What lead lined drywall costs installed in Arizona
Mesa Lead Lined Drywall publishes its pricing because shielding budgets shouldn’t require three site visits to learn. These are the installed ranges we quote from across Mesa and the Phoenix East Valley in 2026. Your physicist’s shielding report sets the exact lead thickness, so treat these as honest planning numbers rather than a contract.
Installed price ranges by job type
| Job type | Typical installed range | What moves the price |
|---|---|---|
| Lead lined drywall, per square foot | $9.50 to $24 | Lead thickness (1/32, 1/16, 1/8 inch), wall condition |
| Dental operatory walls (intraoral, pano, CBCT) | $2,000 to $6,500 | Wall count, thickness, occupied vs open suite |
| Single x-ray room (urgent care, ortho, chiro) | $6,000 to $15,000 | Thickness, door and window count, penetrations |
| Veterinary x-ray room | $4,500 to $12,000 | Room size, machine workload, door choice |
| CT or high energy room | $15,000 to $30,000+ | Lead equivalence, ceiling and floor shielding |
| Lead lined door with frame, installed | $2,500 to $6,000 | Lead core thickness, hardware, fire rating |
| Lead glass window, installed | $1,200 to $3,500 | Size and lead equivalence of the glass |
| Penetration remediation (per existing wall) | $800 to $2,500 | Box count, access, finish repair |
The five things that actually move your number
- Lead thickness. The physicist report specifies it per barrier under NCRP Report 147. The step from 1/32 to 1/16 inch roughly doubles the lead cost in the board, which is why guessing instead of getting the report first is expensive in both directions.
- Openings. A lead lined door with its wrapped frame can cost as much as the walls around it. Windows add lead glass at several times the price of the drywall behind it. Rooms designed with one door and no window shield cheapest.
- Penetrations. Every outlet, switch, data drop and plumbing line through a shielded wall needs sheet lead backing. Ten boxes cost real hours. Relocating boxes to unshielded walls at design time is the cheapest shielding decision available.
- Occupied vs open construction. Shielding into an open-stud buildout is the base price. Working in a finished, occupied clinic adds containment, night work and refinishing, typically 30 to 50 percent on the affected walls.
- Ceiling and floor scope. Ground-floor rooms with nothing below often need walls only. Multi-story buildings and CT workloads can put lead overhead or underfoot, which is where budgets jump. See the note on post-tension slabs in our Phoenix coverage.
How a quote comes together
- You send room drawings or the shielding report (or both). Ten minutes of questions by phone covers machine type, adjacencies and finish level.
- We return a written number tied to the report’s thicknesses, with the door and glass lead times stated.
- Material is ordered with certs; installation is scheduled around your buildout or your clinic hours.
- You get the photo file of every assembly before close-up, and the physicist’s survey confirms the barrier.
Material context, for the detail-minded
Lead lined gypsum board is standard 5/8 inch drywall laminated with sheet lead, hung vertically with screws at 8 inches on center and lead batten strips behind every joint. The lead itself is priced by weight, so thickness drives material cost almost linearly. Registration of the machine sits with the ADHS Bureau of Radiation Control, shielding design values come from NCRP Report 147, and worker lead-safety practice on our crews follows the OSHA lead standard.
Cost questions we get weekly
How much does lead lined drywall cost per square foot installed?
In the Phoenix East Valley, $9.50 to $24 per square foot installed. The spread is almost entirely lead thickness: 1/32 inch dental walls sit near the bottom, 1/16 inch clinical walls in the middle, and heavier CT barriers at the top.
Why do quotes for the same room vary so much between contractors?
Usually because one bid counts the details and another does not. Batten strips at every joint, sheet lead behind every box, door frame wrapping and documentation all cost real money. A low bid that skips them tends to fail the physicist survey, and the correction costs more than the gap between the bids.
Is it cheaper to shield during a buildout than after?
Significantly. With studs open, lead backing and penetration planning cost little. The same room shielded after finish means demolition, containment and refinishing on top of the shielding itself, often adding 30 to 50 percent.
Does insurance or the landlord ever cover shielding costs?
Shielding is normally part of the tenant improvement budget, and many East Valley landlords contribute through the TI allowance. It is worth negotiating the shielded rooms explicitly into the allowance, since they are the most expensive walls in the suite.
Get a number for your room
Call (623) 232-0273 or send the project. We quote from your report, not from a walkthrough sales visit.