Understanding Drywall Mud
Drywall mud is another name for joint compound. Builders use drywall mud at construction sites. It is convenient to use to fill in holes or other wall damage. Drywall mud contains a mixture of water, expanded perlite, ethylene-vinyl acetate polymer, limestone and attapulgite. The combination of these chemicals gives drywall mud a creamy and smooth texture, which makes application and smoothing easy. Drywall mud makes walls smooth, perfect for painting or applying wallpaper.
Drywall Mud Preparation
Most drywall mud comes in premade form. Unlike traditional joint compound, ready-mixed joint compound comes ready to apply. It also has a longer window for application, since the traditional joint compound driea up within one to two hours. Ready-mixed drywall mud stays in its original form unless it is left untouched for several hours.
Surface Preparation
Before applying drywall mud for finishing purposes, prepare the walls. Apply paper drywall tape over the drywall joints and corner beads and joints. Paper drywall tape goes on easily after soaking it in water. Once it is saturated, place the tape over a thin coat of mud on the wall and use a 6-inch putty knife to stick it. If repairing a wall, make sure to cut off the frayed parts, any loose paint, tape or paper. Sand down the area surrounding the damage about 6 inches out. Apply fiberglass tape over the hole or damage.
Application
Finishing drywall requires at least two separate coats of drywall mud. During the first application, drywall mud goes on all the taping and any holes or screws. A 3-inch putty knife is best for this application. The second coat of drywall involves muddying the entire wall with a 6-inch putty knife. After each coat, sand down any ridges or bumps so that they are even with the rest of the wall. If necessary, apply a third coat only to areas where there are holes. In repair situations, make sure not to sand completely down to the tape. If the tape shows through, simply apply more mud and start over.
Sealing
After completing the application, vacuum any dust off the wall from sanding. Apply a primer to the wall. The type of primer needed is a Latex Drywall Primer-Sealer. After application, if there are imperfections touch them up with the mud and immediately apply the primer to the wet mud. This prevents a blotchy appearance. After sealing, the wall is ready to paint.
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