CHILLIWACK TAPING CONTRACTORDoing the mudding yourself can be a very tedious and time consuming job. It can also be difficult and frustrating. Too much mud and too big of ridges means a lot of sanding. Too little of mud or not flat enough of a job means the patch or joint on the wall sticks out like a sore thumb. This is one of the most popular trades to leave it to the professionals. Quality workmanship takes years of practice and stubbornness with experience to get the flattest possible job. So instead of spending seeming endless hours of trial and error after watching a dozen YouTube videos, it is more often than not outsourced to a taper who already went through the blood sweat and tears to know how to make your walls and ceilings top notch.
Our prices are competitive so that it is well worth it to have us worry about making the painters happy rather than having yourself spending your valuable free time getting messy and trying to figure it all out. Keep in mind that the drywall finisher's load-out easily surpasses $1500, and that is not including automatic tools. Of course, if it is a very small job, it is possible to just need a pan and some knives if you purchased mesh tape and a ready-mixed finishing compound. But, there are many things to know how something can go wrong and prevent a joint disappearing under paint. |
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Step 1: The flatter the joint or patch, the easier it will be to level out with drywall mud. If there is any small pieces, no matter how small, it should be cut or scraped off. If there are edges sticking out, it needs to be cut off or pushed inwards with the butt end of your taping knife. Also, if there is any parts off the drywall bulging, this means that although the front paper isn't cut, but the gyproc behind it is broken. This may conclude that air is inside pushing the paper outwards, and no matter how much mud is applied on top of it, it will still bubble. Your safest bet is to cut it out.
Step 2: Apply the taping mud. spread the compound over the joint pushing mud into wider gaps and craters. Wipe lightly so that there is a thin layer on top of the wall, so that you can no longer see the surface behind it. It should be at least three inches wide for the tape. Mixing mud too thin will be messy and take longer to spread as mud will run off your knife faster than you can apply. Mixing too thick and you could either end up with too much underneath, or too much can be scrapped out causing air bubbles.
Step 3: Place the paper tape on top and wipe. Remember to start wiping at least a foot away from one end or the tape will move and wrinkle. Also be cautious to not press too hard as to scrap all of the taping compound out from underneath. We are going for as flat as possible, so wrinkles will only make things more difficult later on. Allow it to dry.
Step 4: Cover coat. With a drywall finishing compound, you want to bury the tape, as well as feathering the mud out to make it as flat as possible. You will want to over load before wiping off. You will also want to apply the compound about a foot wide from the taped joint, perhaps wider the more crooked the wall is to help level the wall. Once overloaded, start by taking off the outside edges with a corner of your knife or trowel. The rest is wiping mud off. This can be where the frustration begins, but if you have the patience, you can try over again until you're satisfied! With practice, you can figure out how hard or light to wipe and at what angle. This phase requires the longest time as it is the heaviest of mud applications, and needs the longest amount of time to dry. It can dry overnight if there is good air circulation and heat.
Step 5: Before "polishing", you will want to rough sand the edges, waves, and any excess mud. If you are doing a patch over an original wall that has been painted, you will most likely encounter a problem. As you apply the finishing compound, pockets of air from the mud will get trapped in between coats and will be forced outwards, causing dozens or hundreds of air bubbles. The best way to eliminate them is to push and scrape off the polishing mud in different directions until bubbles stop surfacing, then you can load up again. The biggest difference with polishing from cover coat is that mud is scraped off in the middle, leaving some on both sides to help level out the patch. You typically want to widen the work area a little bit as well. Start with scraping down the middle. If your blade is cutting into both sides, that tells you that you've loaded enough while the very middle of the joint is currently nice and flat. Take the outside edges off and gently wipe in between to leave the smallest waves to indicate that it is a very gradual and flat looking. Let it dry.
Step 6: You're almost done! Sanding. Use the rough side off the sanding sponge to sand the edges and waves. Use the fine side in swirls to make is as smooth as possible without scratches. The finer the sanding sponge, the smaller the scratches left behind.
As you can probably tell, many details are missing out as it would take a lot of explaining to go over it all! There is a lot to know for just finishing a patch. What would help is some visual aid and hands on practice. You can obviously find tips on the google search engine and YouTube and you can also contact myself for advice and any questions.
Step 2: Apply the taping mud. spread the compound over the joint pushing mud into wider gaps and craters. Wipe lightly so that there is a thin layer on top of the wall, so that you can no longer see the surface behind it. It should be at least three inches wide for the tape. Mixing mud too thin will be messy and take longer to spread as mud will run off your knife faster than you can apply. Mixing too thick and you could either end up with too much underneath, or too much can be scrapped out causing air bubbles.
Step 3: Place the paper tape on top and wipe. Remember to start wiping at least a foot away from one end or the tape will move and wrinkle. Also be cautious to not press too hard as to scrap all of the taping compound out from underneath. We are going for as flat as possible, so wrinkles will only make things more difficult later on. Allow it to dry.
Step 4: Cover coat. With a drywall finishing compound, you want to bury the tape, as well as feathering the mud out to make it as flat as possible. You will want to over load before wiping off. You will also want to apply the compound about a foot wide from the taped joint, perhaps wider the more crooked the wall is to help level the wall. Once overloaded, start by taking off the outside edges with a corner of your knife or trowel. The rest is wiping mud off. This can be where the frustration begins, but if you have the patience, you can try over again until you're satisfied! With practice, you can figure out how hard or light to wipe and at what angle. This phase requires the longest time as it is the heaviest of mud applications, and needs the longest amount of time to dry. It can dry overnight if there is good air circulation and heat.
Step 5: Before "polishing", you will want to rough sand the edges, waves, and any excess mud. If you are doing a patch over an original wall that has been painted, you will most likely encounter a problem. As you apply the finishing compound, pockets of air from the mud will get trapped in between coats and will be forced outwards, causing dozens or hundreds of air bubbles. The best way to eliminate them is to push and scrape off the polishing mud in different directions until bubbles stop surfacing, then you can load up again. The biggest difference with polishing from cover coat is that mud is scraped off in the middle, leaving some on both sides to help level out the patch. You typically want to widen the work area a little bit as well. Start with scraping down the middle. If your blade is cutting into both sides, that tells you that you've loaded enough while the very middle of the joint is currently nice and flat. Take the outside edges off and gently wipe in between to leave the smallest waves to indicate that it is a very gradual and flat looking. Let it dry.
Step 6: You're almost done! Sanding. Use the rough side off the sanding sponge to sand the edges and waves. Use the fine side in swirls to make is as smooth as possible without scratches. The finer the sanding sponge, the smaller the scratches left behind.
As you can probably tell, many details are missing out as it would take a lot of explaining to go over it all! There is a lot to know for just finishing a patch. What would help is some visual aid and hands on practice. You can obviously find tips on the google search engine and YouTube and you can also contact myself for advice and any questions.
