Best Pro Tips

9 LESSONS FROM VETERAN DRYWALL TAPERS

Veteran drywall tapers tell all! Here’s how to get smooth walls with beginner skills.

Eliminate as many hard-to-hide butt joints as you can

To hide “butt joints” (where two nontapered ends of drywall meet), you have to build up a hump of joint compound that’s very thin and wide. This is time consuming and difficult to do well. So if you’re a novice drywall finisher, you’d be smart to avoid butt joints. The best way to avoid butt joints is to use sheets of drywall that are long enough to run the entire length of walls and ceilings. As a result, you’ll have only tapered joints to finish. Drywall sheets are commonly available in 8- and 12-ft. lengths, and specialty drywall suppliers carry longer sheets (up to 20 ft.!). If your ceiling is longer than your sheets, you can’t avoid butt joints. But you can still avoid butt joints on a long wall. Simply hang the sheets vertically rather than horizontally. That way, you’ll have several tapered joints to cover, but no butt joints. Hanging drywall vertically is slower than hanging it horizontally because you have to make sure the tapered edges fall at the centers of studs. Cut the first sheet to width so the tapered edge lands on the center of a stud. After that, the edges of each sheet should fall perfectly on studs. If you run into misplaced studs, nail 2x2s to them. If you have 9-ft. ceilings, call a drywall supplier to find 10-ft. sheets.

Use mesh tape, not paper

Paper tape is the strongest choice for joints. But in less-skilled hands, it can ripple, slip or trap air bubbles. If you push too hard as you embed it, you’ll squeeze out all the joint compound behind it and the tape will peel off later. Adhesive-backed mesh tape eliminates those glitches. Just stick it in place and it stays put. And since it doesn’t require an underlying layer of compound, mesh allows for a thinner buildup over butt joints and repairs. You can use it anywhere except on inside corners. Since mesh tape isn’t as strong as paper, some pros insist on using settingtype joint compound because it’s stronger than premixed types. Whichever compound you choose, apply mesh tape no more than a few hours before covering it. Left uncovered, it will eventually fall off.

Fill joints faster with setting-type compound

Mixing setting compound is a messy nuisance, but it’s sometimes worth it. Setting compound has three advantages over premixed types: It’s stronger, it hardens faster and it shrinks much less. Quick hardening and low shrinkage make setting compound perfect for deep filling. A thick layer of premixed compound takes days to dry and it shrinks. You’ll need several coats to fill the depression, and the more layers you add, the harder it is to get smooth results. For small repair jobs, you can mix setting compound with a paint paddle. For larger jobs, use a corded drill with a mixer attachment. The key to a smooth, chunk-free mix is to let it stand for about five minutes after the initial mixing. That lets the chunks absorb water before final mixing. The hardening time for setting compounds ranges from 5 to 210 minutes. The 45- or 90-minute versions are best for most jobs. Use a “lightweight” setting compound; other versions become so hard that sanding away mistakes is nearly impossible. Even lightweight versions are harder to sand than premixed compound, so it’s best to use setting compound for the first coat and premixed for later coats. Clean up tools before the setting compound hardens.