How to hire a drywall contractor (and get the job finished right)

Most drywall headaches come from three things: a vague quote, a crew that disappears halfway through, and a finish that looks fine until the paint goes on. A few questions before you hire fix most of it, whether you're a homeowner patching a ceiling or a GC lining up a hang-and-finish sub.

Before you call anyone: know your scope

• What's being done: hang only, finish only, or hang and finish? Patch or full rooms?
• Rough size: room dimensions or square footage of wall and ceiling, and ceiling height. Photos help a lot.
• Finish you want: smooth or textured, flat or glossy paint. That decides the finish level.
• Special board: moisture-resistant for baths, fire-rated where required, thicker board on ceilings.
• Timing: when the space is ready, and what has to be done before drywall (inspections, insulation, electrical).

12 questions to ask a drywall contractor

1. Do you hang, finish, or both? Will your own crew do the work, or will you sub it out?
2. Can your insurance agent email me a certificate of liability insurance?
3. Can I call two or three people you've done work for recently?
4. Can you show photos of finished walls, ideally with light coming across them?
5. What finish level are you pricing for each area?
6. Who buys the board, mud, tape, and bead, and is it in the price?
7. Are texture and primer included? Which texture?
8. Who handles cleanup, scrap, and haul-off?
9. When can you start, how many days will it take, and how many trips (hang, tape, coats, sanding)?
10. What's the payment schedule?
11. How do you handle changes and extra work once you're on site?
12. If something shows up after paint, like a seam or a screw pop, how do you handle it?

Insurance tip: a certificate sent straight from the contractor's insurance agent is worth more than a photo of one. Licensing rules for drywall vary by state and city, so where there's no license to check, insurance and references matter even more.

What a good drywall quote includes

• Each area listed, with board type and thickness.
• The finish level per area, for example "living areas Level 4, garage Level 2".
• Whether materials, texture, primer, and haul-off are included or excluded.
• Start date, expected duration, and the payment schedule.
• How change orders get priced.

If two quotes are far apart, line them up on these points first. The cheaper one is often leaving something out, like a lower finish level, no haul-off, or materials billed separately.

Red flags

• Wants the full price up front, or cash only with nothing in writing.
• Won't name a finish level, or says "it'll be smooth" without one.
• Can't produce insurance or a single reference.
• Quotes without asking about size, ceilings, or the finish you want.
• Pushes you to skip a required inspection.

Set up payment so the job gets finished

Tie payments to progress you can see, and put it in writing. A common setup is a modest deposit or a materials payment to start, a payment when the board is hung and inspected, and the balance after the final walk-through. Do that walk-through in the lighting the room will really have, and agree on primer before you judge the finish.

Pros: see how to bid a drywall job or try the free bid calculator.

General guidance, not legal advice. Check your local permit and licensing rules and put the agreement in writing.