OT Drywall hanging

[John Grossbohlin]

The idea is to fill the gaps but not the tapers. If you have very narrow gaps, or no gaps, there is no need to prefill. Narrow gaps will typically fill with the taping mud. Some guys advise hanging with bigger gaps or making the gaps bigger with a knife and prefilling everything.

The same but different animal... ;~) The banjo holds tape and mud and is carried to the joint and moved along the joint to apply the mudded tape. Whereas with the TapeBuddy holds the tape and mud and sits on top of a joint compound bucket (has notches to fit on the bucket) and you pull out a length of tape and cut it to length (corner of a joint compound knife) and then move the mudded tape to the joint and apply it. Generally you don't pull out more than two arms length... multiple pieces to do a long flat joint is no problem and butt joints are never more and 4.5 feet (unless perhaps you stuff a narrow piece of rock between two horizontal sheets!). With the TapeBuddy you are only carrying around the mudded tape and not a bunch of tape, mud and steel (or aluminum) so it's less fatiguing to use for mere mortals.

The host of these videos, Ben, is amusing and irreverent and knows what he's doing even if he's goofing around for the video. The video on the TapeBuddy also mentions prefilling and opening up the gaps to do so...

vs.

[krw]

I can see that it would take a bit of arm muscle for the banjo. This was a very good tutorial. I'd like to have seen the outside corner but youtube is big enough to find it elsewhere.

That's really slick. I noticed that he used the quick set chemical reaction type mud in the first video and the evaporative stuff in the second. Is there a reason for this (either one)?

He made a comment about not overlapping tape on a butt joint but didn't say what the alternative was. Just baking sure the tape was long enough to cover the entire joint? What about ceilings/wall corners? I also have wall butt joints that go 8'. Perhaps bad planning but that's how it worked out.

[John Grossbohlin]

Look at Ben's channel. He discusses the outside corners... steel, paper, fastening, etc.

Other channels to review are That Kilted Guy, or The Drywall Doctor. They all offer quality information with some variance in technique.

I suspect it is because the garage job was a quick and relatively small job and using setting mud would let him finish it in one day. Bigger jobs that take longer to apply each coat can wait over night for another coat.

When he says "butt joint" he's referring to the 4' ends of sheets meeting each others, NOT corner joints at wall and ceiling intersections..they are corners. Generally, when you hang rock you stagger the butt joints. That way you shouldn't have a joint longer than 4' (or 4.5').

[Bill]

Once you have the mud up there, you'll do what you have to do to make it work, one piece of tape or three pieces. Just watch a YouTube video first. In fact, you may start with one piece, and go back the next day, rip some off, find that you have three after that. The single thing which immensely improved the quality of my taping the most was to dunk the paper tape into water first. After that it got embedded in the mud "real good"! Before I started doing that, there were places where the tape dried with air gaps. The single thing I remember learning (from a book) about inside corners is not to put more mud "in" the corner once you've taped it the first time. Taping drywall makes me feel like an artist with a pallet, you just probably wouldn't want to pay me by the hour! %-) Also remember, usually, nothing that comes off should go back into the bucket. I read the book "Drywall", by M. Ferguson before my drywall project. I think I taped my first joint at least 3 times before I was satisfied--using wet tape the last time! Tape and mud are really cheap, don't be ashamed to ask for a "do-over"! : ) I'm the same poster who suggested using a halogen lamp too (after sanding). I also recommend a sanding pole you can attach to your shop-vac (with appropriate bag and filter), for the sake of your health. The price is reasonable. If any experts think they know better than me, it's probably true, and I defer to them. Good luck and have fun!

[russellseaton1]

Have fun? With drywall taping and mudding? What world are you living in?

[Bill]

You make it sound so dry... like Durabond 90! ; )

[russellseaton1]

Not sure about dry. But I have sanded drywall dry. But now I like to use a wet rag to smooth the dried mud out. That is much better. As for fun, the most fun I ever had hanging drywall, and taping and mudding it, was when I was all done with the job. Then I would party, sort of. Unlike electrical, which I love to do, I just don't get any joy at all out of drywall. I wish I never ever had to hang or patch drywall ever again.

[Clare Snyder]

It IS one of the worst jobs - next to wall-papering - - - - Not far behind is repairing leaking plumbing pipes where there is always a little bit more water finding it's way to the repair site. Sometimes it is enough to make me go for a shark-byte.

[knuttle]

The worst job fixing a clogged sewer pipe, where you must open it to get access for the snake.

[John Grossbohlin]

Those problems are all but eliminated with a tool like the TapeBuddy... no wetting of the paper tape is needed and you get a good even coat on the paper with a little practice.

[Clare Snyder]

Nothing like a Bazooka -- similar to the "banjo" mentioned earlier.

[russellseaton1]

I hates plumbing. I've been forced to do more than I want over the years. I'd rank plumbing lower into the cauldrons of H-LL than drywall.

[Bill]

I enjoy the challenge of taping good joints, and doing it as efficiently as I can. I enjoy knowing that I can do a drywall job from start to finish by myself because I have already done it. It's true that I have wasted a few 4x8 sheets of drywall due to my "cut-out skills", but I attribute that as part of the cost of my education.

This past summer, I painted my deck: power-spraying, sanding, and painting, basically 5 days in all, but not in a row, and none of them were (full) 8-hour days. If I had to choose, I prefer taping and mudding... : ) I know that the amount of pleasure that one can derive from any job changes if one does it full-time for 40-hours/week. But, I enjoy trying to be a DIY-er. This summer I replaced the headlight assemblies in my wife's car. To my surprise it only took me (only) 75 minutes (thanks YouTube). I'm not sure how much money I saved by doing that, but suspect it was reasonably significant. Possessing and knowing how to use tools is "fun", right? And even using them can be fun, if done in moderation! ; ) I never plan to surrender my collection of drywall knives! :)

[John Grossbohlin]

Nothing like a Bazooka -- similar to the "banjo" mentioned earlier.

For a pro... yes. For the occasional handyman or homeowner taper not so much... expense and experience issues.

[krw]

I've always had the problem of the second (and subsequent) coats of premix softening the previous, then having the knife catch the tape and rip it up. I've only used the mesh and now I find out that I'm supposed to be using the plaster-of-paris type with the mesh. It makes sense now.

I was thinking that the same problem occurred with any joint without the taper. OTOH, tapers in the corners or at the ceiling would make life tough and you don't look down the wall and notice the corner bumping out. Corners aren't as obvious.

I can see that now but I've put them together to save a sheet.

Good videos on YouTube. Lots of great information. I can hardly wait to get back at it (NOT).

[Clare Snyder]

For sure. When I did my daughter's basement I did all the rocking and an old german friend came over and taped and mudded it for me in appreciation for help I gave him on his plane.