Estimate the number of drywall materials needed for boarding and taping a room. This calculator will provide you with a rough estimate of the materials needed with a board count based on board size and the square footage of the area.
Note: There is no allowance for waste calculated in the results
To get a reasonable estimate for boards needed and reduce the number of joints, you should measure a wall for the best fitting size board. If you have a 10' long wall with a height of 8', you should use two 4'x10' boards. If that same wall has a 9' height, then look at using two boards with a width of 4'6" (54") and thus eliminating one additional joint lengthwise.
The square footage of openings allows you to subtract areas that do not need boarding. Only subtract large openings and ignore the smaller ones.
Wall and ceiling results are kept separate as often; the ceiling will require a different board thickness.
The amount of tape needed is calculated from the number of joints that need taping.
The amount of screws needed is based on an average of 1 screw per square foot of wall area and 1.25 per square foot of ceiling area.
Ready-mixed joint compounds are the standard compounds and come ready-made in three types. One specially designed for covering the tape and one for topping, or you can use an all-purpose one. The calculation for these compounds is based on 64 lbs per 450 square feet of board.
The lightweight all-purpose joint compound does it all from start to finish and is easier to work with. The calculation is based on 5 gallons for 450 square feet of board.