Drywall Finishing (Mud and Taping)

Drywall taping can be not only frustrating, but also messy!  You'll need some basic drywall tools before starting the taping process.  You'll need a  4" ,6" and 8" putty knife, mud pan, drywall tape, 10" and 12" drywall trowel, step ladder (6' to 8'), mixing drill, sanding sponge, drop clothe or a roll of plastic and joint compound (5 gallons +).  Once you've laid out your drop clothes, fixed any damaged corners (scoring) or holes.  Have all corner beads in place and dimpled all screw holes, you're ready to begin!  There are different types of drywall tape you can purchase and also the same with joint compound, but we'll discuss that at a later date.  Mix joint compound with water at the manufacturers recommendation or to a creamy type consistency.  FIRST COAT: Fill mud pan and apply mud to the butt joints first (vertical lines) using the 4" putty knife.  Then apply the tape over the mud, pressing the tape onto the mud with your finger tips.  Use your 4" knife at the stopping point to cut the tape.  By holding your knife on top of the tape against the drywall panel and pull tape.  This will give you a clean cut, without using a utility knife, which can cut into the drywall panel.  Now go back to your starting point, hold tape edge with your finger tips and take your putty knife (hold it at an angle) and squeeze out the excess mud.  Repeat the same steps with the tapered joints (horizontal lines).  Now for taping inside corners, fold tape in half along the crease line.  Apply mud to the inside corners, apply tape and squeeze out excess mud one side at a time (be careful not to rip tape).  Fill in screw holes (fastener holes), by forming a line of mud upward over the row of drywall screws and then scrape off in a downward motion.   Note: After every application on mud, clean putty knife or trowel off, by scraping it across the side of the mud pan. This allows you to scrape the mud off to have a clean and feathered out tape line.  Now some contractors pass on taping the corner beads, but for the D.I.Y. I would recommend taking this step to avoid future corner bead cracks.  Now that you have applied all your mud, let applications dry to the recommended time by the manufacturer.  Once the mud has dried, using a sanding sponge or paper.  Lightly sand any imperfections.  SECOND COAT: Again mix joint compound to the consistency of creamy potatoes.  Load mud pan and apply mud on the top side of the tape with a 8" putty knife and remove excess mud (butt joints first and tapered joints second). Applying mud to corners this time is a little more trickier! Apply mud to one side of tape on the ceilings with a 6" knife and alternate the sides for the wall corners.  Fill in the corner beads and the center.  Using a 10" trowel, smooth out the mud and feather the edges.  Let dry and sand imperfections.  THIRD COAT: Now repeat the steps given for the second coat. Apply mud to the butt joints first and then the tapered joints using a 10" or 12" trowel.  Applying mud to the other side of the tape with a 6" knife.  Using a 12" trowel apply another coat to the corner bead.  Let dry and sand entire surface to a smooth finish.