how do I properly "mud and tape" wallboard?
Answers:
Start by investing in quality tools. Take good care of them and they will last you a lifetime. To achieve quality results, essential tools include:
- 5" taping knife ... used for basic mud application and laying in drywall tape. This will be your most often used tool. Buy a knife with a brass butt on the handle so you can use it to knock back any protrusions that you find as you are mudding and taping.
- a hand held mud box with a removable metal edge. Usually plastic, the metal edge serves to scrape the mud off of your 5" mud knife. The metal edge is removeable to it can be thoroughly cleaned.
- A corner trowel. When you learn to use this tool correctly, it will make quick work of 90 degree corners.
- An 8" drywall knife.
- A 12" drywall knife.
- A hand held sanding block and the appropriate sandpaper.
The above mentioned tools will see you through most drywall do-it-yourself drywall finishing jobs. They are readily available at any home center or hardware store. Total cost should be around $100.00. Carefully clean them immediately after using and store them in a dry place. If humidity causes them to begin to rust, remove the rust with fine steel wool and wipe with a very light coat of machine oil. Be sure to clean the oil off of the tools before using.
Optional tools include:
- A mud mixer attachment for an electric drill. If you buy mud in 5 gallon buckets, this could be considered an essential tool. The mud needs to be thoroughly mixed before application and this is made easy with this tool. The tool is only about $15.00 but usually requires a 1/2" drill with enough torque to do the job.
- A 16' drywall knife.
- A mud roller and extension pole. This is used to roll on a very thin coat of mud on the entire drywall surface after which it is immediately "troweled off" using a skim coat knife. This serves to eliminate the knap of the paper on the untaped areas of the wallboard. Failure to perform this step will show up after you paint the finished wall. Mudded areas will appear "slick and smooth" while unskimmed area of the drywall will appear "flat and dull" because of the knap of the paper underneath the paint. If you buy this tool, you will also need a mud screen that fits into a 5 gallon bucket of thinned down (a soupy consistancy is about right) mud. After dipping the roller into the mud, rolling it across this screen removes excess mud much like a paint tray removes excess paint from a paint roller.
- A 24' skim coat knife. A 16" knife can do the same thing with more passses.
- A pole sander. This long handled sander will have a swiveling sanding block attached to one end. It will make quick work of finish sanding.
- There are various texturing tools available for the application of texture to a ceiling. The choices are too many to identify here, but the most common is a round stomping brush. Following an application of a coat of mud on the ceiling with the mud roller, the stomping brush is used to give the mud texture.
Total cost for the optional tools may run you another $100.00.
The biggest mistake made by do-it-yourselfers is to apply too much mud at each stage of the drywall job and then overworking it to achieve perfection. After taping and seaming, a drywall pro will apply two more thin coats of drywall compound using wider drywall knives at each stage in order to feather the joints out over a larger area. The final step before sanding is to apply a very thin skim coat on the entire room for reasons already stated. Done properly, very little sanding will be needed.
Buy quality tools. Keep them clean. Keep you mud free of debris and contaminents. Practice your technique in closets before tackling rooms where mistakes will stand out. Be patient.
In addition to the tools, I encourage you to invest in an instructional book that will take you step-by-step through the drywall process. They are available at any Lowe's or Home Depot as well as at most Public Libraries. You might also want to rent or buy an instructional video. The "Home Time" television show produces and sells instructional videos covering the basics of many home improvement projects ... including basic drywall.
I hope this information helps. Good luck with your project.
Other answers:
Take a very wide putty knife (8" or more) wipe a thin layer of mud on the seam, take a strip of joint tape start at the top embed tape in bed of mud you made. Now put a layer of mud on top of it embedding the tape in the mud as you go. Come back & level the mud with your wide putty knife remembering that taking a little time now avoids a lot of sanding later.
Take a very wide putty knife (8" or more) wipe a thin layer of mud on the seam, take a strip of joint tape start at the top embed tape in bed of mud you made. Now put a layer of mud on top of it embedding the tape in the mud as you go. Come back & level the mud with your wide putty knife remembering that taking a little time now avoids a lot of sanding later.
Put spackle in space, add tape to cover space, adjust tape, add more spackle and smoothe with putty knife wide enough to cover spackle. Let dry then sand to desired smoothness.
Heres a good step-by-step guide:
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