How to tape and mud drywall
Taping and mudding drywall is a messy job but it's not very difficult. The worst part is the sanding, and the better you are with the mudding part, the less drywall sanding you'll have to do. There's a few techniques that will help and the right tools make all the difference to your tape and mud job. Plan on the job taking three or four days to allow for the joint compound to dry between coats. Does this Spark an idea?
Other People Are Reading
Things You'll Need
- Drywall tape
- Scissors or razor knife
- Joint compound
- Mud pan
- 6" drywall knife
- 9-12" drywall knife
- Corner drywall knife
- At least one clean bucket
- Ladders
- Drop cloths or plastic sheeting if you need to protect floors and belongings
- Medium-fine grade sanding sponge
- Foam backed drywall sanding block
- Mesh sanding pads
- Dust mask
Instructions
-
-
1
Before you start laying mud and tape, go over all surfaces to ensure drywall nails or screws are set below the surface. If you're not sure, run the 6" knife down the seams. You'll feel the heads if they are sticking up.Because inside corners are tricky, start with the long flat seams to get a feel for the tools and materials. Apply a smooth coat of mud with the 6" knife, one seam at a time. (The 9" knife is for the final coats.) Cut the tape and lay it along the mud line, pressing it gently down with your hand. Now lay a thin coat of mud over the tape. Rinse off your knife between coats by dipping it in a bucket of clean water. This is boring work so I suggest having your favorite radio station on, or some good company!
-
2
Inside corners are finicky but there are tricks. First apply a thin coat of mud. Make sure it's filling in the gap in the corner completely. Cut your tape and wet it lightly in your water bucket. Press it carefully into the corner. Using your corner knife, lay a thin coat down the corner. If you have outside corners, run the knife down each side, removing clumps along the corner as you go. Finally, go around the room and hit all the screw heads. Remove big globs of excess mud as you work because these are hard to sand down later.
-
-
3
Everything has to dry for a day. If you were able to get this all done early in the morning and drying conditions are perfect you might be able to do your second coat in the evening. It's easy to see if the mud is dry because it will turn white. If there are gray areas, it's still wet. You want everything to be thoroughly dry. Always clean all your tools completely when you are done working and never scrape unused mud back into the bucket. Don't scrape it down the drain either because you can create awful clogs. Leftover mud goes into the trash. If you clean your tools out in the sink this is fine but let the water run for a little while to make sure residue gets washed out of the J-trap.
-
4
Use the 9-12" knife for your next coat. Before you start, go over the walls and scrape off any blobs or big ridges you may have missed the day before. Try to do smooth, wide swathes of mud as you work. Do a second coat on everything you first coated.
-
5
If you plan on putting a texture on the walls, you can get away with sanding and doing your texture after the second coat. Unless you are very skilled, a smooth wall will require a third coat. I sand everything at this point, and take a good hard look in good light. Then I only coat what looks and feels uneven. Use the sanding sponge with a light touch for corners. The sanding block and drywall sanding pads work better on large surfaces.
-
6
If you want to be extra special picky, sand your third coat and prime the walls. Then go over it one more time looking for ridges and air bubbles because they will be more obvious when the wall is painted. Wrap your primer set up completely in a trash bag so you can use it to spot-prime any touch-ups.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
You can buy special tape for doing inside corners. It is pre-creased and much easier to set to ensure a straight line.
