Applying drywall mud is like spreading peanut butter? You spread the joint compound with a knife, until you have a smooth coating, to hide the seams joining 2 pieces of sheet rock along with the screws or nails used to hang the drywall. I'm still laughing at the analogy but it's perfect! Credit goes to Chester Spier who I was chatting with this weekend about wallpaper repairs.
Watch a young child spread peanut butter, especially if they're putting it on a cracker which is likely to break. We can't remember when we learned to use a butter knife and that's the point. Once you practice and master a skill like spreading peanut butter, you simply pick up the knife and never give it another thought. Spreading joint compound is just another skill, one that takes practice until you can do it with ease and get the results you want.
Actually, spreading peanut butter is easier because no one really cares how smooth you get it and your tummy doesn't care if you licked the peanut butter off a spoon or ate a peanut butter and jelly sandwich (which I had for lunch today and had to share this story).
Common Mistakes People Make with Sheetrock and Joint Compound
Drywall and sheet rock are different names for the same product, so we'll use both terms here. Plaster is NOT the same as joint compound. Plaster should be done by professionals as it requires more skill, it costs more so it's not as popular while the benefits are a smoother, harder surface.
Running a handyman business includes fixing problems related to home owners attempting do-it-yourself projects.
My funniest drywall story is when John called from the customer's home to review what he was discussing with the wife (who else will call to fix the husband's mistakes). John explained there was so much mud slathered on the walls like shaving cream, that it would take hours to sand it down … and it would be faster to replace the drywall including travel time to pick up new sheetrock. With situations like this, we like a second conversation to confirm the customer understands and agrees with our recommendations before proceeding. We got approval for the new sheetrock!
So here are the most common problems homeowners run into when applying their own mud:
- Applying too much mud to the wall/ceiling, which requires too much sanding which if done wrong, requires more mud and the cycle continues.
- Not keeping the putty knife clean so very small pebbles leave lines in the mud, requiring more work to repair.
- Using joint compound that isn't the right consistency, so the mud dries too thick or runny.
- Using mud that is old and possibly has frozen at some point in time.
- Not understanding that several coats of mud are required, each one wider than the previous one to create a smooth transition to the sheet rock.
- Trying to rush the job and not letting one coat of mud dry before sanding and applying the next coat.
- Drywall tape over the seams detaching from the sheet rock because there isn't enough mud between the tape and the sheet rock.
One of the things that amazes me is how poor workmanship by one contractor is left for the next contractor to solve. A great mud job needs the sheet rock to be hung properly with adjoining pieces level, tight against the wall studs so there's no movement later and screws countersunk so they're below the surface but don't tear the paper covering the gypsum.
Ready to Get Started Practicing Your Mudding?
Now that you realize finishing a room isn't something you can start tomorrow, at least the mud work, you'll want to learn more about the art of applying mud. Here is a book to read and knives to start practicing and we'll be back shortly with learning to mud using a peanut butter approach.
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PS The knife that is curved is for small repairs like nail pops while the wider knife is for taping seams where 2 pieces of drywall meet and eventually you need 3 of these knives for the 1st, 2nd and 3rd coats of mud which get successively wider.
Good article Tina. Lots of good information. But becoming truly good at hanging and finishing sheetrock takes years of experience and practice. I see it with my technicians, all who have been around the construction trades for most of their lives. Some are really good and fast, and some are slow and sloppy. It all depends on if they’ve been taught properly at first, and then how much experience they’ve had. I find most homeowners are not very good at finishing and should leave the job to professionals, especially if the work is in an important and visible area. It takes a lot more time and money to correct a bad job than to have it done right from the start
A nice article but there are things i would suggest everyone consider to make your mudding work easier and cleaner. Only use one side of your knives as the working side because compound will dry and build up on your knife and it is inevitable that you will never get both sides clean enough to use properly and who wants to be washing knives between strokes? When i mention cleaning your knife i refer to wiping the primary side off with another knife. If you are doing just a patch then there is no need to invest in a “Hawk” which is a large square aluminum pallet used to hold a lot of mud at one time. You should have three knives available to work with. One is a six inch wide one which will be used the most. You should also have a 12 in wide blade which you will use in conjunction with your six inch to hold the mud while you apply it. Lastly you should have a two inch knife to get into tight areas which your larger tools can’t access.
To get the mud from the tub it comes in you should scoop some out on the corner of your six inch knife and apply it to your larger knife in mounds in the center of the larger knife and then work off that knife as you need it. Never apply mud directly from the tub to the wall or you will not have any control of your work and you will have a big mess on your hands. If you are applying mud to the left side of a corner then you would scoop the mud onto the right side of your six inch knife and reverse for the opposite. If you are mudding over a flat area with tape on it, you would center the pile on the large knife and then scoop it to the center of your six inch and proceed from there.
Always remember as you apply mud with your knives, that a steep angle will take off mud and a shallow one will spread it. You can practice this when filling screw holes to gain experience. Always try to put a thin layer on while still covering your work as needed. Sheet rock mud will shrink as it dries so you will need to apply more than one coat to fill a hole. Before applying a second or third coat always use your six inch knife to scrape off the area that you had applied the first coat to so as to knock off any mud that sticks out and would get in the way of a smooth second coat.
Hope this helps everyone. Don’t be afraid to do this yourself.