drywall taping

[83trekker]

OK first time doing it, put a good gob of mud down the seam, put the paper on took my knife slid down the paper tape got the excess out, put a thin layer of mud over top. Come back the next day papers sticking out. I pull on it a bit and the whole strip of tape comes off, didnt even stick yet theres dryed mud behind it. What am I doing wrong? Whats the easiet way to do dry wall taping? Obviously I aint doing right. PLease help!!!

 

[Poltax]

Make sure the surface is clean, by that I mean all the sawdust is removed from the drywall joints. The next thing is to make sure your using "All purpose joint compound". This is also called the first coat of mud. The All Purpose has glue in the mud to help the mud adhere to the tape and to the drywall. There is also the front and back side to the tape as well. Generally the outside of the roll of tape goes to the wall side. If you have tape that is sticking up or bubbles then that means you did not put on enough mud, or a wide enough strip of mud. When you tape make sure the mud your sticking on is wider then then tape width your using. Also you may need to water down the mud a bit to get a good consistancy for taping. Your mud may be old and a bit dry. If you have a big project you can go and rent a "bazooka". This is a tape gun that you fill with mud and have a roll of tape on the end. Yes, it does look like a bazooka. You do not actually need to put a layer of mud over the tape, when your laying down tape. You will do that when you go back over all the taping with the "first coat" of all purpose mud. Your first coat over the tape will usually be about 8-10" in width.

For your secound coat of mud you will want to use "topping". This is the finish and is smoother then All purpose. Your secound coat will be 10-14 inches in width depending on how your first coat came out.

The biggest thing is........the better you do at tape & mudding the less sanding between coats. Keep you mud clean so that you dont have any streaks.

 

[Davey4000]

I will be starting a similar project soon as well. If you use the self stick mesh tape can you eliminate a step? In other words after applying the tape your first mudding is 8-10" inches wide to cover the tape and joint.

 

[rotus7]

For small jobs, the fiberglass mesh tape is a good choice. However, you have to build up a much thicker layer of mud and feather it out farther to compensate for the thickness of the mesh tape.

 

[Poltax]

Davey4000......Self stick tape is really good for patch jobs or small jobs. Like a crack that needs to be fixed or if you need to cut a hole in your sheetrock. As rotus7 stated, using the mesh tape you will have to feather it out. Which means your first coat will be larger to make up for the thickness of the mesh. The mesh tape is thicker then the paper tape. Taping is to fill in the cracks and seams when you put up the drywall. The mudding is to make the wall look smooth as though you never had a seam in the wall when you look along your line of sight. If you do not spread out the mud enough (feather) you will always see a ridge or hump in your wall after its painted. This is why you need to do 2-3 coats of mud. Then you need to do a finish coat. The finish coat is down with mud that has been watered down, this will pick up any ridges or spots of mud that was not filled in correctly or sanded properly. A good professional will take a trouble light and go over every inch of mud to find the imperfections and sand them out. Prep work on the wall is like prep work on a car. If you do great prep then your paint will look great. Otherwise you will see all the imperfections.

 

[MXtras]

In addition to what's been said already, I pre-cut the tape long, then run through a bucket of water and wring it through my fingers to remove excess water before it's applied. Wetting the tape seems to help with adhesion.

Scott

 

[trovato]

If you've never done it before, watch a video. I've got this one:
http://www2.hometime.com/Admin/shopsite/v_4009.htm
I'm sure there will be some details that different people do different ways, but if you've never done it, watching this will be a big help. This one is only $15.

 

[1320stang]

I don't sand anymore, I use a damp sponge, but that only works well if you can bed good enough that you don't have a lot of voids or ridges.

You don't want to work the mud a whole lot, 2-3 passes is all you should make, I don't care how my first pass looks, just as long as there are no bubbles under the tape. If there are ridges along the outside edges of your area, just leave them, once the mud has dried, you can knock them off with your knife. When your making your second pass, hold the knife like you would a paint brush and use your ring and pinky fingers to put more pressure on the outside edge of the knife.

 

[russlaferrera]

I use a 4 X 12 trowel. I find it is easier to control. Fill in the joint with mud, add tape cover with mud, then 1 or 2 passes with the trowel. You get a better finish with less work Any bubbles I cut out with a razor. Never pull on the tape.

 

[NOMAD]

sounds like you put too much mud on the first coat. You need a layer but not a "good glob of mud". Then lay the tape on and yes, wetting it can help. The paper tape can **** moisture from the mud drying it before the paper can set in. I will never sand now that I learned the sponge trick. I wish I'd haev known that before I sanded my vaulted ceilings in my new place. WOW that was hard.

 

[sdurgala]

Good web-site for drywall install
http://www.drywallschool.com/protips.htm

Enjoy!