Drywall Installation in Austin, TX
Drywall Company Austin provides professional drywall installation for new construction, room additions, garage conversions, and full-home remodels across the Austin metro. We hang 1/2″ standard gypsum board and 5/8″ Type X fire-rated board from USG SheetRock and National Gypsum Gold Bond, and finish to Level 3, Level 4, or Level 5 per project specification. All new installation. No patch calls. $500 labor minimum.
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We serve Austin and the full metro: Round Rock, Pflugerville, Cedar Park, Georgetown, Leander, Hutto, Taylor, Manor, Bastrop, and Elgin — no travel fees within this service area.
Board Types We Install
Standard Gypsum — 1/2″
Residential living spaces, bedrooms, hallways, and ceilings. USG SheetRock 1/2″ and National Gypsum Gold Bond are our standard boards. Fastened with #6 coarse-thread drywall screws on 12″ centers on ceilings and 16″ on walls. Every fastener dimpled — not broken through the paper.
Fire-Rated Type X — 5/8″
Required for garages, shared walls in multi-family, and any assembly with a fire-resistance rating. USG SheetRock Fire Shield 5/8″ Type X. Fastener pattern per UL assembly spec. Seams taped with paper tape — not mesh tape, which doesn’t meet fire-rated assembly requirements.
Moisture-Resistant and Mold-Resistant Board
USG Durock cement board or DensShield for tile substrate. Green board for semi-wet zones: laundry rooms, bathrooms without direct water exposure. Austin’s 65–85% RH from May through October makes moisture board selection here more consequential than in drier climates.
Soundproof Panel Systems
Home theaters, media rooms, shared walls requiring acoustic separation. QuietRock 530 or double-layer with resilient channel for maximum STC rating. We specify the correct system for the target STC — not just double-layer standard board, which adds mass without decoupling.
Finishing Levels
Level 3
Tape embedded, one additional coat, lightly sanded. For heavy texture only (skip-trowel, knockdown) or wallcovering substrate. Not appropriate under any paint application.
Level 4
Tape embedded, two additional coats, sanded smooth. Standard for most Austin residential construction. Appropriate under flat, eggshell, satin, and semi-gloss paint. The default in Round Rock, Pflugerville, Cedar Park, Leander, and Georgetown new construction.
Level 5
Level 4 base plus a full skim coat of finish compound over the entire surface, sanded under raking light. Required for high-gloss or semi-gloss paint in rooms with large windows or low-mounted fixtures. Custom homes in Westlake, Tarrytown, and Rollingwood almost always spec Level 5.
Installation Process
1 — Site Walkthrough and Scope
We measure every room, confirm MEP rough-in is inspected and approved, identify specialty board areas, and deliver a line-item written quote. Board type, finish level, and texture confirmed in writing before work begins.
2 — Framing Check
Before any board hangs, we check framing with a level and straightedge. Framing out of plumb more than 1/4″ per 8 feet shows through finish — we flag it before proceeding.
3 — Board Hanging
Ceilings first, then walls. Horizontal installation on walls, butt joints staggered and never stacked. Boards cut to leave 1/8″ gap at floor and ceiling for thermal movement.
4 — Tape Coat
All seams receive paper tape in all-purpose compound. Outside corners get metal corner bead crimped on every outside corner. Butt joints get Durabond 90 setting compound first for strength.
5 — Fill and Finish Coats
Two to three additional coats of topping compound, feathered 8″–10″ each side on tapered seams, 12″–14″ on butt joints. Each coat sanded between applications.
6 — Sand and Prime
Pole sander 120-grit then 150-grit, under raking light. PVA primer applied before painter hand-off — bare unprimed drywall absorbs finish paint unevenly, requiring significantly more coats for even sheen.
Pricing Reference — Austin Metro (2026)
Labor minimum: $500. Materials priced separately unless noted.
Austin Context
Clay soil and foundation movement. Blackland Prairie clay covers East Austin (78702, 78721), Pflugerville (78660), Hutto (78634), and eastern Round Rock (78665). Homes on slab foundations in these areas develop diagonal cracks at door and window corners as the slab shifts seasonally. We use fiberglass mesh tape in Durabond 90 in movement-prone areas and flexible joint compound on butt joints in living areas of homes with known foundation movement.
Older plaster homes in Central Austin. Hyde Park (78756), Travis Heights (78704), and Clarksville (78703) have significant 1920s–1950s construction with original plaster over wood lath. When we encounter plaster in remodel scopes, we assess whether to hang over the lath or demo to framing and present both options.
Frequently Asked Questions
What finish level should I specify?
Level 4 for most residential work painted in flat, eggshell, or satin. Level 5 if you’re using semi-gloss or gloss, or if the room has large windows where afternoon raking light illuminates the wall at an angle. If your painter says Level 4 is fine for a gloss-painted space, they’re wrong — and you’ll see the defects within days of move-in.
How long does drywall take for a typical home?
A 2,000–2,500 sq ft single-story home: 2–3 days to hang, 5–7 additional days across tape and finish coats. Budget 10–14 working days from first board to primer-ready hand-off.
Do you work with builders and GCs?
Yes. We work with homeowners, investors, GCs, and production builders throughout the Austin metro. We coordinate with MEP trades before we hang, and deliver primed surfaces to the painting trade on schedule.
Do you do patch work?
Our focus is new installation, replacement, and renovation scopes. Small patch-only calls are below our $500 labor minimum. For a full-room skim coat, Level 5 upgrade, or full replacement after water damage — yes, that’s within our scope.