How Much Does It Cost to Texture Drywall? [2024 Data]

Drywall Texture Cost Factors 

The cost to texture drywall depends on several factors, including the size of the area, the type of texture, and how the texture is applied. Here’s how the costs break down.

Types

How much does orange peel texture cost versus spray sand or Venetian plaster? The type of drywall texture can dramatically impact your overall cost. Venetian plaster is much more labor intensive and uses materials like marble dust, whereas sand spray involves mixing sand into your paint and primer. 

Keep in mind that Venetian plaster is an outlier, and some don’t consider it a texture type. These estimates assume generic, non-specialized, or customized materials will be used.

Size

Photo: Iriana Shiyan / Adobe Stock

The size of the room you’re texturing is the largest determinant of cost (once you’ve decided which texture you’re using). Living rooms, basements, and garages will be the most expensive single rooms to texture. 

It’s important to remember that drywall pros charge by the size of the wall, not the square footage of the room itself. We’ve included some wall dimensions, as well, as it’s becoming more common to texture single walls as accent walls instead of texturing every wall in a room.

Materials

As a general rule, anything involving drywall is relatively inexpensive. Drywall was designed to be a cost-effective, safe, and versatile way to put up walls, which is reflected in the price of the materials.

Common drywall materials include the drywall itself, screws to attach the drywall to load-bearing beams, and the joint compound and drywall tape that fill in the gaps between drywall sheets.

Labor

Labor is a significant amount of the cost when texturing drywall. Drywall contractors will charge you per square foot for the labor and an additional cost for materials. While average drywall installation costs are between $1.50 and $3.00 per square foot, texturing drywall can be more or less expensive. 

If you’re hiring a local drywall contractor and have selected a simple drywall texture—like “smooth”—you can expect to pay around the range of the prices listed in the tables above, with an average of about $1.35 per square foot. 

For smaller rooms, contractors may add a convenience fee to ensure the project is worth their time. Some charge hourly, and you can expect to pay between $40 and $100 per hour. Removing old textures, like removing popcorn on a ceiling, will most likely cost double.

Sprayed vs. Hand-Applied Texture

Sprayed textures are applied using a machine with a special nozzle that sprays the drywall mud into your desired pattern. Spray textures cost a bit less than hand-applied textures because there’s less labor involved. Here’s what you can expect to spend:

Removing Existing Texture

Drywall textures can add panache to an otherwise boring wall, but consider your current situation before beginning. Do you have a textured wall that requires removing the existing texture before continuing? Can you add Venetian plaster after removing the popcorn texture?

The cost to skim coat walls and remove the texture is between $300 and $1,200 or $1 to $3 per square foot.

Drywall or Ceiling Repairs 

Sometimes, you’ll need to make repairs before you can texture your walls. Drywall repair costs $300 to $950 for most homeowners. You’ll spend anywhere from $20 to $200 to repair cracks, holes, dents, and tears. Repairing larger cracks could cost up to $400. 

Repairs to ceilings and toward the top of high walls will cost more than other repairs because those areas are less accessible. 

Painting Textured Drywall 

If you want to finish your textured drywall with paint, expect to spend an additional $1 to $3 per square foot. However, depending on the size of the job, you could find prices as high as $4.75 per square foot. Painting a room costs between $300 and $2,800, but you’ll save money if you texture your walls and paint them at the same time.

DIY vs. Hiring a Pro

You can certainly save money on the cost of labor if you can texture drywall yourself, but make sure you have the time. If you start and choose not to finish, you’ll have to pay for the removal of what you’ve done up to that point, plus the following texture work.

A pro will charge a rate based on either the surface area of the wall or ceiling or an hourly rate. If possible, get quotes for the entire project based on size. Hourly charges for construction work remove the sense of urgency and can result in slower, more expensive work. 

Tips to Reduce Texturing Drywall Costs 

So the harsh truth is, there aren’t many ways to save money when texturing drywall. Remember that anything having to do with 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:

• Combine the work with existing repairs. 

• Texture over existing texture to eliminate removal costs.

• Get referrals for companies just starting out. 

• Consider paint-only textures.

• Choose 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).