Common Drywall Finishing Myths

Myth #1: Don't imbed your tape tightly.
Fact: Imbed your tape tightly to prevent bumps or possibly sanding the tape!

Myth #2: Sand to knock off ridges and high spots.
Fact: Use a 4 inch or 10 inch knife to knock down high spots. Scrape perpendicular to the ridge. Never remove ridges by sanding! Excessive sanding produces humps and bumps - only sand after all coats have been applied.

Myth #3: Use thick joint compound so more can be applied.
Fact: Use slightly thinned joint compound (mud) so it leaves no bumps after using the knife. Thinned mud can be drawn down more uniformly. Also, thinned mud leaves fewer air pockets. Thin your mud by placing your tool in water and then mixing the mud with the tool. Make sure to thin your mud whenever it starts to dry up.

Note: This is meant to apply to the non-professional. Drywall professionals will use low-shrink compounds to minimize steps - they also have the training and the high quality tools needed to place the mud on uniformly.

Myth #4: Two coats of joint compound are all you need.
Fact: Unless you're an experienced professional using specialized tools and compounds, a minimum of 3 or 4 coats are needed for a good job! More thinner coats are likely to result in less need for sanding.

Myth #5: A good primer and paint can make up for a bad job.
Fact: Only a professionally done texture job can somewhat fix a bad job. Bumps, exposed tape, sanded paper, and ridges will always show through paint. With time, as the paint is absorbed and the compound shrinks, defects become even more obvious.

BACK TO "MORE INFO" PAGE

Click Ctrl D to Bookmark This Page! Tell Your Friends About This Site!

Questions? Comments? Drop Me A Line - Click Here For Email Info