Construction Drywall Process
To help you better understand how the Construction Drywall Process and timeline of your Drywall project should work, we have laid out the normal process one should expect to see from start of insulation, to finish of sanding, to get your project ready for prime.
Below you will see the average time line and the order of which the Drywall process should flow to help you with your expectations and scheduling of your job, once you have accepted the quote from your contractor and a start date has been established.
Average Timeline
- Delivery of insulation materials to site (allow for one day)
- Insulation install (1 to 2 days on average)
- Delivery of drywall (1 day)
- Installation of drywall board (2 to 3 days on average)
- Taping and finishing (5 to 7 days)
- Texture install (1 day)
- Sanding and construction clean to prep for prime (1 day) sand and clean same day most times.
- Priming for paint (1-2 days)
- Touch ups (2 days)
After prime is completed, touch-ups can be done of any staple holes; from placing poly to cover the walls at texturing, or any small dings before or after prime; made by accident, and any deficiencies seen after prime. Drywall is a very messy process compared to other stages of construction. Most contractors will work to contain the dust in the best ways they can, but dust will always travel.
Now that 98% of the job is done, you are ready for Touch-ups. You can talk to your Contractor about doing Touch-ups after prime or ask them if they will come after all of the wood finishing is complete. If you wait until after the wood finishing is complete the advantage is all of the Trade damage will be fixed. Dependent on the size of your job, 20 - 25 dings (for a basement), or 30- 40 (for a house) are acceptable. Once your Trade damage exceeds these numbers, you may incur extra charges for excessive Trade damage. Make sure to ask your Contractor how many Touch-ups they allow for.
The Schedule layout above is based on an average house. Basements are already insulated, so schedule may start at drywall delivery or taping. Again, please note these are average timeframes to assist you with. Timeframes may vary depending on drying times, and the size and detail of your project. Basements tend to need more drying time than the main part of a house because it is harder for the moisture to escape due to the concrete and lack of windows.