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$8 to $10 per ½-inch x 4x8-foot sheet
Difficulty: Moderate to hard
The sheets are heavy and a bit unwieldy, especially when covering the ceiling.
Call it wallboard, plasterboard, Sheetrock, or just plain "rock," like some pros do, drywall revolutionized the way walls and ceilings are covered. Before the 1950s, when these paper-wrapped gypsum panels came into widespread use, it took days for lathers and plasterers to create a firm, flat foundation for paint or wallpaper. With drywall, it takes a fraction of the time. Two pros can typically cover a 12-by-16-foot room in about an hour.
To work that fast takes practice and a few specialized tools. But hanging drywall is not just about speed. Doing the job right means using screws of the correct length, off-setting panels so seams don’t line up, and making sure wires and pipes aren't vulnerable to puncture.
Installing drywall is easy enough for a homeowner, as long as there's someone to help; the heavy sheets are difficult to lift, particularly when doing ceilings.
