How To Tape and Mud Drywall (Reduce Sanding Time) _ The Home Depot Canada

Finishing drywall involves taping and mudding seams between adjacent sheets with joint compounds .

The process can be a little time consuming but do it right .

And you reduce the amount of sanding needed and end up with a smooth finished wall .

It'll generally take three coats to finish drywall , applying joint compound with progressively larger drywall knives , spread joint compound on a hawk or any flat tray .

So it's easy to access using your knife .

The first coat you'll apply is called the bedding .

Start by filling screw dimples and nail heads with joint compound using a six inch drywall knife hammer in any protruding screws and smooth the gaps with compound .

Next , apply the compound along the horizontal seams between the drywall sheets using the six inch knife .

Be sure to smooth the compound as you progress tape the horizontal seams .

While the compound is still moist , press the tape over the compound every foot or so to keep it smooth and hold it in place with the tape in place .

Apply a layer of compound over the tape with an eight inch drywall knife at a slight angle , move the knife over the tape to embed it and remove any excess compound .

Once your horizontal seams are complete , apply a thin layer of compound to the inside corners on the wall .

Using a six inch drywall knife , start from the top and work your way down the wall , smoothing the compound as you progress .

When the compound has been applied , fold , drywall tape in half and run it down the height of the wall , pressing it into the damp compound again , press the tape in every 12 inches until you reach the floor .

Use a corner towel to smooth the tape against the wall .

Start from the top and work your way down the wall .

Smoothing the compound as you progress , taping inside corners can be quite tricky .

A corner trowel does a better job of smoothing the tape against the corner and removing excess compound , dip the trawl in water .

So it glides smoothly over the tape and doesn't pull it away from the wall .

The technique for taping and mo vertical butt joints is the same as the horizontal , avoid overlapping the tape .

So you get a smoother finish , attach corner bead to the outside corners of your dry wall , use a spray adhesive to ensure the bead sticks to the wall and wear gloves for this .

As the process can be a little messy , press the corner beat against the wall every 12 inches starting from the top .

Apply joint compound over the corner bead .

You can be fairly liberal with the use of the compound here , you'll need to use plenty work from the top to bottom and smooth the compound as you progress .

When the first coat is fully applied to all the seams , corners and screw dimples leave it to dry thoroughly .

Use a slightly larger eight inch drywall knife to apply a second coat of compound over the seams and outside corners feather the edges of the dried compound so that the second layer is two inches wider than the first , apply a second coat over the screw holes .

And again use a corner trowel for the inside corners .

Let the second coat dry thoroughly overnight before you apply the third coat the following day , tidy up any rough parts of the drywall surface with a sander and the edge of a drywall knife .

For the third coat , the compound should be thinned with water so it dries quicker .

The compound should be about the consistency of mayonnaise .

Again , use a slightly larger 10 or 12 inch drywall knife to apply the third layer of compound feather , all edges two inches beyond the dried second coat , let the final coat dry then use a damp sponge to smooth out any rough parts .

The sponge also works well to clean the surface and collect dust from the sanding .

Your dry wall is now ready to be primed for painting more , saving more doing .

That's the power of the Home Depot .

Here's a reminder of the tools and material you'll need to complete this project .