How To Finish Drywall

The following techniques are for the novice that can’t afford to spend a lot of money on mechanical taping tools and is planning on taping a basic basement. Ceilings are finished in the same way as the walls. If you are planning to stipple the ceilings, two coats will be enough.

Reference: flats ,also referred to as seams, are the horizontal joints and butt joints are the vertical joints.

Tips And Techniques

I prefer to install the paper or metal corner beads before laying the tape onto the seams. You can use a clinching tool or nails to fasten the metal beads. Always nail the bottom of the corner beads. As for the paper beads spread mud on both sides (about 2 inches) of the outside corner and press the paper bead with your fingers making sure they fit square. Apply some pressure with the taping knife and wipe them clean.

Before applying the tape, pre-fill any gaps between joints that are more then 1/8”in.wide. (Use fast set 90 or similar mud powder).

1) Keep in mind, when laying the paper tape to cover the seams, more mud is better then not enough.Don’t squeeze out too much mud off the tape. If it comes out from both sides of the tape, it’s good enough. Use some knife pressure but not too much. (6”ins. taping knife is best for this application).

2) Don’t leave too much mud on the butt joints or it will be hard to cover with three coats of mud without leaving a high crown. High crowns are bad, they will be too visible in the light.

3) If after wiping the tape and the top side of the tape shows dry, spread some mud on the dry area and wipe it again.

4) Let the mudded tape dry before applying the first coat of mud to it.

5) You can pre-cut the tape for the corners before hand and fold the whole length of tape in half. It makes it easier to tuck the tape square in the corners.

Coating the corner beads.

1) Metal corner beads will receive three coats. Paper beads takes less mud to fill. I always coat the corner beads before the joints. It’s easier to blend the flats with the mud on the corner bead then the other way around. Let each coat of mud dry completely before applying the next coat.

2) I almost always use a taping knife with an 8 inch blade for the first coat and 10 inch blade for second and third coats.

3) Keep the knives clean. Use water to clean them as they get dry mud on either side.

1) Load half of the taping knife with taping mud. Spread the mud at the top of the corner bead from left to right or right to left depending on weather you are left or right handed. (cover about 6 inches width). Pull the mud down towards the bottom while adding a little more pressure on the blade and changing the angle of the knife closer to the drywall so that the mud will roll on to the drywall. Repeat until the bead is about 3/4 covered.

2) feather the edge of the coated bead. Carefully position the knife in the top corner of the bead at about 45 degree angle and with little pressure, smoothen the mud. I like to load both sides of the corner bead with mud before proceeding with the feathering and smoothing. Finally finish the bottom of the corner bead in the same way. Use the edge of the knife to clean the nose of the corner beads.

Coating the seams or flats and butt joints

1) Coating the seams is basically the same way as coating the corner beads except you feather both edges of the mudded seam. I’m right handed so I prefer to start at the left corner of the wall to about 3 feet (from left to right). I then switchdirections from right to left and blend the mud to where I left off.

Coat the butt joints after you finish mudding the seams.

The inside corners are best coated one side at a time. Let the coated side dry, clean the other side with a block sander and apply a coat to it.

Coat the nails with three coats of mud. I use a 4 inch knife for the first two coats and finish with a 6 inch knife.

After laying the second coat (10 inches wide) on the seams let it dry, rough sand it and apply a skim coat on top. Let the skim coat dry and sand smoothly with 120 grit sand paper.

When I’m sanding the finish coat I carry a pencil to lightly mark any areas that needs to be touched up and a piece of sand paper for those hard to reach places.

Finally I go around and touch up where needed (you can color the mud with a few drops of yellow food coloring so it’s easier to see where you touched up.

Lightly sand the touch ups and you are done.

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