Drywall for a 20x20 Room
Sheets of drywall for a 20 x 20 ft room at 8, 9 and 10 ft walls, walls only or with the ceiling, laid out sheet by sheet. Change anything in the calculator.
- 20 x 20 ft
- 8, 9 and 10 ft walls
- Walls or walls + ceiling
- Wall diagrams
Your estimate
4' x 12' sheets · 10% waste allowance4' x 12' drywall
Area
Materials
Quantities include a 10% waste allowance and standard deductions of 21 sq ft per door, 15 sq ft per window and 112 sq ft per garage door. The sheet count comes from laying the board out wall by wall, plus 10% as spare sheets. Round up when in doubt, an extra sheet costs less than a second trip.
Sheets for a 20 x 20 room
80 ft of wall and a 400 sq ft ceiling, less one 3 x 7 ft door and one 3 x 5 ft window, laid out sheet by sheet with offcuts reused. No waste allowance on top.
| Walls | Walls only, 4x8 | Walls only, 4x12 | With ceiling, 4x8 | With ceiling, 4x12 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 ft | 20 | 14 | 33 | 22 |
| 9 ft | 23 | 16 | 35 | 24 |
| 10 ft | 25 | 17 | 37 | 25 |
Wall layouts in 4x12, by height
4x8, 4x10 or 4x12 for a 20 x 20 room
| Board | Sheets | Butt joints | Taped seams | Offcut waste | Labor, national range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4x8 (fewest joints) | 33 | 10 | 248 ft | 4.9% | $1,205 to $2,510 |
| 4x10 | 26 | 13 | 209 ft | 3.5% | $1,205 to $2,510 |
| 4x12 | 22 | 17 | 225 ft | 4.9% | $1,205 to $2,510 |
A 20 x 20 ft room with 8 ft walls, one door and one window takes 14 sheets of 4x12 drywall for the walls, or 20 sheets of 4x8. Add the 400 sq ft ceiling and it is 22 sheets of 4x12 or 33 of 4x8. With 9 ft walls the walls take 16 sheets of 4x12, and with 10 ft walls 17. Hung in 4x12 the 20x20 layout has 17 butt joints; in 4x8 it has 10 butt joints.
How many sheets for a 20x20 room
- 8 ft walls: 14 sheets of 4x12 or 20 of 4x8 for the walls; 22 or 33 with the ceiling.
- 9 ft walls: 16 of 4x12 or 23 of 4x8; 24 or 35 with the ceiling.
- 10 ft walls: 17 of 4x12 or 25 of 4x8; 25 or 37 with the ceiling.
A 20 by 20 room is a large family room, bonus room over a garage, or basement rec room. No stock sheet spans 20 ft, so every row has a butt joint. A 12 ft and an 8 ft sheet end to end make a 20 ft row exactly, and staggering which end the joint falls on keeps the joints from lining up.
Wall by wall: the 20x20 room in 4x12
- Wall 1, 20 by 8 ft, with the door: hung horizontally, 5 pieces cut from 4 sheets, 2 butt joints, 25 ft of taped seam.
- Wall 2, 20 by 8 ft, with the window: hung horizontally, 5 pieces cut from 4 sheets, 3 butt joints, 32 ft of taped seam.
- Wall 3, 20 by 8 ft: hung horizontally, 5 pieces cut from 4 sheets, 3 butt joints, 32 ft of taped seam.
- Wall 4, 20 by 8 ft: hung horizontally, 4 pieces cut from 4 sheets, 2 butt joints, 28 ft of taped seam.
- Ceiling, 20 by 20 ft: hung horizontally, 12 pieces cut from 9 sheets, 7 butt joints, 108 ft of taped seam.
In 4x8 board the same 20 by 20 room takes 33 sheets with 10 butt joints and 248 ft of taped seam, against 22 sheets, 17 butt joints and 225 ft of seam in 4x12. The fewest butt joints come with 4x8 board (10 butt joints over 33 sheets), and the fewest sheets with 4x12 (22 sheets, 17 butt joints).
Labor to hang and finish a 20x20 room
The walls and ceiling put 1,004 sq ft of board up once the door and window are cut out. At the site's national planning range of $1.20 to $2.50 per sq ft for hanging and finishing, that is $1,205 to $2,510 in labor for this 20x20 room. Board, compound and tape come on top: enter your price for the 22 sheets of 4x12 in the cost section of the calculator.
Mud, tape and screws for a 20x20 room
With 8 ft walls and the ceiling in 4x12 board, the room is 1056 sq ft of board. That takes about 148 lb of all purpose compound, 3 pails of 4.5 gallons at USG's 10 gallons per 1,000 sq ft, about 391 ft of paper tape, and roughly 5 lb of 1-1/4 in screws.
Before you order for a 20x20 room
- Hang the 400 sq ft ceiling first, then the 80 ft run of walls, so the wall board holds up the ceiling edges.
- Add one spare per ten sheets: 3 on top of 22 sheets of 4x12, or 4 on top of 33 sheets of 4x8.
- Check that 12 ft sheets fit through the door and up the stairs before you buy them. If not, the 33 sheet 4x8 layout is the fallback.
Frequently asked questions
Primary references
Manufacturer and industry guidance used to check this article.
- Sheetrock Brand Installation and Finishing GuideUSG
- Application and Finishing of Gypsum Panel Products, GA-216-2010 archiveGypsum Association
Product instructions, tested assemblies and local code take priority over general guidance.