Corner tools when using Easy Sand?

Masterpiece

Hey guys, I've been on Painttalk for some time now but have done finishing secondary to that for about 8 years as well. I'm not a Finisher/Taper by trade but tackle a few small additions(one or two room) a year along w/the paint jobs. I might be one of the few painters that really loves finishing, or at least has great satisfaction in doing a great job. I've even mentioned to a few shocked customers that I almost hated to cover the sheetrock after taping/finishing it I don't see the need in my case for a $1k-$2k taping kit and still use hand tools and banjos but would like some help for inside corners if possible.

I typically use 45 or 90minute hot mud on the mud jobs but wondered what corner tools if any would make things a little faster especially on the inside corners? I've run them both sides at once as well as alternating one side at a time and am pretty fast considering but wouldn't mind trying a corner roller & flushers if it would work in my situation, like a 2.5 and 3". I was also looking at All Wall's combo flusher, that has the small bedding wheel attached to the flusher...

I've looked at All Wall, Can Am, BTE and ebay but wanted to get some opinions. Since I only use hotmud I figured most everything else including tubes are pretty much out of the question.

It's good to find guys dedicated to perfecting the art of finishing!


Jeremy
Masterpiece Painting

Final touch drywall

Personally I like running 1 side @ a time,alternating caps with wall corners,never running wet into wet.IMO this is the way to get "straight" lines, & painters love cutting in to it.I'm not a tool guy,as hand tools do a cleaner & nicer job.

Masterpiece

Yeah, I like using hand tools myself and though likely don't have the years of experience and mastery of the tradesmen here, I'm proud of the fact that I've skimmed sheetrock walls as well as plaster slick enough in 3 coats that the wallpaper guy complained that it was too slick

I know it's too much hassle even trying to use basic auto tools like the mud tube and even the banjo is cutting it close at times with hot mud, but I was thinking that the non applicator corner rollers, or rolling flushers and regular flushers wouldn't be hurt by the mud running inside corners. I take care of my tools so as long as I don't let it get rock hard I was hoping I could utilize some of these awesome tools myself!

Jeremy

Capt-sheetrock

Heres a thought. Try getting a corner roller, not the big "real" paint corner roller, but the little (polyester, dubble-knit one) that tapers use to put mud in the corner when they are taping.

I use it on smaller jobs when I don't want to break out the big tools.

Mix your mud, use the roller to put the mud in the corner, then pull an angle head through it (using an anglehead pole). That way, when the mud is starting to get stiff, you just wash it all up, just like you do with your regular tools.

This way, you can use the angleheads to do your corners, for little exspense and hot-mud won't be a problem to ya.

Masterpiece

Thanks for the input Cap'n

Now I'm going to sound like an idiot but after reading the last few days and searching the net and this forum, I'm still getting a little mixed up on the auto tool lingo I think so to clarify:

The angle head you metioned is the same as the corner flusher that attaches to the ball pivot handle? Like this one?
http://www.all-wall.com/acatalog/Cor...ers.php#aBETCF
I've seen combo flushers that have the setting wheel which looked cool too but with the cost of even the little tools, I have to shop smart. Eventually, I'd like to try out more of these attachments as I learn to increase my efficiency with them.

And btw, when I mentioned the corner roller, I was actually referring to the roller wheeled head that beds the mud but I know what you're talking about. Before studying this site till bloodshot, I would've never guessed they used a roller to apply mud. And I just saw the large paint corner roller in SW the other day for the first time and thought, who would ever use that?!?

Oh and I just found out that the Memphis AMES is gone, part of the bankruptcy! I was able to buy some nice adjustable extension poles and knives and guess I'll have to buy online from All Wall or someone. HD/Lowes want just as much for their WalBoard stuff...
EDIT: Just noticed your avatar, you play bass? Just curious since I've been messing around w/my Japanese Fender Strat for some years now...

Jeremy

Capt-sheetrock

Jeremy, An angle head is a bit differant than flushers. I have never used a flusher, but alot of guys around here have, and if you ask about em they will be glad to give you some insight. Basically, the flushers, are like 1/2 the price of angleheads, and again, about 1/2 the lifetime and quality, its kinda like a trade off here, like using a family dollar brush to paint some poly and then throwing it away, as opposed to your favorite cut-in brush.


Bascially either one will do the job, but an anglehead will do a bit better and last alot longer, so I guess the question you have to ask, is how much am I gonna use it??? You can only answer that one. I buy most all my stuff from All-Wall, a great company, and your stuff is on the porch waiting for ya when ya get home. The corner roller is an easy thing to use, just screw it on a paint pole and go for it. Then just run your head through it and you got a corner. For using hot mud, I think this would be a good scenerio for you.

And that's not a bass, its a 5 string banjo,,, notice my sweetie about to hit me in the back of the head with a frying pan???? Don't happen to bass players as often,LOL

Masterpiece

Ah, banjo was my second guess but from the pic (maybe the way it's taken), the neck looked awfully long. And yeah, I was wondering if that was a frying pan in the background!

BTW, I guess the roller I meant originally is called an angle roller. At least I'm not as confused now...

Thanks again for the suggestions buddy and to everyone so far


Jeremy

Masterpiece

Well I happened to find a pair of used can am corner flushers last night on ebay and a can am tube for pretty cheap. The 2.5 flusher looked well used but the seller said it was still in great shape and the 3.0 looked mint. He said it was less than a year old. The tube looked ok and was reported to work good w/good seals, though it's for down the road use.

Too bad I missed the flusher handle, it was already sold, though AW has a regular handle for under $40 and a 3-8' for $74...

BTW, I got the 2 flushers and mud tube for just under $80
Even if they don't produce perfect inside corners, it's something to practice with before stepping up to the real deal...

Capt-sheetrock

Sometimes its hard to read everything in a post.

The corner-roller, well, if you tape with a banjo or a bazooka, you need to run the corner roller, that fits the tape into the corner where it needs to be, and then you "glaze" it with a flusher or anglehead. They make a flusher tool, that will handle both and eliminate the need for the corner roller, but again, I don't use em and I am not the go-to-guy for the answers about that.

What I was refering too was hand tapeing the corners,(figured that was how you were doing it). Then running the paint-roller over the tape to put the extra mud on em, then pulling the anglehead/flusher on em to "make" your corner. In this method, what is usually done is this.
1)tape with hot mud, wipe down(by hand),let set
2)run roller(paint roller dipped in mud) over corner,pull anglehead.let set
3)run roller(paint) over corner, pull smaller anglehead for second coat

Does this make any sense to ya ???

Masterpiece

Yeah, both ways make sense, thanks for the tip! The corner mud applicator roller (trying to make sure I don't confuse myself or anyone else) is definitely alot cheaper to try though if I can find a good deal on an angle roller, I wouldn't mind trying that either.

BTW, I see that Goldblatt has a bad rep around here for tape boxes,etc but I saw an angle/corner roller and handle for less than $100 from an ebay company-refurb I think (why would you need to refurb a handle?).

Would that brand be ok to use for an angle/corner roller and handle or stay away completely?

EDIT: The GB roller/handle is already gone and they have just a handle for $64 shipped but the handle just has a big wing bolt to adjust I guess. Looks cheaply made even to me. There's a 3 position adjustable one for $99 at AWall by Northstar that looks better built.

Jeremy

Capt-sheetrock

The corner roller, just sets the tape, you still have to run it by hand,flusher,or anglehead. The corner roller will not RUN the corner for you.

I don't know if thats the answer your looking for or not, but a corner roller is not a finished corner, its just a way to set the tape into the corner

Masterpiece

Sorry, don't mean to sound confusing. I understand exactly what you mean, I'm just thinking out loud I guess.

I simply meant that I'd like to try the mud roller and the inside corner roller that sets the tape into the corner, just to see how much faster it is with these tools.

Thanks again!

carpentaper

let me know how that works. i,m looking for a way to do my angles faster. my major concern with the flushers is that they will leave too much mud in the corner and give me hairline cracks. i was wondering though if i used a roller followed by the flusher it would leave more mud under the tape so that the second coat would not build up on top of the tape so much. right now i wipe my corners by hand so they get tight to the board. i then coat each side seperately which gives me a crisp corner(slowly). i would love to get angle heads but cannot justify it with my current volume of taping( one good sized job every couple of months). i look at craigslist and ebay everyday for used ones.but even those i would need permission to buy or i might get in trouble from the miss

cazna

Capt-sheetrock your one cool dude, good advice.
I hand taped for years, then finished one side, let dry then finish the other. It works well and makes a nice corner but its a slow and labour intensive way of doing it, havnet been able to get the angle heads to run very well for me yet but the flushers are going good.

Masterpiece

I still have to buy a handle from All Wall (and receive the used flushers) and then I'll try it out on a friends attic we're finishing for a Home Theater room.

Even though I typically hand finish both sides at the same time without any issues, anything that will save time is great. I'll update this once I get everything in...


Jeremy

McDusty

i have used a tube many many times with 'hot mud'. just clean it nicely after and you will be fine.

Masterpiece

After doing some reading, I'm considering using 90minute perhaps. The other reason for these tools is that I do some drywall finishing during the year for a volunteer group so there's practically no time to wait a day for the first bed coat to set up.

Thanks for the reminder about using hot mud w/taping tools. However, I'm not sure if I would chance using it in boxes (as if I'll afford those anytime soon)..

Capt-sheetrock

It is possible to use hot mud in boxes, but it is NOT to your advantage. The time spent cleaning them out, is counter productive

Capt-sheetrock

I ws thinking about this post at work today. Corner roller is an illusive term.
I know about four differant kinds.

1) the four wheel steel one that is used to set the tape after a bazooka and/orbanjo
2) the one used by painters for actual rolling paint in the corner, its like 6" in diamiater, and like 3" wide
3) the little foam one they sell to HO's that are trying to circumvent actually paying for the pro painters corner roller
4) The one drywallers use to put mud in the corner, we like to call em "lambs wool rollers", but the truth is they are more like polyester double-nitt. If you stick one of these in a bucket of water and then pull it out, it looks more like a wet possum then a lamb !!!!!

Capt-sheetrock

If you do a search on all-wall, hit, hand taping tools, then hit corner tools. It's the 3" corner roller that I use. Like I said, it looks like a wet possum when you stick it in a bucket of water