Drywall for a 13 × 9 ft room with 9 ft ceilings, 4 × 10 ft sheets, Level 4
| Sheets10% for cuts and breakage | 114 × 10 ft |
|---|---|
| Surface area396 ft² wall, less openings | 378ft² |
| Joint compound54 lb — Level 4, three coats — the normal standard for flat or eggshell paint | 0.94.5 gal buckets |
| Paper tape1 × 250 ft rolls | 176linear ft |
| Screws1 lb box | 440screws |
| Corner beadoutside corners and ceiling angles | 22linear ft |
| Finish levelthree coats — the normal standard for flat or eggshell paint | Level 4 |
| Sheet sizeeasy to handle, more joints to finish | 4 × 10 ft |
- Room length
- 13 ft
- Room width
- 9 ft
- Ceiling height
- 9 ft
- Sheet size
- 4 × 10 ft
- Finish level
- Level 4
- Ceiling
- walls only
What to buy
11 sheets of 4 × 10 ft, 0.9 buckets of joint compound (54 lb), 176 linear ft of paper tape and about 440 screws.
378 ft² of surface — 396 ft² of wall0 — with 10% added for cuts and breakage.
Sheet length changes the job, not just the count
4 × 10 ft boards hung horizontally leave far fewer butt joints than 8 ft boards stood on end. Butt joints are the ones that show, because they have no tapered edge for the tape to sit in — every one has to be feathered wide enough to hide, and that is where the mud and the sanding hours go.
Longer boards are harder to carry and easier to finish. On a 9 ft wall the trade is usually worth it.
Level 4 is a specification, not a preference
Level 3 is two coats and belongs under heavy texture. Level 4 is three coats and is the normal standard for flat or eggshell paint. Level 5 skims the entire surface and costs about 40% more compound plus a great deal more sanding.
If the room has a big window down one side, raking light will show every joint that Level 4 leaves. That is when Level 5 earns its cost, and almost the only time.
Openings are only half deducted here
On purpose. You still cut board around a door and a window, and most of what comes out is offcut that fits nothing. Deducting the full opening area is exactly how people end up two sheets short with the van gone.
Two habits worth having
All-purpose compound for taping, lightweight for the finish coats — lightweight sands far more easily and sanding is where the hours are.
Set the driver clutch so the screw dimples the paper without breaking it. A screw that tears the face paper holds almost nothing, and you cannot see which ones did it once the mud is on.
Notes
- **Sheet length changes the job more than it changes the sheet count.** 4 × 10 ft boards hung horizontally on an 9 ft wall leave far fewer butt joints than 8 ft boards stood on end — and butt joints are the ones that show, because they have no tapered edge to bury the tape in. Fewer joints means less mud, less sanding and a flatter wall.
- **Level 4: three coats — the normal standard for flat or eggshell paint.** The finish level is a specification, not a preference — Level 4 under gloss paint or in raking window light will show every joint. Level 5 costs about 40% more mud and a lot more sanding, and it is the right answer for a wall with a big window down one side.
- Openings are only half deducted here, on purpose. You still have to cut the board around a door and a window, and most of what comes out is offcut. Deducting the full opening area is how people end up two sheets short.
- Buy the mud in buckets, not boxes, for anything this size — and buy all-purpose for taping and lightweight for the finish coats. Lightweight sands far more easily and that is where the hours go.
- If a ceiling is going in too, do it before the walls: the wall boards support the ceiling edge, and it saves fighting a sagging board on your own.
- Screw spacing is 16″ on walls and 12″ on ceilings for a 16″ o.c. frame. Set the driver clutch so the head dimples the paper without breaking it — a screw that tears the face paper holds almost nothing.
Nearby sizes
- Drywall for a 12 × 9 ft room with 9 ft ceilings, 4 × 10 ft sheets, Level 4
- Drywall for a 14 × 9 ft room with 9 ft ceilings, 4 × 10 ft sheets, Level 4
- Drywall for a 11 × 9 ft room with 9 ft ceilings, 4 × 10 ft sheets, Level 4
- Drywall for a 15 × 9 ft room with 9 ft ceilings, 4 × 10 ft sheets, Level 4
- Drywall for a 13 × 8 ft room with 9 ft ceilings, 4 × 10 ft sheets, Level 4
- Drywall for a 13 × 10 ft room with 9 ft ceilings, 4 × 10 ft sheets, Level 4
- Drywall for a 13 × 11 ft room with 9 ft ceilings, 4 × 10 ft sheets, Level 4
- Drywall for a 13 × 9 ft room with 8 ft ceilings, 4 × 10 ft sheets, Level 4
- Drywall for a 13 × 9 ft room with 10 ft ceilings, 4 × 10 ft sheets, Level 4
- Drywall for a 13 × 9 ft room with 12 ft ceilings, 4 × 10 ft sheets, Level 4
- Drywall for a 13 × 9 ft room with 9 ft ceilings, 4 × 8 ft sheets, Level 4
- Drywall for a 13 × 9 ft room with 9 ft ceilings, 4 × 12 ft sheets, Level 4
- Drywall for a 13 × 9 ft room with 9 ft ceilings, 4 × 10 ft sheets, Level 3
- Drywall for a 13 × 9 ft room with 9 ft ceilings, 4 × 10 ft sheets, Level 5
- Drywall for a 13 × 9 ft room with 9 ft ceilings, 4 × 10 ft sheets, Level 4
Read more
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- Drywall or Plaster: Cost, Durability, and What to Do With Existing LathPlaster costs two to four times as much and outperforms drywall on almost every measure except one — and that one is why nobody builds with it any more.
- DIY Drywall or Hire It Out: The Real Saving, Tools and Calendar IncludedThe material-versus-quote gap looks enormous. Subtract the tools, the rental and the fact that finishing is a skill, and the honest saving is smaller and still worth having.