Most new houses built today have drywall for the interior cladding.
Drywall is a popular choice for homeowners because it is affordable, easy to paint, resistant to fire, and gives the home a finished look.
So how long does it take to hang drywall in a new home?
As a general rule, it will take an experienced drywalling crew anywhere from six days to four weeks to hang drywall in a new house. The size of the home, the complexity of the job, and the size and experience of the crew are the most influential factors in how long it will take to hang the drywall.
The weather and humidity also determine how long the job will take because it takes longer for the drywall mud to dry in a humid environment.
The more complex the home structure is, the longer it will take to hang the drywall.
Keep reading to learn more about how long it will take to hang drywall in a new house.
Table of Contents
How Long Does It Take To Drywall A 3000′ Sq Ft House?
How long it takes to drywall an entire house varies depending on how many drywallers are doing the job and how experienced they are.
A drywall crew usually has around eight experienced drywallers to do the job, so the work is done much faster than if only one person was doing it.
A 3,000′ square foot house will take up to four weeks or more to complete, including getting the drywall ready to be painted.
If the house does not have any complicated framing, expect a shorter time frame to complete the job.
A small home ranging from 1,000 to 2,000′ square feet may take an experienced drywalling crew less than a week to complete the job.
Understanding How Long It Takes To Drywall A New Home
To determine how much time it will take to install drywall in a new house, you need to understand the process.
It is crucial to install the drywall correctly, as any mistakes will be noticeable in the finished product, especially once the walls are painted.
This section looks at some of the factors affecting the time it will take to hang the drywall.
Home Size
The size of the new house is one of the most significant factors in how long it will take to drywall.
The larger the home, the longer the job will take.
Framing Complexity
The framing complexity is the next significant factor when determining how long drywall installation will take.
Homes without windows, curves, or complex corners will take less time to drywall than a house with these features.
Cutting the drywall to fit around windows, doors, or beams increases the installation time.
If a drywall crew quotes you an estimated time and it is longer than were expected, it is likely to do with the complex framing of your home.
Related: Can you install drywall without windows?
Wall and Ceiling Height
Your house’s wall and ceiling height will determine how many drywall sheets will need to be hung.
One sheet of drywall is usually 4’-feet tall and 8’-feet long.
If you stack them on top of one another, it’ll cover most walls in two sheets, but it’ll take longer if the wall is taller.
Longer sheets are available, but they are more challenging to handle and are much heavy than the standard drywall sheets.
Tall ceilings will also take longer to drywall because the crew will have to take the extra time to ensure their safety.
Climbing up on tall scaffolding may be very dangerous for a drywaller, making the entire process more challenging.
Drywall Finish Type
The finish on the surface of your drywall will also cause the job to take longer.
Drywall may be left smooth, but most people choose to have texture added.
This added texture to the drywall will produce different effects, especially if the wall is painted.
Adding texture to the drywall will also give the walls a more rustic look and hide any flaws which may have resulted during installation.
Leaving the drywall smooth will take about one or two days off of the time it takes to drywall your home.
Crew Size and Experience
When a drywalling crew works well together, knows what they are doing, and is well organized, installing drywall in your home will be done very quickly.
An inexperienced and disorganized crew will likely take twice as long to do the same job.
The crew with more experience will also cost you more money to hire, but you are more likely to get better drywall results without any flaws.
Drywalling a new home is contracted to a separate construction crew specializing in drywall most of the time.
These crews only install drywall and do not do any other types of jobs.
Drywalling crews are worth the extra expense, however.
The experienced crew will go through the entire finishing process, including preparing the wall, hanging the drywall, mudding, taping, and texturizing.
When the crew is finished, your walls will be ready to paint.
Usually, there is also no mess left behind because the drywalling crew will clean as they go.
Weather Forcast and Humidity
If there is rain or high humidity in the weather forecast, the drying time for the drywall mud will be increased.
A drywalling crew will typically apply three layers of mud, also known as joint compound.
They have to wait for each layer of mud to be completely dry before adding another one.
High humidity or rainy weather will add three to four days to drywall installation.
If the mud on the drywall does not dry completely, you will have cracks in your wall.
Traditional drywall mud shrinks as it dries, and if you do not apply the layers properly, you may end up with bubbles known as screw pops in your finished wall.
Don’t forget the crew still has to sand the mud smooth before applying another layer.
Check out what is acceptable moisture for drywall.
How Much Drywall Can Be Finished In A Day?
One experienced drywaller will be able to hang around four to five sheets of drywall per hour.
This will average between 30-40 sheets of drywall per day for a typical workday with just one person doing the job.
A typical drywalling crew will have at least eight experienced drywallers to do the job.
The drywalling crew will be able to hang between 240-320 sheets of drywall in one 8-hour workday.
If the drywall hanger is inexperienced or your home has complicated framing, the number of sheets will be significantly reduced.
Commonly Asked Questions
Does it matter if you drywall ceilings or walls first?
It is better to hang the ceiling drywall first.
The top edge of the wall drywall will support the ceiling drywall.
Hanging the ceiling drywall first also eliminates gaps between the wall and the ceiling.
Is it better to hang drywall vertically or horizontally?
Fire code usually says the drywall must be hung vertically, so there are seams along the entire length of the house frame.
However, this usually applies to commercial buildings, and many residential homes have drywall installed horizontally to add strength to the walls.