Drywall for a 15 × 12 ft room with 12 ft ceilings, 4 × 12 ft sheets, Level 5
| Sheets10% for cuts and breakage | 154 × 12 ft |
|---|---|
| Surface area648 ft² wall, less openings | 630ft² |
| Joint compound124 lb — Level 5, skim coat over everything — for gloss paint or raking light | 24.5 gal buckets |
| Paper tape2 × 250 ft rolls | 288linear ft |
| Screws1 lb box | 720screws |
| Corner beadoutside corners and ceiling angles | 27linear ft |
| Finish levelskim coat over everything — for gloss paint or raking light | Level 5 |
| Sheet sizefewer joints — less mud, less sanding, harder to carry | 4 × 12 ft |
- Room length
- 15 ft
- Room width
- 12 ft
- Ceiling height
- 12 ft
- Sheet size
- 4 × 12 ft
- Finish level
- Level 5
- Ceiling
- walls only
What to buy
15 sheets of 4 × 12 ft, 2 buckets of joint compound (124 lb), 288 linear ft of paper tape and about 720 screws.
630 ft² of surface — 648 ft² of wall0 — with 10% added for cuts and breakage.
Sheet length changes the job, not just the count
4 × 12 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 12 ft wall the trade is usually worth it.
Level 5 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 × 12 ft boards hung horizontally on an 12 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 5: skim coat over everything — for gloss paint or raking light.** 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 14 × 12 ft room with 12 ft ceilings, 4 × 12 ft sheets, Level 5
- Drywall for a 16 × 12 ft room with 12 ft ceilings, 4 × 12 ft sheets, Level 5
- Drywall for a 13 × 12 ft room with 12 ft ceilings, 4 × 12 ft sheets, Level 5
- Drywall for a 18 × 12 ft room with 12 ft ceilings, 4 × 12 ft sheets, Level 5
- Drywall for a 15 × 11 ft room with 12 ft ceilings, 4 × 12 ft sheets, Level 5
- Drywall for a 15 × 13 ft room with 12 ft ceilings, 4 × 12 ft sheets, Level 5
- Drywall for a 15 × 10 ft room with 12 ft ceilings, 4 × 12 ft sheets, Level 5
- Drywall for a 15 × 14 ft room with 12 ft ceilings, 4 × 12 ft sheets, Level 5
- Drywall for a 15 × 12 ft room with 10 ft ceilings, 4 × 12 ft sheets, Level 5
- Drywall for a 15 × 12 ft room with 9 ft ceilings, 4 × 12 ft sheets, Level 5
- Drywall for a 15 × 12 ft room with 12 ft ceilings, 4 × 10 ft sheets, Level 5
- Drywall for a 15 × 12 ft room with 12 ft ceilings, 4 × 8 ft sheets, Level 5
- Drywall for a 15 × 12 ft room with 12 ft ceilings, 4 × 12 ft sheets, Level 4
- Drywall for a 15 × 12 ft room with 12 ft ceilings, 4 × 12 ft sheets, Level 3
- Drywall for a 15 × 12 ft room with 12 ft ceilings, 4 × 12 ft sheets, Level 5
Read more
- Drywall Cost per Sheet Installed — Board, Hang, Finish, and the Level You ChoseThe board is about a fifth of the bill. The finish level you specify moves the total more than any material decision.
- How Many Sheets of Drywall — and Why Sheet Length Changes the Job More Than the CountSheet count is arithmetic. Sheet length is a decision, and it changes how the finished wall looks under raking light.
- How Much Joint Compound — by Board Area, Not by Joint LengthCompound goes by the area of board, not the length of the joints, and the finish level moves the figure by 40 percent.
- Drywall Finish Levels 0 to 5 — What Each Costs and Where Each BelongsLevel 4 is the standard and it shows every joint on a wall that gets raking light. That one condition is the whole Level 5 argument.