Calculating sheetrock requirements is fairly straightforward.
Estimating how much material you need to finish a room with sheetrock is relatively simple; however, deciding what size panels to use is important. Since sheetrock (or drywall) panels are fairly cumbersome, use 4-by-8-foot sheets if you are working alone and cover a standard 8-foot high wall by hanging the panels vertically. On the other hand, with a helper you can minimize linear joints by installing 4-by-12-foot panels horizontally, one above the other. Avoid under-estimating your requirements by deducting the square footage of openings; odd size door and window cutouts are difficult to work with and often go to waste anyway.
Instructions
1. Measure the width and height of all the walls carefully with a steel measuring tape. Jot down each individual measurement.
2. Add up the total perimeter footage of the room and multiply this number by the wall height to arrive at the total square footage of the walls.
3. Repeat this exercise by measuring the length and width of the ceiling if you intend on installing sheetrock there; measuring the floor will be easier and you will arrive at the same figure. Multiply length by width to arrive at the total square footage of the ceiling.
4. Add the ceiling square footage to the wall square footage. Multiply your total square footage by 1.1 to allow for 10 percent wastage. Round this figure up to the nearest square foot. For example, if your total area is 416 square feet, you will arrive at 457.6 square foot after adding 10 percent. Rounding this figure up will give you a total of 458 square feet.
5. Divide the total square footage by the square footage of the panels you intend to use. For example, if you are using 4-by-8-foot panels, each panel will be 32 square feet in area. Using the above example, 458 divided by 32 will give you 14.31 panels. This means you need a total of 15 panels measuring 4 by 8 feet to cover the walls and ceiling with a minimum amount of wastage.
6. Calculate using a different size, such as 4-by-12-foot panels, as follows: Multiplying 4 by 12 gives you 48 square feet per panel; 458 divided by 48 gives you 9.54 sheets of drywall. In this case, you will need to buy 10 panels measuring 4 by 12 feet to cover the walls and ceiling economically.
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