Drywall – How much surface area do you need on studs to hang drywall

Add the area of the ceiling by the area of the walls and then factor in some extra for waste. So if you have 8' ceilings, those walls would be 1120 sqft themselves. Add the 490 sqft for the ceiling would give 1610 sqft. Then add in a factor for waste. The less experience you have, and the more angles and corners you have to cut, the more waste you'll have. I think 5% waste is on the low end for our projects, but we have lots of closets, halls, and inexperienced volunteers doing the cutting. That would give you 36-38 sheets of 12x4 (1610 / 48 = almost 34, with 5% waste you get 36, 10% waste gives you 38).

Before you order, since this is a basement, if there's any mold or mildew risk, get mold proof drywall. Also, if you don't have some experienced help, I'd go for the 4x8 sheets. With experience and a lift, it's possible to do 4x8 sheets by yourself, but a 4x12 sheet is often a 3 person job (2 to hold, one to screw). Just realize the 4x8 sheets will require more joints to mud. If you go with 4x8 sheets, since they are 32 sqft each, you'd end up with 54-56 sheets.

I'm sorry to say, and hate to criticize other's work, but those screws are not driven properly. The screws need to be driven with a sheetrock screw gun or a dimpler bit in a regular screw gun. The screws need to be slightly counter sunk with an indented dimple around the screw head into the sheetrock to hold some joint compound. The screws should not break through the paper. The proper bit indents and stops driving the screw at the right depth automatically. What I see in your pics is badly torn surface paper with shards of paper higher than the rest of the surface. This will be hard to mud and make flush and smooth. Many of these are going to have to be indented with a strike from a hammer to create a void for the mud to go into. The other problem with driving drywall screws with a regular #2 phillips bit is that screws driven too deep will not have the holding power and the sheetrock screws will pull through, leaving the sheet unattached to the studs. This is especially important when hanging rock on ceilings.

These are the proper tools and bits.

Be careful using Angies List, many of the reviews are fake and made by the contractor themselves. Personally check local references with a phone call or sometimes with a visit to see finished projects. I know that many of my customers are happy to talk to my potential customers and also proud to show off there new completed projects.