece before I brought it down. This sucked, but 7'10" was exactly the floor-to-ceiling height I needed to hang the drywall vertically, so it worked out well.
- The first 10-15 pieces I hung definitely were a little tricky.. but eventually I got really good at it, so don't get discouraged at first.
- Always measure carefully before you cut, since framing is never straight, and being off by 1/4 inch can be ruin the piece.
- Buy lots of cedar shims. They're cheap and you'll need them when a piece of the drywall doesn't sit flush to the framing.
- Clean up as you go. Dust and scrap drywall will collect everywhere and makes it hard to work when there's mess everywhere
- The biggest pain was cutting out for vents, potlights and outlets/switches. Measuring and cutting accurately is really hard to do (i used a manual drywall saw), and there's lots of techniques out there you can google. I don't have advice other than you'll get better towards the end.
Time-to-complete: I have 3 young kids and can maybe spend 10 hours a week working, so progress was slow. The framing took about a month, and drywall took about 2 months. On the handyness scale, I'd consider myself "Intermediate", so don't be afraid to tackle this job.
Total cost: around $1500 (other small things I needed to buy: Drywall T-ruler, wood and drywall screws, drywall bit setter for my impact driver, drill bits)
Next step: taping and mudding. I'm going to attempt to do it myself. I have never done it before, and know it can be hard, but we'll see how it goes. I've already had someone quote $1600 to do it in case I find it too hard. (That would put me at $3000 for labour and material for drywall hanging/mudding/taping.. awesome price for where I live).
HH - Wow! Awesome'ist comment ever. I may have to turn this into a page or two. Sounds like it was a lot of work but ultimately was much cheaper than your quote. Very curious to see how the mudding goes! Take some pictures, come back and share - consider being a guest author! Good Luck! - Jason
Just don't do it... Save yourself. Don't do it.
Hi Jason, A subcontractor quoted for 1200$ for framing labor. Is it reasonable? It is 1/3rd finished(1 room need 3 walls and other need 4 walls and bathroom separator). I have 2 areas 18x12(need to add framing for a bathroom) and 14x14. Roof framing is already available. on average I need 4 walls need 13 studs,4 walls need 9 studs.
How much I can expect for Drywall this area?
Hi prsd - It sounds reasonable but the only way to know for sure is to get a couple quotes. I recommend getting 3 quotes. I know it's extra work but it will be worth it. I just have them all come on the same day if possible. - Jason
Framed, dry walled , put wood floor in, also a drop ceiling all by myself!! As a woman with husband on the road I was just determined to install 2 bedrooms in basement.. I had no clue how to do it so went to library and taught myself.. after all these years I still can’t believe I did it but kept a lot of pics?
Nice job Lois! People under-estimate what they're capable off. They become afraid to fail and then they never try, or they try but only once. If you go after it and refuse to quit... you have no choice but to succeed. Thanks for writing in! - Jason
Hi Jason, awesome post! I was wondering what type of drywall you & your contractor decided to go with. It seems that for basement a mold and moisture resistant drywall might be a good idea. Do you have any input? Thank you!
I'm finishing things up in my basement but stopping at drywall too. Not because I don't know how but because I do know well enough to know it is worth hiring some skilled folks. Having fired a jack of all trades, screw-er-up-er of everything, I ended up redoing our master bedroom myself and the primary issues are that (as you note) it is tough to do with one person, if it isn't a perfect box with no details it is time consuming, and mudding & texture quickly with high quality is an art. If you are thinking of a level 4 or 5 smooth/non-textured wall and having done a good deal of mudding, forget about it. (I am also doing partial home-theater-style walls with clips, hat channel, and two sheets of 5/8 with green glue so that is extra time)
My recommenation to any do-it-yourselfer is now: if it is just a small area, and/or one out of site like a closet or utility room etc, go for it. If it is a larger area, hire a skilled team if you want the end result to look professional and for it to be done this year.
I am still in the planning phase, but I'm wondering if for a lot of the walls I can skip the drywall phase a create recessed book shelves instead. My family has about a ton of books and knick knack, so having bookshelves inset into the walls would be of better use and give us more space in the room since the shelves we would have to buy would sit several feet out from the wall. Has anyone done this? If so, any guidance on running electrical, what to avoid, tips and tricks, and how this effects price would be greatly appreciated. I'm hoping it will be a cost savings between the option of drywalling then buying/building shelves or building the shelves in the wall rather than drywalling everything.
Hey Mikki - Makes sense to me.
-Jason
I didn't realize that contractors get better prices on materials. I have been thinking about finishing the unfinished basement in our house to use as a guest space or recreation room. Hiring professional drywall installation sounds like the best way to go, considering they have all of the right tools and access to good drywall prices.
Thanks for the article Jason. Honestly, much easier to hire a contractor than try and take on drywall by yourself. Years of experience and know how turn several weeks of work, worry, and stress for you into a cake walk for them. Not to mention lower prices, the knowledge on which boards to use, and how to tape and mud properly!
While drywall is not super difficult to do yourself, it IS the thing that makes the rest look good or bad. You can do an awesome job framing and plumbing, but if your drywall looks crappy, the whole thing looks like a crappy job, and it always will until it's fixed. If you're a perfectionist or little mistakes will bug you later, getting a pro to do it is worth the stress and hassle down the line.
I (we) hung my (own) own drywall with my wife's help. Not my first drywall job, but it's been a while. We did a 500'sq family room (drop ceiling to come), 140'sq office, 145'sq bedroom + closet and 60'sq bathroom + closet. All rooms have bulkheads and the three smaller ones have drywall on ceiling. I was going to hang the ceilings by hand until we carried 68 sheets downstairs ourselves - the next evening I bought a drywall lift which cost just under what 5 days of rental would have - did the job in 11 evenings. I'm having someone else tape an mud, which I recommend, but my big takeaway from this project has been, if you're going to hang it (ceiling or not) get a lift as it can be used for the uppers too and if you can't borrow one, buy it and then sell it and you'll still be ahead.
I didn't install my own drywall but I've had to repair someone's mess when they painted and added sand to the paint and left massive lumps of sand and very poor muddling job. I was actually in my basement for 5 weeks with a palm sander and 60 grit sandpaper sanding the sand and mud off the drywall just to get it to something I could work with. Sprayed a knockdown texture on the ceiling and a orange peel texture on the walls. Not perfect for my first time using a sprayer but still better than what I had and I'm happy with how it turned out.