Dear Joe,
I have hung all the drywall in my basement and need to tape
all the joints. I have only done it once
before at another home I owned and it didn`t end well. How can I tackle this job myself and end up
with a quality job that isn`t going to look like heck or break my back? They make it look so easy on television. Any tips you have would be greatly
appreciated.
Sincerely,
Robert.
Dear Robert,
I am glad to hear you are taking it on yourself even if the
last one wasn’t perfect. That’s how we learn
by doing, failing and soldiering on.
I certainly have a few tips for you that can help speed
things along and make the finishing process much easier on your back and your
ego. Everyone needs to remember that the
miracle of editing makes everything look easier on t.v. Jobs that take a week are done in half an
hour and we all want to be that efficient.
Newsflash: it doesn’t work that way!
So here are some tips and tricks that will you give you a
better finish with less cursing.
1.
Make sure all your joints are as close as
possible with all tapered edges together where possible. Any broken corners cut out and peeling paper
pulled off.
2.
When applying the tape, lay the tape into a
healthy layer of mud and allow it to sit there for a couple minutes before
embedding it completely. This will help
hydrate the tape and give you a better bond.
When you come back to wipe it, squeeze as much mud out from beneath the
tape as possible. This will give you a
smooth low profile joint and ease your sanding woes later.
3.
Don’t try to use a setting type compound. I am a pretty skilled taper with many varied
projects under my belt and I will not touch the stuff. It is for experienced production drywallers
only! If you try to use it to speed
things up you will end up with a job that you can’t sand and will be cursing
yourself and the product.
4.
Apply very thin layers of compound. Do not glob it on. 4 or 5 thin coats is better than 2 thick
ones. The less you put on the less ends
up as dust on the floor later. Don’t
sand between layers: use the ripples and
trowel marks as a screed to dictate the thickness of the subsequent coat. If you wipe down to them, you’ll end up with
a nice even coat and never take too much off or leave too much on.
5.
When you embed the paper tape on a flat seam,
make sure the embossed folding seam is facing into the wall. This will prevent you from having it protrude
from the wall after you’ve sanded if you accidentally sand too deep.
6.
When taping corners, do one side of each corner,
and then when you do the next coat alternate and to the other side of the
corner. That way you’re not fighting to
get a perfect corner with two wet sides, which you’ll never do.
7.
Follow each sanding stroke with a swipe of your
free hand to brush away the dust and feel for imperfections.
8.
Use a halogen light held at an oblique angle to
the wall to cast shadows on the imperfections that need to be sanded out. This is extra important on ceilings where
light from windows will reveal every little blemish once your project is done
and painted. Then you get to live with
it.
9.
Use a trowel to knock down the high points
between coats. A quick pass with a
taping knife will prepare you for subsequent coats.
10.
Once you’re sanded and primed, allow the primer
to dry. Now inspect your work. The
primer will reveal any areas that need touching up. Take the time to do touch ups, sand them and
then reprime.
11.
Avoid gimmicks.
There are loads of new and fancy tools out there that are supposed to
make the job of drywalling easier. I’ve
tried a few and they don’t. All you need
is a 4 inch knife, a 6 inch knife and a 10 inch trowel. Some smaller knives if you have tight spaces
but for the most part I use three tools.
Using a quality mud is important too.
The heavier mud you use the more durable your finish will be.
So hopefully this will help you
along in your quest to become a better drywaller. The only thing that will definitely do it is
practice. Best of luck in all your
projects,
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