how many sheets? could be fine. but, if you have to fix it, you caught it at a good time.... do not prime or paint.. if you feel you should remove, then simple dampen the mud, with water, and scrape out the mesh... i would use a chisel of appropriate size.. scrape down to original drywall and retape.. you will create a valley about 2 or so inches wide. cut paper tape smaller than the valley, and mud, insert tape. let dry and recoat... you will be impressed.
DESPERATE! Need help with drywall mistake!
I apologize for the long post, but I will be so very thankful for everyone (experienced AND/OR who has done something similar) who can take a few minutes or of their day to read it and reply! I'm panicking, stressed, and in desperate need of help and advice (or reassurance, but only if that's the case and your HONEST opinion)!
My husband and I are remodeling our house and doing all the work ourselves. We are NOT professionals. Many (many) years ago, my husband worked a little with drywall but doesn't remember much about it. Before we started, I watched a ton of videos and researched what I could about just about everything and I'm usually really good about educating myself so I can minimize/eliminate mistakes like this one, but this time I missed something!
We have all the drywall up and taped/muded and are currently waiting for it to dry (it's been about 2 days on the first half, which was done really thick; and about a day on the second half, which is much thinner). The problem...
He wanted to use mesh tape and I apparently didn't realize mesh tape was supposed to be put directly on the drywall! (The first day I was sitting there looking at the tape and wondering why it was sticky on one side. At that point, I should've realized I had something wrong, especially since I kept thinking "how stupid; it's not going to stick to wet mud," but I obviously did not. Now I feel extremely stupid!)
For all of our joints we put down mud, then immediately put down (mesh) tape, and then covered it with mud. So far, I don't see any bubbles or cracks or anything like that but because I just realized it was supposed to be put directly on the drywall, I'm worried that once we start sanding them we're going to have to take off all the tape and start over or possibly even have to buy all new drywall and REALLY have to start over!
I haven't been able to find much about this (or what would happen if it's done like this) except that when someone does mud before using mesh tape, they let it dry first (which is NOT what we did and therefore, is no help). I'm REALLY hoping that those with experience (or anyone who has done the same thing) can tell me what's going to happen...if it's going to be fine, if we need to start over, if there's something else we need to do, how bad I messed up (or if it's not as big of a deal as I'm thinking it will be), etc.
Our budget is very small so we cannot afford huge mistakes like this. I'm am looking for all thoughts, opinions, advice, and anything else anyone has to offer. I only ask that you be honest, straight, and blunt, but in a nice way (please). Like I said, I know I messed up and I'm kicking myself for it so I have that part of your comment covered; trust me! I haven't told my husband yet (because I'm so afraid I messed up more than I realize and we aren't going to have the money to fix it) and I hate not telling him everything so keeping this from him is making me so much more stressed and panicked. Please, please help me!!!
My husband and I are remodeling our house and doing all the work ourselves. We are NOT professionals. Many (many) years ago, my husband worked a little with drywall but doesn't remember much about it. Before we started, I watched a ton of videos and researched what I could about just about everything and I'm usually really good about educating myself so I can minimize/eliminate mistakes like this one, but this time I missed something!
We have all the drywall up and taped/muded and are currently waiting for it to dry (it's been about 2 days on the first half, which was done really thick; and about a day on the second half, which is much thinner). The problem...
He wanted to use mesh tape and I apparently didn't realize mesh tape was supposed to be put directly on the drywall! (The first day I was sitting there looking at the tape and wondering why it was sticky on one side. At that point, I should've realized I had something wrong, especially since I kept thinking "how stupid; it's not going to stick to wet mud," but I obviously did not. Now I feel extremely stupid!)
For all of our joints we put down mud, then immediately put down (mesh) tape, and then covered it with mud. So far, I don't see any bubbles or cracks or anything like that but because I just realized it was supposed to be put directly on the drywall, I'm worried that once we start sanding them we're going to have to take off all the tape and start over or possibly even have to buy all new drywall and REALLY have to start over!
I haven't been able to find much about this (or what would happen if it's done like this) except that when someone does mud before using mesh tape, they let it dry first (which is NOT what we did and therefore, is no help). I'm REALLY hoping that those with experience (or anyone who has done the same thing) can tell me what's going to happen...if it's going to be fine, if we need to start over, if there's something else we need to do, how bad I messed up (or if it's not as big of a deal as I'm thinking it will be), etc.
Our budget is very small so we cannot afford huge mistakes like this. I'm am looking for all thoughts, opinions, advice, and anything else anyone has to offer. I only ask that you be honest, straight, and blunt, but in a nice way (please). Like I said, I know I messed up and I'm kicking myself for it so I have that part of your comment covered; trust me! I haven't told my husband yet (because I'm so afraid I messed up more than I realize and we aren't going to have the money to fix it) and I hate not telling him everything so keeping this from him is making me so much more stressed and panicked. Please, please help me!!!
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I don't know exactly how many sheets, but we did our entire downstairs (main floor - except the bathroom, which still needs to be done). How do I know if it will be alright or if it's going to have to be redone? Just if it starts cracking or is there something else we need to watch for? I also forgot to mention we used pre-mixed dust control. I read you aren't supposed to use All Purpose with mesh, but it doesn't say "All Purpose" on it so I thought it would be fine (now I'm thinking I was wrong about that too).
I will try to get a picture or 2 posted some time today, but I really thought it looked good (until I realized we did it wrong).
Stupid question... you're saying don't prime/paint if we have to redo it, correct? If it turns out that we don't have to redo it, we can still paint right?
Thank you so much for the advice! I wish I had gotten it before we started, but hopefully it can be done the right way, the first time, in the bathroom. Thank you again; I REALLY appreciate your help!
I will try to get a picture or 2 posted some time today, but I really thought it looked good (until I realized we did it wrong).
Stupid question... you're saying don't prime/paint if we have to redo it, correct? If it turns out that we don't have to redo it, we can still paint right?
Thank you so much for the advice! I wish I had gotten it before we started, but hopefully it can be done the right way, the first time, in the bathroom. Thank you again; I REALLY appreciate your help!
how many sheets? could be fine. but, if you have to fix it, you caught it at a good time.... do not prime or paint.. if you feel you should remove, then simple dampen the mud, with water, and scrape out the mesh... i would use a chisel of appropriate size.. scrape down to original drywall and retape.. you will create a valley about 2 or so inches wide. cut paper tape smaller than the valley, and mud, insert tape. let dry and recoat... you will be impressed.
yes, a couple of pics would be good... and, you may never have a problem. hope some others will chime in with their opinions. if it cracks, in the future, you will have to decide if it is worth fixing. right now, it is a toss of the coin, imho.
I rarely ever use mesh, but when i i do i fill any gaps over 1/8. using a setting compound" then lay mesh over a setting compound, then recoat with a setting compound the finish with a light weight compound. But i rarely use mesh unless its a repair,
Thank you both so much for replying. I'm so sorry I forgot to get some pictures posted, but hopefully I can get some up before the end of today. My husband went back to work this week so I'm sure nothing will get touch until the end of the week. If any cracks or anything do start to show between now and then, I will also get them posted so you can see if it needs to be touched up or redone, but hopefully that doesn't happen!
I don't know why he chose mesh tape. I did ask about using paper tape and he just said "no" in the kind of tone that means he's not even going to consider that, lol. Again, I don't know why. I guess I just never thought to ask because so many people said mesh tape was more DIY friendly.
The upstairs was previously done with mesh by someone else (don't know if it was professionally done or not), I only know this because there are places at the very bottom where you can see it and there is a big crack from the ceiling to the floor, but my concern for now is what WE did downstairs. However, if you have any advice on how to fix that (it is a finished wall, painted and textured), I'd love to hear it.
Again, thank you SO much for your input! I will get some pictures posted as soon as I get a chance.
I don't know why he chose mesh tape. I did ask about using paper tape and he just said "no" in the kind of tone that means he's not even going to consider that, lol. Again, I don't know why. I guess I just never thought to ask because so many people said mesh tape was more DIY friendly.
The upstairs was previously done with mesh by someone else (don't know if it was professionally done or not), I only know this because there are places at the very bottom where you can see it and there is a big crack from the ceiling to the floor, but my concern for now is what WE did downstairs. However, if you have any advice on how to fix that (it is a finished wall, painted and textured), I'd love to hear it.
Again, thank you SO much for your input! I will get some pictures posted as soon as I get a chance.
Well did you use pre mix to lay the tape, or powder that you had to mix?I apologize for the long post, but I will be so very thankful for everyone (experienced AND/OR who has done something similar) who can take a few minutes or of their day to read it and reply! I'm panicking, stressed, and in desperate need of help and advice (or reassurance, but only if that's the case and your HONEST opinion)!
My husband and I are remodeling our house and doing all the work ourselves. We are NOT professionals. Many (many) years ago, my husband worked a little with drywall but doesn't remember much about it. Before we started, I watched a ton of videos and researched what I could about just about everything and I'm usually really good about educating myself so I can minimize/eliminate mistakes like this one, but this time I missed something!
We have all the drywall up and taped/muded and are currently waiting for it to dry (it's been about 2 days on the first half, which was done really thick; and about a day on the second half, which is much thinner). The problem...
He wanted to use mesh tape and I apparently didn't realize mesh tape was supposed to be put directly on the drywall! (The first day I was sitting there looking at the tape and wondering why it was sticky on one side. At that point, I should've realized I had something wrong, especially since I kept thinking "how stupid; it's not going to stick to wet mud," but I obviously did not. Now I feel extremely stupid!)
For all of our joints we put down mud, then immediately put down (mesh) tape, and then covered it with mud. So far, I don't see any bubbles or cracks or anything like that but because I just realized it was supposed to be put directly on the drywall, I'm worried that once we start sanding them we're going to have to take off all the tape and start over or possibly even have to buy all new drywall and REALLY have to start over!
I haven't been able to find much about this (or what would happen if it's done like this) except that when someone does mud before using mesh tape, they let it dry first (which is NOT what we did and therefore, is no help). I'm REALLY hoping that those with experience (or anyone who has done the same thing) can tell me what's going to happen...if it's going to be fine, if we need to start over, if there's something else we need to do, how bad I messed up (or if it's not as big of a deal as I'm thinking it will be), etc.
Our budget is very small so we cannot afford huge mistakes like this. I'm am looking for all thoughts, opinions, advice, and anything else anyone has to offer. I only ask that you be honest, straight, and blunt, but in a nice way (please). Like I said, I know I messed up and I'm kicking myself for it so I have that part of your comment covered; trust me! I haven't told my husband yet (because I'm so afraid I messed up more than I realize and we aren't going to have the money to fix it) and I hate not telling him everything so keeping this from him is making me so much more stressed and panicked. Please, please help me!!!
We used pre-mixed both under and over the mesh tape (added picture). I know just about every site says you shouldn't use "All-Purpose" with mesh tape, but I didn't know ALL pre-mixed mud was all-purpose mud so I thought this stuff would be fine (because I didn't see "all-purpose" on the bucket). However, when I went to check it out online (after we got it and mudded everything) it does say all-purpose in the title. Is using pre-mixed going to cause issues or is that more of a preference kind of thing? I have no idea what the difference is except one is already mixed and the other is not. If it makes a difference, we did mix it with a little bit of water.
Is there a reason you don't use mesh (other than for repairs)?
I will have some pictures of the drywall up in a few minutes...
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Is there a reason you don't use mesh (other than for repairs)?
I will have some pictures of the drywall up in a few minutes...
Well did you use pre mix to lay the tape, or powder that you had to mix?
Here are some pictures of the drywall. There should be 6. Each picture is a different spot/wall and I tried to get a variety of pictures so you could get a better idea of what everything looks like. There are pictures from the first half (mudded thicker) and the second (mudded thinner). They aren't very good pictures, but I'm hoping you can still see everything and are able to zoom in. If they are too hard to see, let me know and I can take some during the day tomorrow and see if that helps. I also added a picture of one of the corners with a corner bead (my husband calls it something else, so I'm sorry if that's not what is called). There aren't a whole lot of corners that come out, so I chose the one that looked the worst (hopefully just because it's the first coat).
The screws have been sanded once and mudded twice, the rest has only been mudded once (not sanded).
There are still no cracks or bubbles, but there are several spots (most, I guess) where the mud got pulled into the cracks and some where the tape is very visible; but that's all normal for a first coat, isn't it?
I apologize for getting the pictures up so late, but I really appreciate all the help!
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The screws have been sanded once and mudded twice, the rest has only been mudded once (not sanded).
There are still no cracks or bubbles, but there are several spots (most, I guess) where the mud got pulled into the cracks and some where the tape is very visible; but that's all normal for a first coat, isn't it?
I apologize for getting the pictures up so late, but I really appreciate all the help!
the corner beads will be alright once they are finished. the seams between the sheets only appear to be taped.. you are at a good spot to wet the mud, to loosen it, and pull or scrape out the mesh... if you are going to use premixed mud, then you should use paper tape. getting the mesh out should not be a big deal. then simply retape and be done... i would think about just taping over the inside corners with paper. sand them down and retape. i know it is a step backwards, but you will be happy that it will be done correctly.
All purpose is meant for paper or fibafuse. Hope you didnt use dust control to lay the mesh?We used pre-mixed both under and over the mesh tape (added picture). I know just about every site says you shouldn't use "All-Purpose" with mesh tape, but I didn't know ALL pre-mixed mud was all-purpose mud so I thought this stuff would be fine (because I didn't see "all-purpose" on the bucket). However, when I went to check it out online (after we got it and mudded everything) it does say all-purpose in the title. Is using pre-mixed going to cause issues or is that more of a preference kind of thing? I have no idea what the difference is except one is already mixed and the other is not. If it makes a difference, we did mix it with a little bit of water.
Is there a reason you don't use mesh (other than for repairs)?
I will have some pictures of the drywall up in a few minutes... View attachment 42099
So are you saying we have to redo all of it with paper tape or just the corners should be redone with paper tape? Sorry for not getting it; its late and I should've been sleeping a long time ago! Also, is paper tape harder to use? I've read that it's the hardest to use out of the 3 for people without experience and it's easier to get bubbles and have other issues (which I can only assume is why my husband didn't want to use it)...
the corner beads will be alright once they are finished. the seams between the sheets only appear to be taped.. you are at a good spot to wet the mud, to loosen it, and pull or scrape out the mesh... if you are going to use premixed mud, then you should use paper tape. getting the mesh out should not be a big deal. then simply retape and be done... i would think about just taping over the inside corners with paper. sand them down and retape. i know it is a step backwards, but you will be happy that it will be done correctly.
We did... why? That picture is the exact bucket we got (only taken from the internet because I'm not sure what my husband did with ours after it was washed out). Do you think it's all going to have to be redone too with different mud or different tape?
All purpose is meant for paper or fibafuse. Hope you didnt use dust control to lay the mesh?
This might be a stupid question, but can you both tell me what's wrong with it? Is it because the mud got "sucked" into the cracks or because there is mud under the tape its going to get ripped off when we sand our what? This is my first time doing anything with drywall so I only know what I've read the past couple of weeks. I was looking at other posts last night and started feeling better about how ours looked, but now I'm getting nervous again. What is the first coat supposed to look like? I'm just confused and trying to see what you're seeing...
Mesh tape is suppose to be used with a setting compound, aka hot mud the type you mix from powder form.
I thought "hot mud" was special mud for the bathroom... That's obviously not right then, correct? Can we use the same pre-mixed dust control mud when we do the bathroom or is there a certain kind (like water resistant) to use in the bathroom?
Thank you (both) so very much for taking the time to explain things to me! I REALLY appreciate all the help! I thought I educated myself pretty good before we started, but apparently not...
Thank you (both) so very much for taking the time to explain things to me! I REALLY appreciate all the help! I thought I educated myself pretty good before we started, but apparently not...
i never liked dust control... for taping, either hot mud and mesh, or green lid and tape... after taping i use purple top. as i mentioned before, this job at the perfect state to simply wet the mud and scrape out the mesh... no more than 10, or so, minutes per seam.. good luck.
Hot mud is a setting compound, meaning it is very hard, I'd wet your mesh tape dust control tape and carefully scrape it out . would retape with watered down all purpose and fibafuse cuz itll be easier for a non pro then paper. I would NOT use durabond as a non pro.I thought "hot mud" was special mud for the bathroom... That's obviously not right then, correct? Can we use the same pre-mixed dust control mud when we do the bathroom or is there a certain kind (like water resistant) to use in the bathroom?
Thank you (both) so very much for taking the time to explain things to me! I REALLY appreciate all the help! I thought I educated myself pretty good before we started, but apparently not...
I wouldn’t mess with it at all. People saying you need to dig the mesh out are insane. No it’s not ideal. But you’re going to create more problems by trying to go backwards at this point. Mesh tape works fine with all compounds. Paper tape cannot be used with setting types tho because it has no glue added. You can always use caulking on those angles if they ever crack. Good luck you’re doing a great job and don’t stress it’s just drywall.
I wouldn't tape a large area with mesh tape. Even in the best circumstances it tends to crack with time. If you must use mesh, best to double tape with one mesh lamination over the other. This does wonders to prevent it from future cracking. The second time I would bed it with smoothset 90 compound, Durabond 90 compound, or similar setting compound. In the future, paper tape bedded in taping compound is better.
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