Drywall mudding and taping estimates

[wormwood1978]

I'm just finishing hanging drywall in basement and weighing doing the finishing myself versus contracting it out. I'm willing to learn, struggle, and fix and that is what I've been doing the whole time while finishing my basement. With that said, I know that a drywall finisher will do a lot better than me while I will struggle through the process, not to mention I will have to buy the supplies such as a cheapo vacuum sander, taping knives and so on.

If I stand to save a lot of money by doing the work myself I will probably do it myself vs. if my time and money is better spent contracting it out, I will do that. The reason I'm posting this thread is to get a feeler on what the professional cost might be as I don't want to waste two companies time giving me bids when I will likely not use them if the estimate surprises me.

So this is what I got, roughly 950 square feet, 48 sheets of drywall, ceiling drywall only at the stair landing, no curves or anything fancy. What would be a ballpark guess for taping, mudding, corners....The reading up I've done on this tells me I should be askng for a level 4 finish I think.

 

[JTK]

Hard to say. I think a lot of it will depend on how clean of a job you did with the joints, screws and sheet placement. If you went as far as hanging that much and did well at it, I'd tape and mud myself.

 

[Chris Meutsch]

$1,000

 

[JTK]

Is $1/sq-ft average? That's less than I figured.

 

[wormwood1978]

$1,000

That is about what I was hoping for and expecting. If the estimate was going to be much more than 1K, I'm just going to do it myself.

 

[ragtoplvr]

Be sure to use Metal Corners, and I like the mesh tape over the old paper kind. you can do a real nice job with either of them. Have a good filter in the shop vac, and just let it run with the hose under where you are sanding. Few finishers can do a non-textured job anymore. Good tools that are big enough help a lot.
Rod

 

[rekit]

YouTube is your friend here, so many great how to vids. I built our house and learned how 40 years ago, but now it would be much easier. I still learn something when i watch them. Yes, the mesh tape was easier for me. One thing I learned early on-if you don't put much mud on, you don't have much or any to sand off. Just leave each pass smooth and go a little wider with each pass. You can also use a damp sponge instead of sandpaper. You need a wide (like 12") blade, a 6" flat blade, and an Inside corner blade. That's about it. My brother had his home built, and they mixed in some glue (Elmers?) to the mud to strengthen the corners. The texture you choose will determine the level of finish quality you need. I used a stomp brush, and it will hide a bit of imperfection. Years ago we had a neighbor finishing the inside of their Shell home. Called us over to celebrate their work. No tape, no nail dimples filled in, just painted it. OMG

 

[bmwpowere36m3]

I'm sure it's region specific, but here Northeast I've been quoted $0.80 to $1.30 / sqft for hanging, taping, 3 coats of mud (~2700 sq ft in garage).

 

[JC1]

I finished my own basement. Walls came out pretty good. Ceiling was a bit of a pain and could have been done better. Use a very good light in between Coats and sanding and go wider on each pass. Some times you may need 4-5 coats to get it perfect.

I have the confidence to fix any drywall repair myself. This is a skill as a homeowner you'll need throughout your lifetime.

Use the special sandpaper that looks like a screen and you'll get a good finish.

 

[dareo]

To me, drywall labor always = worth it.

 

[BlueOvalFitter]

To me, drywall labor always = worth it.

+1

 

[SeaJay]

It is a skill, I would pay to have it done.