How Much Does It Cost to Texture Drywall? [2026 Data]

In 2026, the national average cost to texture drywall in a single room is $625. Most homeowners spend between $575 and $675, with the cost driven by room size, texture style, and whether prep work, such as old-texture removal, is needed. Contractors typically quote by square footage, with rates ranging from $0.80 to $2.00 per square foot.

Drywall Texture Cost Factors: What Affects the Price?

The cost to texture drywall depends on several factors, including the area size, the texture type, the application method, and labor. Costs vary meaningfully by texture type, room size, and whether the work is sprayed or hand-applied, so understanding each factor helps you budget accurately.

Types

The type of drywall texture you choose has a significant impact on your total cost, with options ranging from affordable spray sand at $1.05 to $1.20 per square foot up to Venetian plaster at $3.00 or more per square foot. Common finishes like orange peel and smooth fall in the middle of the range, while Venetian plaster stands apart as a labor-intensive option that uses specialty materials like marble dust.

These estimates assume generic, non-specialized materials, and costs vary by texture type as shown below:

Size

Room size is the single largest cost driver once you've chosen your texture type, with costs ranging from $100 to $1,200. Larger spaces like finished basements and living rooms cost the most to texture. Drywall pros charge by wall square footage rather than room square footage, so the actual wall surface area determines your price.

Single accent walls are an increasingly popular option, and costs vary by wall and room size, as shown in the following table:

Materials

Drywall materials are generally inexpensive, reflecting the material's original design as a cost-effective and versatile wall solution. Common materials include the drywall panels themselves, screws for attaching panels to load-bearing beams, and joint compound and drywall tape to fill gaps between sheets.

Labor

Labor makes up a significant portion of drywall texturing costs, with drywall installation costs running $1.50 to $3.00 per square foot on average, though simpler textures like smooth can come in around $1.35 per square foot. A local drywall contractor may charge hourly for smaller rooms, typically $40 to $100 per hour, to ensure the job is worth their time. Removing old textures, such as popcorn ceiling finish, will most likely cost double the standard rate.

Sprayed vs. Hand-Applied Texture

Sprayed textures use a machine with a specialized nozzle to apply drywall mud, and they cost less than hand-applied textures because the process requires less labor, 

The following table shows how costs are affected by the application method:

Removing Existing Texture

The cost to skim coat walls and remove existing texture runs $300 to $1,200, or $1 to $3 per square foot, depending on the size of the area and the texture being removed. Before starting a texturing project, assess whether your existing walls need the current texture removed first, since that step adds meaningful cost to your budget. 

Drywall or Ceiling Repairs

Drywall repair costs $300 to $950 for most homeowners before texturing can begin, with smaller fixes like cracks, holes, and dents running $20 to $200 and larger cracks reaching up to $400. Repairs to ceilings and high walls cost more than standard repairs because of the reduced accessibility of those areas.

Painting Textured Drywall

Finishing textured drywall with paint adds $1 to $3 per square foot to your project cost, though larger jobs can reach as high as $4.75 per square foot. Painting a room costs between $300 and $2,800, but combining texturing and painting in a single visit can reduce your overall spend.

Why You Should Hire a Drywall Texturing Pro

Working with an expert to handle drywall texturing is always the right move. This finishing touch can make all the difference for the look and feel of a space, which is why we strongly suggest making the $1.50 to $3 per square foot investment in hiring a pro drywall installer. These experts have the skills and experience needed to ensure a great-looking end result. 

Here’s why it’s ideal to hire a drywall texturing pro

There are several reasons to consider hiring an expert to texture drywall in your home, including:

• Better-looking end result

• Faster completion of your project

• Wider variety of available drywall textures

• Ability to have texture sprayed or applied by hand

• Help removing old texture or adding it to ceilings

If you want to DIY drywall texturing

We suggest leaving this project to an expert, but there are a couple of prep steps you can take to save time and money:

• If you’re confident, skim drywall to remove old texturing yourself

• Clean your walls to get them ready for texturing

• Remove all furniture and other obstacles from the work area

Tips to Reduce Texturing Drywall Costs 

The harsh truth is that there aren’t many ways to save money when texturing drywall. Remember that anything related to drywall is relatively inexpensive and that holds true here as well. It’s much easier to save costs on a bigger project with more variables (like a kitchen remodel).

The main way you can reduce your cost when texturing drywall is to DIY and save on the cost of labor. If you have a good relationship with your contractor, see if you can complete some of the simpler parts of the job, potentially eliminating the need for an additional worker. 

Some other ways you can reduce costs include:

• Combining the work with existing repairs

• Texturing over the existing texture to eliminate removal costs

• Getting referrals for companies just starting out

• Considering paint-only textures

• Choosing simpler textures

You don’t necessarily want to buy the most inexpensive materials, as this job will have a major visual impact on your home. It’s fine to use mid-grade materials where appropriate, and the cost shouldn’t vary that much between mid- and high-grade materials. But again, the best way to cut costs is to DIY the project (as much as you can).

How Angi Gets Its Cost Data

Home is the most important place on earth, which is why Angi has helped more than 150 million homeowners transform their houses into homes they adore. To help homeowners with their next project, Angi provides readers with the most accurate cost data and upholds strict editorial standards. We extensively research project costs to develop the pricing data you see, so you can make the best decisions for you and your home. We rely on reputable sources, including the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, academic journals, market studies, and interviews with industry experts—all to ensure our prices reflect real-world projects. 

Want to help us improve our cost data? Send us a recent project quote to [email protected]. Quotes and personal information will not be shared publicly.