MUDDING AND TAPING DRYWALL BOARDOnce you know the process for attaching drywall board (or sheetrock) to the walls of a room, you will then need to tape and mud the seams and joints where the boards but up against each other. After the first coat of mud has dried, the dried mud is sanded (if needed) and then a second coat of mud is troweled over the first. Below you will find instructions on how to tape and mud drywall, along with finishing those hard to do "but joints". If your looking for wall boarding (sheetrock hanging) instructions, use this wall boarding link or for boarding a ceiling, the ceilings page should help you out. One of the things you will need to know, when learning how to tape and mud drywall is that all cracks and seams where two sheets of drywall board but up against each other, need to be taped over with the use of either a fiber mesh or paper type drywalling tape. Drywall (or sheetrock) has tapered edges on the longest sides of each sheet of drywall board. When the tapered edges of two sheets of board are placed up against each other, a dip is created. The dip that’s created leaves a ditch or grove for the drywall tape to be laid in and once the tape is applied to a seam, drywall mud can be troweled on over top of the tape. There are two types of drywalling tape, paper and fiber mesh. Mesh is easier for home owners to use when learning how to tape and mud drywall, as it has a sticky back. Mesh tapes sticky back, helps it adhere to the surface of the drywall board, while the tape is being floated (troweled) over with drywall mud. Paper tape is considered to be somewhat stronger then fiber type drywall tape, yet the paper type tapes don’t have the sticky back advantage that fiber tape does. Without the sticky back advantage of fiber tapes, paper tape requires a coat of mud between it and the drywall boards surface. Due to the added layer of drywall mud for papered tapes, papered type drywall tapes are considered to be a little more difficult to work with than fiber mesh drywall tape. FIBER MESH TAPE I have used both paper and fiber mesh drywall tapes and have found the fiber type to be much faster and less messy to work with than paper. If you do use fiber tape, keep in mind that it's very important to have a good, reasonably thick first coating of mud over top of the surface of the fiber mesh tape. Fiber mesh tape that does not have a good layer of mud (a 1/4" inch thick or so) over it‘s surface, can leave the tape showing through the mud, resulting in an undesirable finished painted surface. Also, as your learning how to tape and mud drywall, be carefull when sanding that first coat of mud, fiber tape tends to fray and can cause problems if you sand through the mud tearing the fiber mesh tape below. PAPER TAPE Paper type drywall tape, needs to have a first coat of wet mud applied underneath the tape and into the drywall seam. Mudding the seams first, then laying in the papered tape, will glue the tape in place once the drywall mud has dried. When using the paper type drywall tape, try and insure that the tape is as flat and into the wet mud as possible. Drywall tape that isn’t laying flat against a drywall boards surface, will leave bumps or ridges caused by the paper to poke through the mud after your first top coat of drywall mud is applied. If, while learning how to tape and mud drywall, you end up with a bump or two in your dried mud from the tape, you will need to cut the bump or ridge out with a utility knife. After the bump or ridge is removed, patch the hole with some drywall mud, let the patches dry, then lightly sand the patch and mudded drywall seams with a fine grit sponge sander. Once the sanding is done, float on your next coat of mud. Apply tape to your drywall seams according to the type of tape your using. In the case of fiber mesh it has a sticky back were as paper drywall tape needs a coat of mud so that it can stick to the drywall boards surface. Once the drywall tape is secured (fiber tape) or dried (paper tape) onto a drywall seam, place, a 1/4" (or so) coat of drywall mud over the drywall tape with a 6" wide drywall knife (float) or trowel. Once the mud is dry, lightly sand it (if there are dried ridges or bumps in the mud). Dried mud that has no ridges or bumps on its surface can be troweled over with another coat of mud. Each coat after the second coat of mud, should be thoroughly sanded, yet not sanded so much that you sand down to the drywall tape. If your just learning how to tape and mud drywall be sure to start your project with a small sized drywall knife, then work your way up for each additional coating of mud. As an example, your first coating of mud could be applied using a "4 to 6" wide drywall knife (float), the next coat a 6" to 8" knife and then finally use a 12" to 14” knife for your final coats. What your trying to do is feather out the mud so that it looks flat and even with the drywall board surface. For the professional who already knows how to tape and mud drywall a 14" wide trowel works best for all three coats of drywall mud. If you keep laying on coats of mud in one spot, without tapering out the wet mud when your applying it, you will have a bump in the middle of your wall, where your drywall board seams are. Adding a layer of wet mud to each side of the first layer of dried mud and working your way out, will leave your mudding and taping job flat, tapered and hopefully impossible to see once the drywall mud is painted over. When a quality professional Dry-Waller tapes and applies drywall mud to a seam the mud dries flat level and flush with the wall surface. Also, mudding over a taped seam usually involves a foot and a half, to two feet of width of wall surface area being used when your floating the mud. To be on the safe side the only thick coat of mud you will need is the first top coat that goes over the drywall tape, all other coats should be reasonably thin. It’s easier to apply five or six thin, wide coats than to sand down two thick skinny ones. The only way to learn how to tape and mud drywall and end up with a top quality job is to practice practice, practice. Knowing how thick your mud needs to be (both in the container and on the wall), having an idea how to hold the drywall knife (float) properly and the best process for sanding drywall mud, only comes from doing the job over and over again. You might want to start with your garage walls, a closet or basement project before taking on that living room job. A but joint is created, when you place two non-tapered drywall board edges together creating a flat, strait, flush seam, and the intent is to tape and mud the seam. The secret to having a smooth flat “but joint”, is to make sure your first top coat of mud is a consistent 1/8" of an inch thick (or so). Once the top coat of drywall mud is applied and is dried, use a 6" (or more) wide drywall knife, (float) to apply the next coat. Feather each coat after the first one (make it wider and tapered). A but joint can, when done properly, have a two or three foot wide layer of mud over it. What that means is, start in the middle with your first coat of mud, let the mud dry, then keep building out on either side of your first dried mud coat with more thinner wet coats. Keep building out from each mudding application, being sure to sand between dried coats. Your mudding job should when finished looks flat, wide and finished. Once you think your done, prime the wall, let the primer dry, then with a trouble light in hand (the kind you use under the hood of a car) look for ridges, dents, holes and divots on the wall surface. Patch any deviations that you see in the walls with drywall mud, let the mud dry then re-prime the patches. Corners are a pain to mud. For the best results tape the corner by bending the tape in half then place it into the corner. With that done use a drywall knife or float that's made specifically for mudding corners. Once the drywall tape is bent and secured into a corner, you can mud over the tape in the same fashion as you would for a regular drywall seam. Practice, practice, practice is the only way of learning how to tape and mud drywall corners. Once you know how to tape and mud drywall and your final coat of drywall mud is dried and sanded, you will then need to roll the walls with drywall primer. Priming will usually show ridges, holes and bumps, that you may have missed prior to priming. Re-mud any holes, ridges or bumps you may find, with the help of a good light, let the mud patches dry, then sand and re-prime the patches, before painting on two coats of quality paint. Be sure to sand the walls between each coat of primer and paint. Premixed drywall mud comes in both boxes and pails. I prefer the pail. When buying drywall mud you will see an assortment to choose from. All purpose drywall mud works fine for most jobs, but you may find that it will work better for you if you thin the mud with a little water. When thinning drywall mud, you will need a heavy duty electric drill with a special paddle attached so that you can stir the mud. Don’t thin the mud to much. Add a small amount of water at a time, until the mud is the consistency you want. Drywall mud that’s the thickness of cake icing is my preference. You will need to decide what works best for you. With that said, thinned mud might smooth out onto the wall easier but thinner mud shrinks more than thicker, resulting extra coats of mud. Even so, when learning how to tape and mud drywall, it's best to do what's comfortable for you. If thinner mud is easier for you to smooth out but requires extra coats, it's probably better to go with the extra coats. I use what’s called a hawk to hold my mud. You don't want to dip your dirty taping knife right into the mud bucket or box, otherwise the clean drywall mud, will become contaminated with old dried out mud and other wall debris. If your not comfortable with the hawk, try a mud pan. You can buy different coverings for outside and inside corners and drywall board edges which will make your job of mudding and taping a lot less difficult. When mudding corners, use an inside or outside corner trowel for the best results. With some practice, you should easily learn how to tape and mud drywall in no time. Talk to your local drywall product supplier, for help regarding the materials and tools needed, for the job at hand. Looking for home improvement solutions other than how to tape and mud drywall. Click on the home link. You should be able to find an idea by reading the text. If I have missed something or you would like to ask a question, e-mail me. Your address will be held in the strictest confidence. I‘ll also try and answer you, in as prompt a manner as possible. |
