Taping and mudding drywall is a messy job but it's not very difficult. The worst part is the sanding, and the better you are with the mudding part, the less drywall sanding you'll have to do. There's a few techniques that will help and the right tools make all the difference to your tape and mud job. Plan on the job taking three or four days to allow for the joint compound to dry between coats.
Instructions
1. Before you start laying mud and tape, go over all surfaces to ensure drywall nails or screws are set below the surface. If you're not sure, run the 6" knife down the seams. You'll feel the heads if they are sticking up.Because inside corners are tricky, start with the long flat seams to get a feel for the tools and materials. Apply a smooth coat of mud with the 6" knife, one seam at a time. (The 9" knife is for the final coats.) Cut the tape and lay it along the mud line, pressing it gently down with your hand. Now lay a thin coat of mud over the tape. Rinse off your knife between coats by dipping it in a bucket of clean water. This is boring work so I suggest having your favorite radio station on, or some good company!
2. Inside corners are finicky but there are tricks. First apply a thin coat of mud. Make sure it's filling in the gap in the corner completely. Cut your tape and wet it lightly in your water bucket. Press it carefully into the corner. Using your corner knife, lay a thin coat down the corner. If you have outside corners, run the knife down each side, removing clumps along the corner as you go. Finally, go around the room and hit all the screw heads. Remove big globs of excess mud as you work because these are hard to sand down later.
3. Everything has to dry for a day. If you were able to get this all done early in the morning and drying conditions are perfect you might be able to do your second coat in the evening. It's easy to see if the mud is dry because it will turn white. If there are gray areas, it's still wet. You want everything to be thoroughly dry. Always clean all your tools completely when you are done working and never scrape unused mud back into the bucket. Don't scrape it down the drain either because you can create awful clogs. Leftover mud goes into the trash. If you clean your tools out in the sink this is fine but let the water run for a little while to make sure residue gets washed out of the J-trap.
4. Use the 9-12" knife for your next coat. Before you start, go over the walls and scrape off any blobs or big ridges you may have missed the day before. Try to do smooth, wide swathes of mud as you work. Do a second coat on everything you first coated.
5. If you plan on putting a texture on the walls, you can get away with sanding and doing your texture after the second coat. Unless you are very skilled, a smooth wall will require a third coat. I sand everything at this point, and take a good hard look in good light. Then I only coat what looks and feels uneven. Use the sanding sponge with a light touch for corners. The sanding block and drywall sanding pads work better on large surfaces.
6. If you want to be extra special picky, sand your third coat and prime the walls. Then go over it one more time looking for ridges and air bubbles because they will be more obvious when the wall is painted. Wrap your primer set up completely in a trash bag so you can use it to spot-prime any touch-ups.
Related posts
Apply "mud" with a drywall taping knife.A standard room has four inside corners where the drywall panels meet. Drywall panels are standard in interior wall construction, but the seams an...
Coating a jointThe major part of any drywall project is finishing the joints. The first coat consists of embedding tapes over the joints, the second coat covers those tapes and the third coat poli...
Taping out corners requires a slightly different technique.Drywall panels give your walls a smooth look, suitable for painting or for hanging wallpaper. During installation, the panels are cut and...
Attach Mid-Flex corner tape with joint compound.Your contractor installs drywall panels over wall studs to create a seamlessly smooth wall surface. But drywall panels are flat and the interior lay...
Paper taping drywall requires finesse that can be learned as you work.Finishing your walls with paper tape and joint compound is a necessary step before painting or wallpapering your room. The tap...
