Note To Self: Joint Compound Dries Fast

I taped the drywall in my bathroom today.  Everyone had been shaking their heads and saying, dubiously, "Taping is kind of... an art," and as a result I was very intimidated to try it.  But it's not so bad, really.  That probably has to do with my expectations for the quality of the result, which are low, and my trepidation, which was extremely high.  But it looks fine, and it seems possible to fix the spots that don't look so great with another little layer of joint compound. 

For those who don't know, joint compound comes in a big tub, and it's this goopy white stuff that's about the consistency of toothpaste.  You can sort of smear it around on the walls, put some tape into it, and make a flat surface by going over the whole mess with a flat scraper.  You end up with a lot of joint compound on yourself, but in the process you can fill in little holes or dents or seams and when you paint over the whole thing it just looks flat and smooth.  That's what I'll be doing later this afternoon.  (I've decided to ignore my home depot book that says to let the junk dry overnight.  That strikes me as silly.)

Comments

[pjm]

You can always tell drywall contractors because almost all their clothes have joint compound on them somewhere. (Jargon: Joint compound is "mud" and the big white tubs are "mud buckets.")

Don't ignore the book. There are reasons for letting the stuff dry overnight. It may affect your finish when you paint over it.

[bridgeovertroubledwater]

The key to a pretty decent taping/mudding job is having at least a 6 inch knife (as in putty). It helps a whole lot to have another longer knife or flat blade for the final coats to keep the taper of joint compound extending past the last one so that the joint or corner does not mound up. The other near critical tool is some sort of "palate" to carry the joint cpd around on and to scrape excess back to the edge of your knife. After that, it's just a little practice. Watching someone who is fairly good at it helps a whole lot too. And when you do corners, do just one edge at a time to avoid sheer frustration.

Another knack that I learned watching the "pros" was going over (like you are trying to pick it up with the front edge of the knife) the dry mud from your last coat with the edge of your 6 inch knife to knock/scrape down the high spots. It's amazing how much you can improve the surface that way WITHOUT sandpaper and it makes each coat more even and therefore requiring less sanding at the end. By the way, when you do sand the joint cpd, avoid sanding the paper on the sheetrock because sanding raises the fibers of the paper that then turn into tiny stalagmites when painted therefore needing sanding before your next coat of paint.

As long as the joint cpd is white, i.e. the grayness of the water has left, then I would go ahead and recoat it. If it is still wet the mud will ball up under the knife and be very aggravating. Do make sure the joint cpd is dry before you paint. It would be a pain to have paint fall off after all that work.

I love to tape small scale projects like a bathroom. I'm sure you can do it!

[Isaac Laquedem]

Do please wait for the compound to dry before you paint over it, otherwise the paint may bleed into the compound and give you an unintended stucco effect. Think of it as the drywall equivalent of waiting for the starter's pistol before you set sail.

[Nicole]

If you don't wait until the joint compound dries, you'll learn fast that paint soaks into drywall and joint compound for an undesired effect.

# 1 - let it dry, trust those who have gone before you, you'll be pleased with the result

# 2 - if you are painting a color (non-white walls) I recommend using a cheap primer for your first coat. The fresh drywall can be a sponge

[bill]

It's a mesmerizing process -- there's nothing like mud. The primer tip above is a good one.

[joan]

just wondering if anyone knows how to remove joint compound from clothing!

Joint compound is easy to remove. Just swish it around in a bucket of water, rinse (don't pour this down your sewer line; it will harden and clog!), soak, put in washer. Unless it's entirely permeated, you won't have a problem with it.