Drywall mudding.....GRRRRRRR

[justadude]

I hate gloves worse!!

try latex EMT gloves works great I cant stand the mud on my hands why folding corner tape might as well be running fingernails down a black board

 

[cpa]

By far the worst job in the world. A year ago I decided to finish a room in the basement. In two weeks I had it framed, wired, and rocked. I put mud on about half the room and that is how it has sat for the last year.

I really need to find someone that will finish it. Any of you guys that are good need a weekend job?

 

[Weekday Warrior]

I'd rather mud or hang drywall then mess with insulation



gawd I hate putting in insulation

 

[ruffryder]

Best thing I have found is to use the light weight stuff and water it down. You don't want chicken soup consistency, more like a thick flowing paste. Clean all your working tools rigorously and constantly. It is hard to get something flat and smooth when there is drywall chucks sticking to it. I also clean the bucket as I use the stuff up... crap the wet chunks down to get re absorbed. Nothing worse then getting a bunch of dry chunks on your blade to spread around..

What I have found is about 4-5 layers is a good number. The more thin coats the better easier it is to do. If you are having to do a lot of sanding, you are messing up and applying way too thick. Should only be a light sand at the end. The metal / paper inside corners work really well. The might me more expensive, but I thought they were easier to work with, along with the fiber tape. The metal outside corners work good too.

For prep I normally take my blade and go over all seems to find the high spots / screws / nails that didn't go in all the way. Sucks laying a seem and hitting screws, but a hammer helps with this!

The best advice I can say is to do THIN light coats. There is nothing worse then spending hours and hours sanding down a crappy too thick first coat.... especially when you didn't do the first coat in the first place... It makes the job take way too long, it gets you pissed, and most of the time it will look like crap unless you just make the rest of the layers thicker too, and spread it out wider then needed..

 

[Gilly]

to the guys that say they would rather hang than tape,you prolly have never used sureboard or glassroc.I am not a taper by any means but I would rather sleep in a bucket of mud than hang anymore of that crap.
I am another member of the "I despise drywall club"
I think I will stick to the steel framing of the job,it is alot more enjoyable.
unless it is in seattle

seriously,you really shouldn't have to sand much at all,unless it is some serious smooth wall sh!t.even then you can get away with minimal sanding

 

[sledhead699]

i hate every thing about drywall. drywall sucks.

 

[MARCUSO]

I find it not too bad, for the odd repair, but to do a whole basement, uhh. no.

Proper tools are essential. It is worth driving the 5 miles and get a good corner knife, than trying to do it with a straight blade.
The low angle light is also needed, and a steady hand.

Oh and also, don't tell anyone that you are good at it. because you will never hear the end of it when someone needs a wall fixed/

 

[Aug]

Mudding is way better then painting, but I have painted alot of houses.

 

[Supplicate]

Learned how to hang and mud the old school way, no special tools or anything. Mudding is pretty fun once you get the hang of it. We used to use the widest blade possible, 8" IIRC, and put all the tape on by hand. One of the latest ones I helped my dad with, we borrowed a banjo and man did that make a difference.

As for hanging sheetrock, I'd rather do that then hang an entire plywood cieling on a shop. Insulation is simple so long as you know the little tricks and have the staple gun that looks like a hammer.

 

[gusto]

I have a drywall company and agree with a lot of you guys, if you do not know what you are doing the job can be an ugly one with less than favorable results.. But if you insist on doing it yourself here is some tips that mite help.
Tools ,Tape reel [hangs off your belt], hawk and trowel or pan and knife[10 and 12", wiping knife 6 to 8", whip and half inch drill for mixing, assorted knifes 4 5 and 6", pole sander and sanding sponge, lite stand and hand held lite with min 200 watt lite, screwdriver for drywall screws, hammer for tapping in nails 2 or 3, 5 gal buckets.
Materials I suggest using pre mix mud, taping mud for putting on tape, topping mud for coating. Paper tape and either fast set mud or concrete fill .
First prep walls, screw in screws pull off loose paper ,broken corners, broken board around lit boxes ect fill level with concrete fill let dry. Next get one pail clean water, mix taping mud in other bucket with whip and mixer mix mud to be fairly wet so it bairly stays on 5" knife load mud in beveled edges first lay tape in mud perforated side down. Wipe mud out with wiping knife do not wipe all the mud out just make sure the tape has no bubbles .After bevel tapes are ran do the same wit the butt joints.
Next run your ceiling angles creasing tape as you go , use a 5" knife for wiping angles. Then your up rite angles. Make sure all tapes are square and free of bubbles without squeezing all the mud out.
Next put on your bead. I recommend paper bead put lots of mud in behind, wipe edges of bead with 5" knife pull bead if necessary so it will take a fill use your knife so you see lite between wall and edge of bead. Clean up walls tools and floor from sloppy mud when mud is damp.Let everything totally dry keep elec heat to 60 degrees min.
Lite sand with pole sander with 150 to 220 grit just take humps off no need to grind. When you sand try not to sand the paper on the drywall to much. Set up for topping mud do not mix to wet the wetter mud s the more it shrinks back mix a little thinner than butter. Use trowel or 10 inch knife to coat all bevels thin coat just enough mud to fill shoulders bevel out mud on sides by putting more pressure on one side of the knife than the other. Let mud sit up a little before you coat the butts, so you are not pulling wet mud into wet mud on the flats. The butts need to be coated wider than the flats min 24" .
Next coat one side of the angles with 5" knife feather all mud out on the edges as you go do not worry that it doesn't look perfect there is another coat to go. Let dry totally, repeat with 12" knife and coat other side of angles. One of the biggest problems is that people put on to much mud then sand it all off again. Use 10" then 12" knifes for the bead.
Repeat steps until everything is level and true, rock the 12" knife over everything to see if its flat or can see lit through it . Pole sand with 180 to 220 grit but do not go into the angles with pole sander.Next lite in one hand sanding sponge in the other go over everything. Make sure everything is coated at least twice including screws.
Sorry to be so long winded but its hard to explain without being there. Hope this helps, don't get discouraged it takes patients...