MudAndTape is an independent site that works out drywall quantities — sheets, compound, tape and screws.
It exists because drywall is quoted in sheets but built in joints, and the thing that decides how long the job takes is how many butt joints the sheet length forces on you.
Where the numbers come from
- published compound coverage of roughly 500 ft² of board per 4.5 gallon bucket at a three-coat finish
- the ASTM/GA finish level definitions, Level 3 through Level 5
- standard fastener spacing of 16 inches on walls and 12 on ceilings
Every page states the source and the assumptions behind its figures, because a number without its assumptions is not much use. Where a coverage figure is a manufacturer rate rather than a site measurement, the page says which it is.
Butt joints, not board count
Sheet length changes the job through butt joints rather than through board count. A butt joint has no tapered edge, so the tape sits proud and has to be feathered eighteen inches each way — twelve-foot boards hung horizontally can eliminate them entirely on most walls.
What this site does not do
We do not cover fire-rated or shaft-wall assemblies. Those are tested systems, and substituting a component changes the rating.
Who runs it
One person who has taped enough ceilings to know where the time actually goes. There is no editorial team here. Instead, every figure names the sheet size, the compound datasheet or the code table it came from.
The take-off runs as code over every room, sheet and thickness combination on the site, so a wrong constant is wrong everywhere at once and gets found. Mistakes get corrected, with a note at the foot of the page saying what changed.
How it is paid for
MudAndTape is free to read and funded by display advertising. No sponsorships here, and no affiliate links either. No board or compound maker has any influence on these numbers.
Getting in touch
Corrections and questions go to [email protected]. If a number is wrong, that is the most useful message you can send — the editorial policy covers what happens next.