Taping Mudding Expert Drywall Specialist 919-742-2030

Drywall finishing—including drywall taping—is by far the most challenging part of drywall installation, and it's where you should hire a professional drywaller. The process requires several different coats of mud that must be dried and smoothed properly, and at first, it can seem more complicated than it actually is.

The skill of perfect finishing comes only through practice, several common drywall issues are easily corrected by a pro Sheetrocker using the right materials. Drywall Specialist can solve any issues you may have with the walls and ceilings of your home.

We Are Drywall Tape and Mud Professionals

Drywall Specialist covers the screw holes, applies a layer of mud before taping, smooth the joints, then follow up with another layer of mud (The Float Coat) after letting it dry overnight. We use two sizes of drywall knives approximately sized 6- and 10-or 12-inch, to apply paper drywall tape, pre-mixed drywall mud, and a drywall sanding screen or sandpaper for sanding the final coat of muds.

Pro Dry Wallers Apply Mud to Screw Holes

Pro drywallers use the drywall knife to apply joint compound, or mud, across screw holes in the face of the drywall.
Drywall Specialist Applies Mud to Joints

When using paper tape, mud the drywall joints before taping. We use the 6-inch drywall knife to apply mud to the seams between sheets of drywall. Apply only a thin coat, as this will be used to embed the drywall tape.
Expert Drywallers Apply Tape to Mudded Joints

Drywall Specialist presses the drywall tape into the wet mud. Use the flat of your hand rather than your fingers.
Skilled In The Art Of Smooth Down Tape

We further smooth and embed the tape in the mud base with the 6-inch drywall knife. Wipe away any excess and deposit it back in the drywall bucket or tray. After applying the first layer of mud under the tape, you can add one more thin coat of mud to get a smooth finish.
Sanding Dry Mud Must Be Done Correctly

After taping and smoothing drywall, we wait one day to allow the mixture to dry overnight. Next, lightly sand off any bumps before applying another coat of mud. Go easy with the sanding at this point to avoid abrading the drywall tape paper.
The Second Coat of Mud - The Float Coat

With the 10- or 12-inch drywall knife, we apply a second coat of mud to the seam. Let dry overnight.
Third Coat of Mud - The Skim Coat

With the 10- or 12-inch drywall knife, we apply a thin layer of mud to the seam. Feather the mud outward to blend the seam with the rest of the board.
Drywall Must Be Thoroughly Sand

Drywall Specialist Sands the drywall one last time.

Drywall Specialist Troubleshoots All Problem Areas

Inside drywall corners look ragged, not straight

Instead of creasing the all-paper tape we use and try mud and tape inside drywall corners with metal-reinforced corner tape.

We also use metal-reinforced tape combines a metal angle with paper flanges for a perfectly shaped and smooth inside corner: The tape does the creasing for you. The metal gives your drywall knife a smooth, rigid surface to ride along when taping the corner. This process can also be used when mudding and taping drywall ceiling corners.

Drywall Specialist fixes outside drywall corners that are fragile or rough

Instead of using standard paper options to mud and tape outside corners, we use metal or plastic outside corner bead to increase durability and strength.

We use corner bead because it is more durable and easier to install than paper-only corners. Save the paper tape for outside corners that never receive any traffic, such as bulkheads or skylight shafts. Any outside corner within reach should use a rigid bead.

Dry Taping Is A Common Mistake

It's common to apply the drywall mud to the wall, then find that the paper tape isn't sticking well because the mud was dry taped.

Before we apply the joint compound or mud, cut your paper drywall tape to length and pre-crease it we insure that the mud is mixed properly and will adhere to the tape.

When using metal-reinforced tape, er cut it to length and have it at the ready before mudding the corner. In either case, We also measure for tape length before there's mud on the wall.

Drywall Specialist fixes drywall tape shows through the mud

We keep seeing the drywall tape under the mud, the coating is too thin.

We use three layers: tape coat, filler coat, and final coat. The tape actually should show through the filler coat. If it doesn't, your filler coat is too thick. Covering the tape comes only with the final coat or coats. If the initial final coat doesn't cover the tape, apply more coats, but keep them thin.

An expert at fixing mesh tape that shows through the butt joints

This can be hard to fix, and it's why a lot of drywall workers prefer paper tape on butt joints. If seams have already been mudded over mesh tape and it's still showing, we keep applying thin final coats with a 10- or 12-inch drywall knife. Gradually build up the joint in the middle--to cover the tape—and feather it at both sides to make it all look flat. Mesh tape is also commonly used for mudding and taping drywall patches, so it's important that we use the same smoothing process for these projects.

Butt Joint Repair Skim Coating Pros

We repair and refinish butt joint seams where two panels meet at their square (not tapered) edges, so there's no recess for the tape and mud. When not floated properly a butt joint will show badly.

Drywall Specialist Fixes paper tape is visible on butt joints

Butt joints are difficult to cover, even with paper tape. Since there are no edge tapers creating a recess, the tape and mud are riding on top of the drywall.

We carefully apply the final coat or coats and feather it out well with the 10- or 12-inch knife. One error with butt joints is to use too much mud under the tape, creating a hump that is hard to hide with all of the thin final coats.

We apply some pressure to the knife when smoothing the tape over the initial layer of mud that helps to squeeze out excess mud from behind the tape. Ideally, though, don't put too much mud there to begin with.

Drywall Specialist can fix drywall seams are cracking

Drywall joints crack for many different reasons. Over the door and window openings, joints can crack due to movement in the wall framing. The movement is unavoidable, so the best solution is to make the taped joints as strong as possible. Mesh drywall tape is best, however it is more likely to crack over time.

The paper tape itself is less strong than mesh tape, and paper is also less elastic and doesn't stretch as mesh tape does. This is why some drywallers prefer paper for these high-stress joints.

Drywall Specialist muds and tapes with mesh in these areas, always use a setting-type mud for the first coat over the tape. Setting mud is stronger than pre-mixed all-purpose mud and helps compensate for the elasticity of mesh tape.

We fix all drywall joints where the mud is applied too thick or too quickly. To prevent cracking, we don't use more mud than you need for any of the coats, and let each coat dry throughly before adding the next.

Serving Durham, Chapel Hill, Cary, Apex, Burlington, Sanford, Pittsboro, Siler City or anywhere in Chatham County areas since 1991. Need a professional wallboard taping contractor call Drywall Specialist today for fast service, quality workmanship, competitive prices, free estimates, cost quotes on large or small tape bed mud jobs. Leave the taping mudding to an experienced pro for the best results.

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