Smooth Your Drywall With Mudding
By Robert J. Carlton

If you have hung your drywall and think you are done, think again. Hanging the drywall is only half the battle. The real thing that is going to determine how your walls look is how well you do at mudding drywall. This drywall finishing technique is they key to having nice, smooth walls. Here s how to tackle mudding drywall and get a good result.

1. Know Your Stuff

You can t mud drywall on the fly. Do your home work and make sure you really understand what everything is and how everything works before you start slapping mud on that drywall - you ll be glad you did.

Drywall finishing requires a few different compounds - jointing, taping and topping. Each of these comes in a pre-mixed form or a powdered form that you have to mix yourself save yourself some time with the pre-mixed form. There is also a jointing compound that claims to do the job of all three, but it requires a good eye to make sure it is covering things properly. If you are new to mudding, use all three so you can layer as you go.

You ll also need a few taping knives at your disposal to get started. The first step should be running one of these knives over the wall to make use you haven t left any raised nails to be immortalized forever in the drywall mud.

2. Step by Step

If you think that you re going to fly through this process, think again. Mudding drywall takes a minimum of four days - you ll need to give things a chance to dry for a day or more between steps.

The four steps involved in mudding drywall are taping, then several stages of smoothing, and then the finishing coat. While the taping layer can be relatively easy to tackle, the smoothing is what celebrates the men from the boys. You will need to make sure that the compound you are using is not too thick or too thin, and you will need to make sure any imperfections in the drywall are filled and smoothed out. Usually two layers of mudding material will do the trick.

Before you apply the finishing coat, make sure the wall is perfectly smooth - use your taping knife to whittle down any bumps if you have a problem.

3. Patience is a Virtue

Mudding drywall can try the patience easily. It requires immense attention to detail and lots of downtime waiting for layers to dry. Sit back, take a deep breath and take the time to do it right. You ll be glad you did.

Also, make sure you take the time to wear the proper protective gear. Drywall can be notoriously irritating to the eyes and the lungs, so wear a mask whenever working with it.

Rob Carlton s news can be encountered on several web publications related to drywall and how to install drywall. You might see his Installing Drywall: Mudding and Taping
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