OT: Anyone do drywall taping? Options

[chunger]

Hello,

After finding out that I officially suck at taping on a 12x12 room, I've decded to get smart and see about finding someone who won't get half the mud on the ground to do the bulk of my house. . . and who's faster. You know. . . machines and all. Or, if you're good at it and have time to show a moron how to do it right, lemme know.

Otherwise, any leads to a good drywall contractor would be appreciated.

-'Chung

ok, I don't suck as bad as I think, but I'm SLOW.

[Mueller]

let me ask my next door nieghbor....

yep, I'm in the same boat, I need to tape and mud this week, at least mine is a "workshop" so it does not have to be as pretty (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[914GT]

Are you using fiberglass tape?

[chunger]

I'm using Fiberglass tape on the factory seams and embedding paper tape on the (IMG:style_emoticons/default/bootyshake.gif) butt seams and inside corners.

Hey Mike, wanna swap incompetent labor? I can come to your place this weekend in exchange for your incompetence some other weekend.

-'Chung

[URY914]

I'll be right over...

Wait a minute, maybe not.

Bed the tape in with some mud to hold it on the wall than work it like you're putting frosting on a cake.

Or bondo on a trunk lid. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

Paul

[Joe Ricard]

Thinner is better. Don't try to cover or fill the seams all at once.
I usually buy the mud in a 50 lb block. 1st tape is with regular wieght mud. 2nd 3rd and 4th if required is with light weight mud. tape with 6" knife, go heavy on the wall push in tape and knife off 75% of what you put on .

use 8" then 10" and 12" knife as the layers go on. There is a corner taping knife that works well but it looks like you are past that.

If you have to sand lots to get everthing smooth you are putting too much mud on.

Oh I always steal the wifes cake mixer to get the mud creamy like a milk shake. goes on real nice.

[IronHillRestorations]

Most rookies try to apply too much mud per layer. It's easier to add a little then take too much off. And if it's really rough the next layer will be rough too, unless you knock off the junk a little. You want each layer to be as smooth as you can get it. Proper tools help.

When taping you want the mud a little wetter and smoother, like Joe says. If the mud is too dry with paper tape, it will just come off. You can get by with a little stiffer mud for subsequent coats.

If you get air bubbles, keep going over that spot till you get rid of the bubbles. Air bubbles in sheetrock mud are really tough to fill in later, just like air bubbles in bondo. If you have some little bubbles that you can't get rid of, and they are in a spot that will show, use some Red Devil Onetime spackle as "spot putty".

Avoid sanding the paper part of the sheetrock any more than you have too, if you sand the paper too much it will show fuzzies.

Before you do apply any wallboard primer, brush off the walls really good and go around the room at night with a single lamp held to show any flaws. Don't think paint will hide visible flaws, it won't and once you paint the walls it's harder to fix any flaws.

You are wearing a dust mask right?

Good luck!

[Mueller]

hey 'Chung....let me see what my schedual is like...I have a large hopper for the mud when it comes time to texture (needs an air compressor)

[Lou W]

Looks like your doing good so far, Joe and 9146986 are right, I always add about 1 1/2 quarts of water to a 5 gallon container of Allpurpose mud. Apply lightly. You should not have to sand if you do it right, almost like a wipe down with the sanding block. Then use Topping Mud next, delude it down too. It will fill in the scratches and pin holes. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[chunger]

Thanks for the tips guys. . . I'll add some water to the bucket of premixed compound. I've been going thin and slow. 3 layers. the 3rd layer was basically wipe on and scrape it all off. The factory edges are perfectly flat. Mike, I'm crazy and going for smoothe finish (IMG:style_emoticons/default/monkeydance.gif) won't need to texture. . . unless my taping is utterly embarrassing.

This room is ready to sand and paint. . . I'm dreading my vaulted ceiling in the big room it's those off-angle inside corners that are driving me nuts. I'm thinking about buying a special trim to make life easier and straighter than paper tape on them.

[Bleyseng]

For smooth wall its 5 coats of mud and these are thin coats.
1st is taping with the tape
2st is taping
3rd is taping watered down
4th is topping
touch sandnow
5th is topping and skimming the whole freakin walls
touch sand everything smooth
Prime the walls with a heavy base wall board primer with lots of solids to fill the mud and the paper.
2 coats of paint and its good.

You can speed up the process by using hotmud to stick on the tape and fill any holes or bad spots from hanging. The better you hang the drywall the better the smooth wall.

Geoff

[chunger]

Yeah. . . 5 layers. . . w/ skim coat possibly applied w/ a roller and then smoothed. That's what I heard is best. I'll see if 3 yields acceptable results. The room is my "walk-in closet" so I started with it as my learning room. Drywall is hung pretty well. There are very very few butt seams. I recon half the walls are going to be covered by acoustic treatments as well so economy of time vs. quality is a consideration for me. Gotta pick my battles.

[Lou W]

FYI: When installing drywall; Stagered joint are good (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[Joe Ricard]

Geesh there be a lot of "experts" here. All sound advice and pointers. Can't go wrong with 12' sheets of sheet rock. Dry wall jacks are a handy thing for ceilings since most code is 5/8" walls are 1/2" but a big sheet is still pretty heavy trying to butt up tight to overhead and vertical joints.

I also prefer electric drills with one of them cool bits for screws.

[IronHillRestorations]

Stagered joint are good (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Let's keep my highschool days out of this OK? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif)

[Mueller]

FYI: When installing drywall; Stagered joint are good  

stagered joint???? I'm lost here (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wacko.gif)

I did my ceilings 2 weekends ago, what a PITA, the ceiling has the same 7/12 pitch as the roof...would have been much easier with horzontal ceilings (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smash.gif)

I'm weak, only 8' sheets for me (IMG:style_emoticons/default/blink.gif)

[Lou W]

Mueller Posted on Nov 15 2004, 07:04 PM
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QUOTE  
FYI: When installing drywall; Stagered joint are good  


stagered joint???? I'm lost here  

Heres what I meant, if you were looking at a wall, you'd place the first 8 foot length hard against the wall on the left, and hard against the drywall on the ceiling (Ceilings should be done first). Then you would continue to add additional sheets to the right. Next, you would cut an 8 foot sheet in half, and take a 4 foot section and install below it, then add the next 8 foot section and so on. Sorta like a brick pattern. The sheets on the bottom typically do not rest on the floor, you can use scrap pieces of drywall (1/2 inch thick) or you can buy a couple small drywall levers and set the lower sheets on them, that should be enough to close the horizontal gap in the center of the wall. after attaching the drywall, remove the scraps.

Joe Ricard Posted on Nov 15 2004, 06:59 PM
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Geesh there be a lot of "experts" here. All sound advice and pointers. Can't go wrong with 12' sheets of sheet rock. Dry wall jacks are a handy thing for ceilings since most code is 5/8" walls are 1/2" but a big sheet is still pretty heavy trying to butt up tight to overhead and vertical joints.

I also prefer electric drills with one of them cool bits for screws.  

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/agree.gif)

[tesserra]

I just had my new house drywalled.
Dry wall dudes are amazing! They used 5x12 sheets of 5/8 rock wherever they could.
They would carry them around with one person!
My house took 20,000 sq ft of drywall. (high cielings) They hung it in 4 days!
They finished it smooth, which took three extra weeks.
They used 150 gallons of primer to to coat the walls.
I had no idea smooth wall was so much more work.
It is also a pain in the ass to paint well.
It really is a pleasure to watch people that are good at there trade work.

Back to painting,
George

[Lou W]

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/agree.gif) Those guys that do it all day long for a living are amazing, they handle those 12 foot sheets like they're nothing (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smilie_pokal.gif) I just finished the ceiling in my garage, first time that I 've ever used a Drywall Lift, I think as you get older, you work smarter. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[chunger]

I used a drywall lift . . . and I staggered the joints. . . on both layers of 5/8 (IMG:style_emoticons/default/chair.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/chairfall.gif) lots and lots of 12ft sheets. The large room has no butt joints.

The entire floor assembly is floated on rubber isolaters so I just let the drywall hit the ground. You'd think after all that I'd be able to get some mud on straight. . . oh well, got a contractor coming in tomorrow to bid. . . but only after I stand in line at the DMV to register new AX toy!!!! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smilie_pokal.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smilie_pokal.gif)