Drywall glossary for contractors

By James Grokman, CEO, TapeAndFloat · Updated 2026-10-28

Plain-English definitions of the jobsite and office terms drywall and tape-and-float contractors deal with, each with a link to a guide or tool. Entries on liens, waivers, payment clauses and contract terms are general information, not legal advice.

AIA G702 / G703 — AIA G702 and G703 are standard pay application forms published by the American Institute of Architects.
Bed coat, block coat, finish coat — These are the coats of mud over a joint.
Bid — A bid is a firm price you submit for a job on a set of plans, usually to a GC who is comparing several subs.
Bid board — A bid board is a list, spreadsheet or app view of the bids you have out, with due dates, amounts and status (pending, won, lost).
Bid follow-up — Bid follow-up is checking back with the GC or owner on a bid you sent, until you know whether you won it, lost it, or need to revise it.
Bid sheet — A bid sheet is your internal worksheet where you add up quantities, labor, material, overhead and profit to reach your bid number.
Certificate of insurance (COI) — A certificate of insurance is a one-page summary from your insurance agent showing your policies, limits and dates.
Change order — A change order is a written, signed agreement that changes the scope, price or schedule of work already under contract, for example extra rooms, a higher finish level or a repair after another trade's damage.
Conditional vs. unconditional lien waiver — A conditional lien waiver gives up lien rights only once the stated payment is actually received.
Corner bead — Corner bead is metal, vinyl or paper-faced trim installed on outside corners to protect them and give a straight edge to finish to.
Daily log — A daily log is a short record for each workday on a job: who was on site, what got done, materials delivered, weather, delays and any instructions from the GC, ideally with photos.
Drywall estimate — A drywall estimate is a written price for a job that lists scope, finish level, quantities, your price, exclusions and terms.
Drywall finish levels (Level 0–5) — Drywall finish levels are an industry scale, from Level 0 to Level 5, that describes how much taping, coating and sanding a wall or ceiling gets.
Drywall texture (orange peel, knockdown) — Texture is a pattern sprayed, rolled or troweled onto finished drywall.
Exclusions — Exclusions are the items you list in your bid or estimate as not included in your price, such as patching after other trades, prime and paint, or after-hours work.
Fire tape (Level 1) — Fire taping is tape embedded in mud on joints and inside corners with no finish coats, used in concealed spaces like attics and above ceilings; it is usually treated as a GA-214 Level 1 finish.
General contractor (GC) — The general contractor holds the main contract with the owner, runs the job and hires subcontractors such as drywall crews.
Hanging drywall — Hanging is cutting and fastening drywall sheets to the framing with screws or nails, before any taping or finishing.
Job costing — Job costing is tracking what each job actually costs you, in labor hours, material, equipment and subs, and comparing it to what you estimated.
Joint tape (paper or mesh) — Joint tape reinforces the seams between sheets.
Level 4 finish — Under GA-214, Level 4 is tape embedded in mud plus two separate coats on flat joints, one coat on inside corners and three coats on fastener heads and accessories.
Level 5 finish (skim coat) — A Level 5 finish is everything in Level 4 plus a thin skim coat of mud, or a material made for that purpose, over the entire surface, to even out texture and suction before paint.
Lien timeline basics — State law usually sets time limits for sending required notices and filing a lien.
Lien waiver — A lien waiver is a signed document in which you give up some or all of your lien rights, usually in exchange for a payment.
Mechanic's lien — A mechanic's lien is a legal claim against a property, filed by someone who supplied labor or materials and wasn't paid.
Mud (joint compound) — Mud is the trade name for joint compound, the paste used to embed tape and cover joints, corners and screw heads.
Overhead and profit (O&P) — Overhead is what it costs to run your business, such as insurance, trucks, office and tools, that isn't tied to one job.
Past-due invoice — A past-due invoice, or pay app, is one that hasn't been paid by the due date in your contract or invoice terms.
Pay application (pay app) — A pay application is the progress bill a subcontractor sends the GC, usually monthly, showing the work completed against the schedule of values, approved change orders, retainage held and the amount due.
Pay-when-paid vs. pay-if-paid — Pay-when-paid and pay-if-paid are subcontract clauses that tie your payment to the GC getting paid by the owner.
Preliminary notice (notice of claim) — A preliminary notice, or notice of claim, is a letter a subcontractor or supplier sends to the owner and/or GC saying it is owed, or may be owed, for work on the property.
Progress billing — Progress billing is billing a job in stages as work is completed, usually by percent complete on each line of the schedule of values, instead of one invoice at the end.
Punch list — A punch list is the list of small fixes and touch-ups the GC or owner wants done before your work is accepted, such as dings, visible joints, nail pops or missed corners.
Ready-mix joint compound — Ready-mix (premixed) compound comes wet in a bucket or box and hardens as it dries.
Retainage — Retainage is part of each progress payment that the GC holds back until the job, or a set milestone, is complete.
Retainage release — Retainage release is billing for and collecting the retainage held on a job, usually at substantial completion, final completion or another point set in your contract.
Schedule of values (SOV) — A schedule of values breaks your contract amount into line items, such as hanging, tape and float, and texture by area or floor.
Scope of work — The scope of work is the description of exactly what work is included in your price: areas, board types, finish level, texture, and what you are not doing.
Subcontract — The subcontract is your agreement with the GC.
Substantial completion — Substantial completion is the point where work is complete enough for the owner to use the space for its purpose, with only minor punch-list items left.
Takeoff — A takeoff is the measurement of quantities from the plans, such as wall and ceiling area, number of sheets, linear feet of corner bead and amount of mud, so you can price the job.
Tape and float — Tape and float is the Texas and Southern name for drywall finishing: embedding tape over the joints, then "floating" coats of mud to hide the seams and fasteners.
Time and materials (T&M) — Time and materials is a way of pricing work by the hours actually worked plus the materials actually used, at agreed rates, instead of a fixed price.
Type X drywall — Type X is fire-resistant gypsum board defined in ASTM C1396, most often 5/8 inch and usually with glass fibers in the core, used where code or plans call for a fire-rated assembly, such as garages, corridors and shafts.
Unbilled change order — An unbilled change order is extra work that was approved, and often already done, but hasn't been added to an invoice or pay application yet.
W-9 and 1099 forms — A W-9 is the IRS form a business uses to give its taxpayer ID to whoever pays it.
Waste factor — The waste factor is the extra material, as a percentage, that you add to your takeoff to cover cuts, offcuts and damaged sheets.

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