[philipraposo82]

I'm new to all this, so I will keep these questions short.

1. What order to mud and tape? I read so many things that I'm not sure if there is an actual order.

2. Is prefill butt joints a must?

3. When hanging drywall and missing the stud, I am let with a few small holes. Can I just use a bit of mud to fill these or is there a proper method?

4. Can I reused mud? I am using all purpose lite cgc red box. After thinning a small butch with a hot of water if I have leftovers can I put it back in the bag in the box?

5.do I need to prefill the corner before using paper tape or no coat corner bead?

6. When taping and I am at a intersection, do I just overlap or trim close to one another?

7. For sanding between coats, what is the best grit sandpaper to use?

That's all for now. Thanks in advance!

 

[picks drywall]

tape buts then seams then angles.

prefill any 1/2"-3/4" or larger gaps with fast-set.

keep unused mud in bucket with water over top and sides wiped clean above water line
cut out any loose face paper areas like around those missed screw holes.

use plenty mud under tape and it will fill in. tape on corner bead i fill in the corner gap for strength.

yes over lap tapes.

i never sand between coats. just scrape off boogers and lap marks if needed.

walk job and make sure all screw heads are in before you tape. cut out any and all loose face paper and rock at same time also. prefill what needs it with 20 or 45 min. (including tub flange if needed)

keep you tools and bucket clean(AT ALL TIMES) and your mudding will be clean!

 

[philipraposo82]

Thanks for the feedback and suggestions. Really helpful.

I just did my first batch of sheetrock90 and prefilled a bunch of areas. It went really good and had no problems with cleanup afterwards. Had a clean bunch of warm water on standby. I didn't quite get the full 60min because my home is very dry due to burning firewood for heat. I got about 45 min instead. Mixed a small batch in the pan.

 

[philipraposo82]

Another question if you don't mind.

When doing a long seam flat joint, does the tape need to be continuous or can I do it in smaller sections. It's 24' long.

 

[picks drywall]

only do sections when you have to. like off ladder in tall areas.

long seams or angles need to be wipped from center out both ways. if your having troubles that should solve it. wipe sorta light on the first swipes both ways.

your water could be the issue with set time. artesian water and some wells in field country, around here, will set my fast set up fast as my catalyst can! they have longer set times if your not liking the 90min. no need for hot water and never mix with it or you will get a cook off.

dont use regular and fast set muds after you start bedding in. they dont sand out the same. stick with one or the other never both on the same wall. the fast set is harder when dry and the edge of both muds will never sand away. more you sand the worse it gets. just dont do it!

tub tip for everyone:
before filling the flange with fast set, wipe a lightly oiled(wd40) rag over the top tub ledge. the fast set filler will flake off the tub surface clean with a finger(when dry). then its clean for next coat and not getting in your mud causing "streekers", as we called them.

if you doing all knife work, dont put too much mud on the seams. newbies tend to do that. you have humps in stead of flat seams then. first coat should just show the bevel under through the mud. use an 8 or 10" knife first coat on seams then a tight skim with a12" for last coat.

check every but joint before you mud it. some are actually dips at times. others "rock" pretty bad. that means knife stood on edge to see how bad the hump is. i hope you fallow that. thats how you judge how much mud to use on it and where it needs to be. a but that rocks really bad can need to be 4ft wide or more to hide it. they are all different. especially in remodel. lol

dont fight thick mud either. thats a sure way to use way too much. you dont want it like taping mud but you cant finish with it straight out of the box. if your struggling to keep edges wiped away it mite be too thick.

ask away with what you need.

 

[philipraposo82]

only do sections when you have to. like off ladder in tall areas.

long seams or angles need to be wipped from center out both ways. if your having troubles that should solve it. wipe sorta light on the first swipes both ways.

your water could be the issue with set time. artesian water and some wells in field country, around here, will set my fast set up fast as my catalyst can! they have longer set times if your not liking the 90min. no need for hot water and never mix with it or you will get a cook off.

dont use regular and fast set muds after you start bedding in. they dont sand out the same. stick with one or the other never both on the same wall. the fast set is harder when dry and the edge of both muds will never sand away. more you sand the worse it gets. just dont do it!

tub tip for everyone:
before filling the flange with fast set, wipe a lightly oiled(wd40) rag over the top tub ledge. the fast set filler will flake off the tub surface clean with a finger(when dry). then its clean for next coat and not getting in your mud causing "streekers", as we called them.

if you doing all knife work, dont put too much mud on the seams. newbies tend to do that. you have humps in stead of flat seams then. first coat should just show the bevel under through the mud. use an 8 or 10" knife first coat on seams then a tight skim with a12" for last coat.

check every but joint before you mud it. some are actually dips at times. others "rock" pretty bad. that means knife stood on edge to see how bad the hump is. i hope you fallow that. thats how you judge how much mud to use on it and where it needs to be. a but that rocks really bad can need to be 4ft wide or more to hide it. they are all different. especially in remodel. lol

dont fight thick mud either. thats a sure way to use way too much. you dont want it like taping mud but you cant finish with it straight out of the box. if your struggling to keep edges wiped away it mite be too thick.

ask away with what you need.

I did the rocking knife trick and I get what you mean. With butt joints, how thick will the mud be in the thickness part when all coats are done? I would imagine it builds up with each coat.

Also, I am taping butt joints first. Can I tape the flat joints that intersect shortly after or does the tape from the butt joints need to be fully dry?

 

[picks drywall]

yes you can tape rite after.

the thickness depends on the size of the hump. coat bad ones on each side of the tape, then check again when dry. 2 or even 3knives wide each side isnt unheard of for really bad ones. its an optical illusion of flatness your trying to achieve.

 

[philipraposo82]

yes you can tape rite after.

the thickness depends on the size of the hump. coat bad ones on each side of the tape, then check again when dry. 2 or even 3knives wide each side isnt unheard of for really bad ones. its an optical illusion of flatness your trying to achieve.

Thanks, makes sense!

I am not down all my flat joints and butt joints. Moving on to corner beads tomorrow and my angles.

 

[picks drywall]

angles:
fill gap side last when putting on the mud. wipe gap side first, so the knife doesnt push tape down in gap. again wipe from the middle out to prevent wrinkles. i usually do the "up and downs" first then "top angle".

wipe 45s light and concentrate on a strait corner. "strait flex" makes them a lot easier to run for a newbie.

dont mess around either. dry angle tape is way easier to wipe, and gives better end result, than soaked up soft tape.

wipe down those angle overlaps gently(several light wipes at first) or youll be pulling tape back off and hating life. lol remember it all gets covered with mud.

toss up some pics of your work so far. lots of tips can come from just looking at what you've done.

be ready, your gona cut yourself creasing angle tape.😁

 

[Electric Drywall Sander]

Thanks for the good suggestions. Really helpful.I will try it.

 

[picks drywall]

thats what this site is for. glad it helps.