Mudding Drywall – How to

This is the last and most important stage of drywall installation. It is less pleasant than the previous steps but with application of tried and tested techniques you should be able to complete it smoothly. Mudding drywall is a process that aims at installing three coats namely: drywall tape coat, drywall fill coat and finishing drywall. The technique used for each coat is different.

Drywall Tape Coat

This is the initial coat which is thinly applied and onto which you can apply and cover drywall tape.

Drywall Fill Coat

It is the thin secondary coat applied after tape coat has dried.

Drywall Finish Coat

This is the final step of mudding drywall done before sanding and priming.

Mudding drywall is the climax of drywall installation, hence should be done cautiously with the steps followed carefully. The process is done in stages and does require specific tools and drywall materials from a drywall supplier.

Drywall Preparation

Before starting any mudding process, the first step should be to inspect the drywall. You will be involved in:

Checking that the drywall is attached to the wall studs correctly.
Minimizing the butt joints. Make sure the drywall boards meet at tapered edges as much as possible and this will create fewer joints.
Scheduling an inspection with the municipality before mudding to avoid the possible inconvenience of tearing down the whole thing afterward.

Coat Application

You will have to apply several coats bearing in mind the basic objective is to achieve a smoother flat surface. Leave a convex curve on butt joints and a concave curve on tapper joints.
Get the right mud. You will find from a supplier that there are two types: dry mix mud or ready-mixed mud. Dry mix costs less and you are able to mix the right amount that you need. Premixed mud is best for DIY but it may cost more and could lead to wastage since it may be more than you need. Additionally, get the right brand. It is recommended to use the all-purpose brand on your first coat.
Get enough mud for your project. Always estimated at 3.7 liters of mud per every 100 square feet of drywall. While mixing the mud, do it gently to avoid air bubbles from the compound.
Get the right tools and then apply the mud.
After applying, smooth out the compound and make sure it doesn’t dry completely. Remember it acts as a glue to the tape and if dry, it is useless.
Apply the joint tape. Don’t put too much mud than you can cover with the tape. Then seat the tape with your trowel. Tape the inside corners and cover the outside corners so as to increase the durability of the outside corner drywall.
Fill all the screw holes with mud and smoothen over the surface. Make sure that you cover all divots left by sunken nails. But avoid applying too much mud as you will require a minimum of three coats in the process.
After completion, make sure that all the seams are covered with mud and tape, and then let it dry overnight.
You can now proceed with sanding and priming.