Hit 2,000 square feet of drywall tape and finally stopped counting

I've been finishing my basement in Columbus for the past 6 weeks, and yesterday I realized I've gone through exactly 14 rolls of paper tape on my own. That number surprised me because I'd guessed maybe half that when I started, and it really shows how much surface area the seams actually eat up. Has anyone else ever tallied up their material usage on a big drywall job, or do you just buy in bulk and forget?

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2 Comments

elliot_gibson272mo ago

Counting tape is a waste of time honestly. The real number that matters is cost per square foot when you're done, and that works out the same whether you used 14 rolls or 7 rolls if you bought in bulk. Tape is the cheap part of the job anyway, the mud and the labor are what eat your budget. If you're counting rolls you're probably just looking for a pat on the back for doing what any drywaller does by default. Buy a case, forget about it, and move on to the sanding which is the actual pain in the neck.

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angela_harris2mo ago

...you're acting like someone counted the rolls and then charged you double for it, it's really not that deep. I mean yeah, bulk buying is smarter, but it's not like people are out here counting tape to brag about it, they're just trying to figure out if they got ripped off at the supply store. Cost per square foot is fine on paper, but if you're doing a small job and bought a whole case, that number looks different than the guy who's doing ten rooms a week. And honestly, the whole "you're looking for a pat on the back" thing feels a little harsh, some folks just like keeping track of stuff. But sure, whatever, you do you and I'll keep my tape count in my head with the rest of my useless numbers.

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