I’m no beginner and I’m definitely no expert, but it is absolutely amazing that you can dig at the bottom of your bucket for mud and not get a single speck on your hand.
I just want to say THANK YOU!! Historically I have completed numerous of jobs with sheetrock repairs and my joints have always looked horrible UNTIL I came across your videos! I have watched hours of your videos and in one of my more recent projects I can finally give myself a pat on the back, THANKS to YOU!! Your videos are so informative and detailed! You have been such a great instructor!! Thank you so much!! Please keep doing what you do my friend!!
EXCELLENT! I am a heavy DIYer. I just took out three walls that were tile halfway up. and replaced the old wire and concrete tile with drywall. I thought about just mudding the gaps. But then I thought "self, you handsome devil, your best chance of making those gaps invisible is to mud the entirety of the new drywall, and then sand it all smooth. I did not know if that was the way it was supposed to be done, but it made sense to my logical processes. It is already done, but when I saw this title I had to come see whether or not the pro thinks I am an idiot for the way I did it. Turns out I got it right! Now I will sleep better. Thanks man!
Nice job. I use pan and knives rather than hawk and trowel but, whatever a guy learns on works. I was a taper for 23 years as a profession and still dabble in drywall today, 42 years later. Started in ‘81. On a patch this size, I’d probably break out my Darby. I was one of very few that used a 4’ darby to float bad areas. Ultimately, always remember that sheet rock is cheaper than mud and labor. If an area is too torn up, remove it all and start over. Gonna save you a lot of headaches and a bunch of time.
Yeah I agree with you there that sometimes you may run into drywall thats so damaged or whatever problem be it would be all around better (cheaper, faster, better look at the end, etc) to just replace the drywall in that problem area entirely. A really really good way to make large cut outs of drywall that is already hung on the wall is to use a jigsaw with a regular wood blade but the jigsaw blade length is cut to the thickness of the drywall that you're working on so that it barely cuts all the way through the drywall while its on the wall. You dont have to worry about wires or anything else - just cut. It cuts really fast and makes wayyyyy less dust (probably 95% less) than a drywall cut out tool. For the corners, I just use a multi-tool with drywall blade. Guys that were doing drywall cutouts after hurricane flooding were all using the jigsaw technique to cut and thats where/who showed me that.
I started using a pan and knife, but transitioned to hawk and trowel I found it faster/ easier on my wrist. After that only time i used a knife was taping and prefilling around bathtub/showers. Retired after messing up my back in a head on collision on the way to work one November morning. But yes if you have that many patches in one area, it is faster and less expensive to cut that out and just hang a new sheet of board
Great stuff! I started off as a new construction finisher at 14 years of age. I’m 28 now. I’d work summer, winters, and weekends. Did this for about 4 years till I graduated high school. Then, I did commercial and industrial drywall for about 2-3 years and then I got into remodeling. I learned drywall from a guy that has now been doing drywall finishing for 30+ years. I dedicate myself to patching more than I do to any type of new construction. I have my own company and have seen hundreds, if not thousands, of finishers throughout the years and I can say that watching this made me happy. I had GC’s and contractors ask me in the past that why did I almost do a level 5 on 3-4 patches that are on the same wall. You just explained it the way I did to them. There will be noticeable humos on the wall due to the feathering in between each patch. Since then, I’ve done my own work and customers praise the finishing work I do. I wouldn’t have been able to do this without the people that taught me and from years of experience. Love the work man, keep it up
You sound like my brother. He's an electrician and started when in H.S. 40 Years later he's a veteran at it. I admire people like you and bro who knew what they wanted in a career and went after it without any regrets.
love these videos, what brought me here was I paid a “professional” drywaller $1300 to frame in a wall /mud and tape and do large patches and ceiling work in my basement for an apartment project i’m doing . He made an absolute mess. The wall was twisted /crooked and the mudding was horrendous. So i had to fix his mess myself. I’m no drywaller. I’m ok around reno’s etc but there’s a reason I hired someone to tape and mud. Anyways thanks to your videos I finished the project and the walls/ceilings looks pretty decent now but god damn the amount of sanding and coats I had to put on. lol. Thought my arms were going to fall off. Respect to this trade.
As a taper w over 20 yrs experience I love this video. It is something I instill in my apprentices. Well worded. I especially loved, think of this a liquid wall.
As a plasterer of 40 years I can agree with part of your process. No plasterboard finish can be achieved in one coat or even two it generally requires three coats of which the final coat is sanded. The taping coat and second coat need to be applied with a basecoat which is a gypsum based compound that sets up with a limited work time (usually within an hour) this compound has minimal shrinkage and is generally half the cost of a premix product ( a vinyl based compound) the top coat does not liked to be applied any thicker than 3 mm because it will create very fine bubbles that are hard to sand out and may require a recoat. I found the first 10 years of my trade the hardest. The trade has largely been condemned to the DYI realms but when you see a true master of the trade at work you will marvel at the speed and consistency. Ninety percent of any citizens in any country can drive a car but not everyone can drive like Michael Schumacher. Just observations.
Are you in America? I didn't think they did any proper plastering work there. Im a plasterer in the UK and the way we work there is 2 coats of gypsum plaster and absolutely no sanding. If something needs sanding it's cos it was done badly.
@@joebloggs9719 I am in Australia and we have adopted the American method of plasterboard (sheetrock) which you just trowel the joints 12 inches wide then sand. I also do a full set method which you polish off with your steel trowel (no sanding) so I do take umbrage to your comment. This video is about drywall/plasterboard and my comments on how this particular method is performed.
@@66tas95 I live in America and I have never seen anyone do one single coat 12” wide and call it finished. Maybe a homeowner who doesn’t know what they’re doing. I will always tape and apply at least two coats, usually the first (and maybe second) coat with fast setting compound and the final coat with a premixed topcoat. That’s how all the crews around here work.
I don't know why, but your channel is one of my favorites out of many. I've learned a lot about all of the things I have done wrong and improved quite a bit . Thanks for sharing so much.
As a fellow drywall pro, you did it 100% correct. I would add, that as most of your audience is probably DIYers, folks starting out, or other traders looking to improve their drywall game, they could do it the "wrong way" you showed first and then fill in between everything after that has set/dried
I stumbled upon your channel and watched about six hours worth in the last day. Can't wait to watch this one. I'm beginning the mudding and taping phase of my garage this weekend and needed these pro-tips before I start! First time trying a big project and glad it's just my garage 🙂
Thank you very much! Sounds like my coffee today was on you😂 But seriously, thank you for helping me out a roof over my family’s head and food on our table. I couldn’t do it without you❤️
Total newb DIY guy here... I have tried about a dozen times to do my own mudding, only to regret it the moment I paint the spot. I have the utmost respect for finishers as it is truly an art.
I admire you man!! I love watching your videos because I can see your passion and respect for your trade . When ever I need to reassure myself on a project involving drywall, I literally go straight to your videos and no where else!! Keep up the great teaching and content !
Mudding is a tricky trade to learn. This is why I subscribed to this channel, thank you for taking the time to give us tips. Drywall patching is a big part of my remodeling gigs.
Ok, dude I love your videos, but the issue with this one is that, that bad drywall patch technique looks better than any patch I have ever done. I have so much to learn. Thank you for taking the time to teach. Love it.
Thank you for explaining the different amounts of pressure and where to apply them, as you move across the all, to avoid lift-off. I had no idea about that. It explains a lot. I still have trouble with leaving little bubbles, think I'm not applying enough pressure.
You're easily the best drywaller on the internet. I love watching your videos but usually (and stupidly) it's right AFTER I've screwed up some of my own drywall repairs. Thanks for rocking your trade with awesomeness!
Perfectly done, I'm 4TH gen carpenter that specializes in taping. Love the fact you overworked ur last pass-glad I'm not the only one that does that. I wanna see stilts next, I spend a ton of time on them.
It's always a joy to watch your instructional video's Ben!! I can't thank you enough for your free help. I've learnt absolute stacks over the years and it's lead me to be able to do some plastering weekend cashies, and was apart of the reason I left a high salary corporate job I hated and started a mature age chippy apprenticeship!!
@@losfromla1480 I was working in a sales rep job for pharmaceutical companies. To me it was a soul crushing job for me with little personal reward. Plus it's very cut-throat and there's little long-term security. I'm yet to regret my change to carpentry...apart from the pay cut to be an apprentice!
@@kournikovac2625 that sounds like a pretty bad job for someone who's got a conscience. Good on you for moving on to something not actively damaging your fellow citizens.
I love how he starts by saying your such a jerk in 3rd person. Honestly ive watched so many of his videos and he is one of the nicest tradesman/construction worker ive ever seen. Thank you sir for all your insight and expertise!
such a nice blend of natural comedy, great recoveries. honest example of how well all literally try to be the best only to wreck the entire thing obviously easy to fix but it feels terrible when you always want the best. and of course top of the line information and viewer friendly video. a true master of his craft. thank you
Absolute best tutorial I've ever seen, on anything. So great to see some great filling techniques explained like this. It makes it much more transferable once you understand why it's done that way. I plan to use these west coast tips all the way out on the east cost, in NS.
You are correct about how you approached the 3 patches. Next level is why have 3 patches in a row like that? Make it one big patch and you only have to cut one piece. You also delete 4 vertical pieces of tape that still want to hump out a little when running mud over them perpendicularly. Im just a 23 year finishing pro.
Don't be making bad comments about the video until you have watched the entire mini series. This started out as instruction of various ways to make a patch, then 3 ways to tape and now how NOT to apply mud. There were 3 holes for a reason.
Yep, make one big patch, also I would have skimmed it sideways not vertical, should be no sanding until final coat only scraping.....grinding off mud you put on is pointless....float it correctly or put another coat on...g
Thank you, Ben. I know this video is over a year old, but I needed to tell you that I just did a ceiling joint inside corner re-tape due to your videos, and instructions. The tape had failed, and was sloughing off, and pulling away from the ceiling so the wall had really bad bubbles from it. It was cracked, and all messed up. The job I did wasn't absolutely perfect, (a few minor bubbles), but it looks way nicer than it did before I did it. I had to do a ton of prefilling because the original installers left too much of a gap, which is probably why the tape failed. I'm leaving the bubbles as is until I sand down the hideous mop texture from the ceiling. Then I'll do it all at once. I'm not planning to skim coat because I'll be trying to not sand down to bare drywall. If I end up removing it to paper I'll use PVA drywall primer, and paint with dead flat ceiling paint as I'm not even close to experienced enough for a full skim. Once again, thank you for all your help, and contributions. I wouldn't have been able to do what I've done without it.
You taught me how to do drywall. It's now my spiritual practice. Just wanted to say, when I was learning, I never really understood how "ok" it was to leave large liftoffs, non-smooth textures, etc. I know it's a PITA, but close ups or indirect lighting would enlighten your students much more.
If you are learning how to finish drywall from his videos you are in real trouble. I have been finishing for almost 30 years. This guy is not doing it correctly
Most people approach taping like they're just taping the joints. Maybe in new construction, that is the case. But in remodeling we're constantly patching or, tying into old drywall, In some cases we're patching into existing plaster. The thing that took me the longest to learn is to not be afraid of laying on the mud. Lay it on there and shape it. The second thing is to leave well enough alone...get it on the next coat...lol Even if it looks perfect now, when you come back the next day after it dried and shrinks, it's gonna look like ass again. Sand the highs and apply more mud where needed. The thicker it is, the more it shrinks.
Drywall shims can help but also not putting mud where you don't need it is important, I will sometimes use an old auto body dent repair trick and spray a guide coat on the wall ,where you take ,after you sand and it's all kinda wavey, you take flat black spray paint and lightly spray it around the area you want super flat, and then sand it off in an X fashion! then when you dust it off and look at all the high and low spots ,they stick out like a sore thumb ! Apply mud where you still see the guide coat scrape clean where there is no need to build up mud! just keep doing that untill it's, bam! you know what I'm saying ??🤓💯✌🏻💪
You are not supposed to sand between coats. You take your 12-inch knife and give it a scrape and put mud right over, nothing should be sanded until after the final coat is on.
@@marcellemay7721 after over 25 years I have never had to sand, I have never seen a professional drywall finisher sand something that needs more coats. I've put on multiple 5 gallon buckets of mud in one day on many occasions. I'm actually finishing drywall right now.
Sorry if this seems rude but in uk we plaster board with gypsum based plaster. 2 coats at 2 and 3mm thick. Perfect finish in 2 and a half to 3 hrs. No sanding or filling. Square edge board. Can tolerate small gaps etc. Can be any size of wall, probably 2 plastrrers over 50m square suface
You make the major building of your fillcoat look so easy, and very smooth on your flattening . I guess when you do Drywsll everyday(almost) then your hand motions become very efficient. I watch your vids to see how it’s done🤙🏽 good work!
Just wanted to thank you. Had some finish tapping done and tapper missed and dent from my boat and seam. Decided to do myself which ive done in the past. However i am notorious for the bumps. This is a big deal to me what you just taught. Unfortunately its finished painted in egg shell. Next step after fixing is repaint. Which i am sure the painter will teach me how to blend. Even though its a garage i care how it looks. My tapper would of fixed but he blamed it on the walls only having a second coat over 17 yrs ago which i did not notice bubbling it was a clear miss.
I too am a carpenter that does way too much drywalling. After years of watching you'd videos, I have joined my skills to produce some very nice results. I keep watching you as there is always some little detail I can learn from & a big thank you for taking the time to teach all of us. Also, G'day from Oz.
I just started learning stucco recently. I’ve gotta say I’m extremely jealous of the muscle memory you have with a trowel. It all just goes right in one pass. It’s like watching a cartoon.
Vancouver carpenter, I have honestly learned everything I know about drywall finishing from your videos, proud to say I make some damn fine work from your instruction! And no more subbing out my finishing on my Reno’s. You the man cool guy! Love from Victoria bc
Thanks so much Vancouver Carpenter!! I went out and bought a hawk & trowel because you make it look so fun (&easy! ), but it's NOT!! Any who I'm still practicing, getting better, and loving your vids, please keep posting your work!!
I just finished plastering my house. I knew some about plastering but you gave me the last 30 percent of knowledge. As a result it looks perfect now. Thx from Holland
I hope some day I’m half as good as you. Thanks for giving me the confidence to drywall my downstairs by myself, turned out great and I couldn’t have done it without you!
Great video. The last pass you made to cause the liftoff line at the top, I chase those forever. Nice to hear you say that can just be sanded out. Great method to taper edges first, then flatten the middle. Never been taught. 64 years old and was in construction for 45 years, never drywall. Only watched the good ones, who like yourself make it look easy. Only do small patches at my house. Will check out all your other videos. Corner tape and corner to ceiling tape are killers for me. Thanks again!!!
I almost always coat the entire wall because I don't have years of experience. I trade my time and mud for that lack of experience. And I'm almost always dealing with texture so I fill in the texture to flat and then texture again. It's the only way for me because matching textures is not in my tool box. Same with painting...whole wall.
My mud/tape work has improved greatly from watching your videos. I use to dread it now I actually enjoy it. More material usage in the right areas with a lot less sanding in the end. Thank you!
@@michaelmcfadden1622 oh brother, dude your gonna brag about how genetics has something to do with a certain country of origin? 🤦. He was using a hawk and trowel not a 6' plastering blade the ye old plasters of yore. I bet the queen is really good at plastering since she's from those parts hey?
Thank you for solving my question! I started to rock and mud in 1987 with our first house built in 1902. I haven't done any sheetrock or mud for the past 15 years though. I just framed in an old 24" doorway and have 3 coats of mud on the taped seams, feathering out (and in) with a 10" blade at the last pass ... what do I do with the sheetrock still exposed in the middle? Now I know. I will continue to join the 2 sides together and probably float the entire wall since this is a 70+-year-old house. I want the entire wall to be smooth without any humps. I really enjoy your videos and your particular attention to the details - pressure on the blade at each pass, as well as "don't worry about the bubbles for now." This sure is a lot harder to do in my 60s since I am definitely not as strong, but your videos are encouraging me to learn even more for an excellent finished wall. Have a great day Vancouver Carpenter!
Had me worried. As you did each patch I was waiting for the “wrong”. I rarely (never) have had to do more than one patch close to another. Now I know what to do if that ever comes up.
I am a former professional drywaller and finisher. Everything you said and demonstrated is 100% true and you obviously are very skilled and comfortable demonstrating it. HOWEVER - I highly recommend that you give the mason his tools back and learn how to use REAL drywall tools like a (stainless steel not plastic) mud pan and actual drywall knives. I promise you will be very happy with the results. I know the old school plasterers used those same tools you have, but they are still masonry tools. Drywall knives are very thin and very flexible and once you learn to use them it is like magic. You have very gifted hands and you will love them. Art from Ohio
Very interesting to watch. But I have never encountered three large areas to handle as one. In fact, I have never felt the need to use a hawk and trowel, just various width knives. Still, I enjoy watching pro's at work.
Firstly, thanks for your valuable time making these videos. How much do you thin your mud and do you add powdered quick setting compound to it? Yours certainly smooths out better than straight out of the bucket.
Been doing this for 20years. Your point is very good and clear. You definitely need a larger trowel at least 18-24 inch. Will Give your better leveling and finish. Good luck.
I always love watching these "what not to do" videos so I can see what I've been doing wrong. I wait in anticipation to see where I've been going wrong. It's always satisfying when you reveal what it is we've been doing wrong to find that I in fact have been doing it correct. Well partially at least. By the time you hit that third patch I was thinking to my self "why not just patch all three as one big patch since they're so close together". Thanks for the tips
Glad you made a video of this. All your videos are vary educational.I've been taping for 10 years. Ppl don't understand how much we have to think about to be a good taper
I've only recently had my first couple of drywall repairs. Actually one was a ceiling where I replaced a 4x8 area of a textured ceiling. I used 2x4 sections working alone with no equipment or experience lol . So with tape around each of 4 panels by trying to blend tape and texture made the humpy borders even more pronounced. I eventually textured the new material and put a coat over the entire ceiling and gave it a knockdown appearance. Good enough for carport storage and fortunately only a 6x12 ceiling. Yes building up the high spots is stupid lol
While I agree about not leaving the in-betweens, it's far and few that anyone has 3 or 4 giant patches. If it's that bad, just bid to float the whole thing.
This technique also works on new drywall if you have two joints that are close together. It actually makes it easier to send because you have less feather edging.
I've made an art of doing it the wrong way :) I'm currently fixing up my bathroom and the original walls are terrible. I see every glob, divot, pop out, and mistake the original drywallers did. I'm fixing them all. The walls are looking better now than when the house was new. It's amazing how much better the quality is when you're doing the work for yourself vs paying someone else to do it.
Hey Ben I’m a big fan of your videos I think you do a great job at educating yourself and then passing on that knowledge to others! So recently I was working on a job and had to tape some off angle corners in a vaulted ceiling and after I finished I thought wow that was actually pretty difficult and was wondering if you had any videos on mastering off angle tape seams! I didn’t see any but i think it would be a great addition to your drywall taping series!
I myself use straight flex tape in my outside 45 degree angles and inside. You can run the mud like you would on a corner but I just kill the edge of the flex tape. 2 coats.
According to that theory you should coat the whole wall… there are different ways you could coat patches, one is individually then tie them in after they dry which makes it easier to mud. The other is to do it the way you did it. You will always leave humps no matter what unless you have a big straight edge and you go really wide then level 5. It comes down to the customers wants/needs in my opinion. Like the thought that you put into your videos by the way.
This guy Taught me how to do level 5. I haven’t been able to write on here because I have been level 5ing my whole place. My dad goes no one is going to see that section. I said eh it’s good practice. everyone loves the look so far. Taking allot of time but it’s worth it. The sopranos taught me about skim coat .. thanks for taking the time to show people.
As soon as you stepped back I was thinking from an auto body stand point there would be voids between repairs lol. It the same way when we repair dents close to each other. Great video
Don't know much about mud and dry wall but with multifinish plaster I cloud have the wall perfectly level top to bottom in the same time . Not trying to know you down but the plaser I'm using doesn't need a sanding and is smoth as glass.
This is the truest thing ever. I had a ton of patches in a wall and had so much feathering and what not I should have just skimmed the wall. Textured and primed, and during paint got the light across the wall at a shallow angle and it looked....insane. Just blend it all together man, he's right.
Helpful video. Flatting out high spots like your 3 patches together, helps create the illusion of flatness, and will most likely look perfect without texture!
hey Ben I made a stand that i can put my hawk on instead of laying it on its side and what a quick life saver it was. I just screwed some old pieces of 2x4 to a piece of plywood and can set my hawk right on top. took all of 2 minutes but it helps so much
I've just been repairing and patching a wall in my basement. Luckily for me, the previous people just rough troweled the entire wall. Either that was deliberate or they were just really pathetic at mudding. Either way it makes my patching easy as I I just needed a skim coat, with some like sanding to remove the courser parts and some sponging to soften it and it blends right in!
I learned this on my first wall. There were a lot of joints around windows, an so forth. My house also had badly done popcorn ceilings. I had to mud all that in. What ticks me off is that I would just prefer to do a skim coat plaster job, but in Toronto, the only place I could get it is no longer there. When I ask people whether they had the tools or the plaster they want to hire me. I got some that was at an HD after a large apartment went up and there was some left over. If you do it right, there isn't even any sanding. Drywall doesn't float out like plaster, but you can apply it fast with a roller, and then just knock it down. Final coat, I use ultralight compound.
Liked how you showed the troweling technique. It seems to me that this kind of work is all in the wrist and how you hold the trowel. as well as the methodology of application. Actually leaned something. Thanks again.
Ta Daaa!Yes your right! Even when I first started ,I did a level five ...? It only made sense to me.Glad to see you gave up your pan and went to a hawk.So much easier on the hands an wrist.Great info.
If a deep gouge to fill or excessive gap between drywall sheets, best to initially fill with Plaster of Paris. It is more of a chemical reaction (hydration) which hardens fast (
I learned from the old plaster and lathe guys in the 80s, they knew how to swing a trowel like nobodies business. I still keep my weapons sharp and clean, a clean trowel makes all the difference in how much sanding you'll do after every fill. I can't count the number of times I took flack on a job site for taking my time polish coating with my trowel work but on the worst day of all, sanding day, I was finished and packing up in a quarter of the time it took the others to grind down their mess with a pole sander. I did this trade for 25 years and left it behind me with zero regrets, but it sure is a money saving godsend every time you need to open up walls on your own properties.
Nice job, I just retired as a handyman and did many many drywall jobs. I was a stucco contractor for yrs. and have only seen 1 other finisher use a hawk and trowel. I have a hack for you to scoop mud out of a bucket, if you like.
@Philip Ok, sorry I didn’t explain it better. The bucket you cut is an empty bucket, screw the pvc to the piece of bucket bottom. Sorry I don’t know how to do a video to send.
I went through a union training program back in the day, and my instructor was super old, and super skilled, he taught me to use a hawk and trowel, and also sheetrock knives and pans. In the day, I mostly used the trowels when dealing with plaster and lathe. But , yeah, I've carried the banjo, and the bazooka..lol
I use fiberglass tape for patches. Actually, what I do is Gorilla glue the patch in. It expands and so then I shave off the stuff that expanded proud. For small patches (for example - patching where a light fixture used to be), I don't even use tape. After shaving-down the cured Gorilla glue and then a couple thin coats of spackle and then sanding - you'd never know there was a patch done and it never cracks. Many people use mud to put patches into place. Mud shrinks as it dries and therefore cracks.
Tell it to the studs that are slightly warped and the framer that put that wall together on a sketchy floor. You can't really see if it has waves in it until it has paint on it....and of course the specs will probably call for satin which will show everything no matter how good your work is. Eggshell finish is, btw, the magic bullet that hides nearly all flaws.
Omg. Yes. We are doing an 1890s farmhouse and I'm completely new at drywall (like this is my first time ever). Well I'm learning the hard way the rights and wrongs, starting in the attic space with rafters from Amish cut 2x4s and walls that have both new lumber and Amish cut. I havent even started on the areas that touch the old wavy flooring. Uggghhhh, it has been a learning experience to say the least!
I bought an older home (1955) and wanted to repaint the bedroom. Had nail pops all over the place. After I cut and pull them, put screws above and below it looked like a machine gun had went off in the bedroom. I had cracks above doors and windows so had to repair them. Covering you make look so easy but it's an art and hard to get right. I'm on third coat but still not happy with what I got. Much respect to you sir.
Texture is relevant and light as you pointed out. Taping is all about creating an illusion of flatness Cuz it ain’t flat unless you coat the whole wall
Even when I don’t have a project going on, I find it super, and oddly, satisfying to watch the way you expertly mud drywall. It’s a trade I’ve never mastered, have tried again and again, and have accepted that I’ll never be good. Yet I still keep trying it. 🤷♂️
Doing God’s work sir, thank you. Much respect for drywall pro’s like you. Im doing a wall now and its miserable! I keep ending up with these tiny drywall bubbles after sanding mud smooth and idk what to do- it is so frustrating. Do I need to fill all those tiny air bubbles with patch n paint or do I just go on and primer/paint over and they will disappear after some coats of paint?
I don't know how they do it in the US, but in many other countries you actually roll the mud on the wall, just as if you were painting it with paint. Really easy when you have big areas that needs to be covered. Then you smooth it out with the same tools as you are using. After two turns with that, and some polishing, you have a perfectly smooth dry wall. You are also right in th fact that if you are just spot mudding, and also use excess mass on the wall, you are just creating bumps on it. It doesn't necessarily show under all conditions, but try to throw some bright sunlight on that wall, and you see it instantly. Thanks for a great video.
@@vancouvercarpenter : There you see. Another detail I have not noticed yet. For my excuse, I stumbled upon your channel today. Well, anyways, great videos sir 🙂
My dad is 80 years old and a retired house painter and I showed him this video and you made his day.
Double og 🙏🏼 I dream of customers who understand this concept
Thank you
Appreciate the good information
My dad is 100 and said he said the guy is messing with the mud too much
My sentiment exactly
Lmao scratch the line and skim the patches 😂
I’m no beginner and I’m definitely no expert, but it is absolutely amazing that you can dig at the bottom of your bucket for mud and not get a single speck on your hand.
Take note of how clean his bucket is. You got a dirty bucket, your gunna have a bad time.
@@matthewbarry7026 Run your trowel around the inside the knock to sides down 🤙🏼
ROFLMAO!!! TRUTH!
That's the most amazing thing about this video!
He sprays down his body with Pam and nothing sticks to him
I just want to say THANK YOU!! Historically I have completed numerous of jobs with sheetrock repairs and my joints have always looked horrible UNTIL I came across your videos! I have watched hours of your videos and in one of my more recent projects I can finally give myself a pat on the back, THANKS to YOU!! Your videos are so informative and detailed! You have been such a great instructor!! Thank you so much!! Please keep doing what you do my friend!!
Then u never actually completed it if it was wrong
@@devonwainstein9188 Kind of like your grammar.
@@da324 FIGHT!!! (Yelling from the school yard)
@@devonwainstein9188 youve obviously never built anything
@@devonwainstein9188 wow, so are you always so kind or did someone catch you on a bad day???
EXCELLENT!
I am a heavy DIYer. I just took out three walls that were tile halfway up. and replaced the old wire and concrete tile with drywall. I thought about just mudding the gaps. But then I thought "self, you handsome devil, your best chance of making those gaps invisible is to mud the entirety of the new drywall, and then sand it all smooth.
I did not know if that was the way it was supposed to be done, but it made sense to my logical processes. It is already done, but when I saw this title I had to come see whether or not the pro thinks I am an idiot for the way I did it.
Turns out I got it right! Now I will sleep better. Thanks man!
I've learned more from this guy than any other youtube series. Ty for taking the time to make these videos for newbies like myself.
And the fact that it's "free" is so awesome.
SAME
Same here
Same! For many years now.
I wouldn’t never got this good at drywalling without your videos. There is a very large community grateful for you sharing your knowledge.
Now you just need to watch videos on how not to use double negatives! lol
Absolutely! 👊
@@C.Double. hahaha
Nice job. I use pan and knives rather than hawk and trowel but, whatever a guy learns on works. I was a taper for 23 years as a profession and still dabble in drywall today, 42 years later. Started in ‘81. On a patch this size, I’d probably break out my Darby. I was one of very few that used a 4’ darby to float bad areas. Ultimately, always remember that sheet rock is cheaper than mud and labor. If an area is too torn up, remove it all and start over. Gonna save you a lot of headaches and a bunch of time.
Yeah I agree with you there that sometimes you may run into drywall thats so damaged or whatever problem be it would be all around better (cheaper, faster, better look at the end, etc) to just replace the drywall in that problem area entirely. A really really good way to make large cut outs of drywall that is already hung on the wall is to use a jigsaw with a regular wood blade but the jigsaw blade length is cut to the thickness of the drywall that you're working on so that it barely cuts all the way through the drywall while its on the wall. You dont have to worry about wires or anything else - just cut. It cuts really fast and makes wayyyyy less dust (probably 95% less) than a drywall cut out tool. For the corners, I just use a multi-tool with drywall blade. Guys that were doing drywall cutouts after hurricane flooding were all using the jigsaw technique to cut and thats where/who showed me that.
hock** man
I started using a pan and knife, but transitioned to hawk and trowel I found it faster/ easier on my wrist. After that only time i used a knife was taping and prefilling around bathtub/showers. Retired after messing up my back in a head on collision on the way to work one November morning.
But yes if you have that many patches in one area, it is faster and less expensive to cut that out and just hang a new sheet of board
Great stuff! I started off as a new construction finisher at 14 years of age. I’m 28 now. I’d work summer, winters, and weekends. Did this for about 4 years till I graduated high school. Then, I did commercial and industrial drywall for about 2-3 years and then I got into remodeling. I learned drywall from a guy that has now been doing drywall finishing for 30+ years. I dedicate myself to patching more than I do to any type of new construction. I have my own company and have seen hundreds, if not thousands, of finishers throughout the years and I can say that watching this made me happy. I had GC’s and contractors ask me in the past that why did I almost do a level 5 on 3-4 patches that are on the same wall. You just explained it the way I did to them. There will be noticeable humos on the wall due to the feathering in between each patch. Since then, I’ve done my own work and customers praise the finishing work I do. I wouldn’t have been able to do this without the people that taught me and from years of experience.
Love the work man, keep it up
You sound like my brother. He's an electrician and started when in H.S.
40 Years later he's a veteran at it.
I admire people like you and bro who knew what they wanted in a career and went after it without any regrets.
I really appreciate all your drywall videos. You are the Mr. Roger's of drywall and mudding! Thank you.
love these videos, what brought me here was I paid a “professional” drywaller $1300 to frame in a wall /mud and tape and do large patches and ceiling work in my basement for an apartment project i’m doing . He made an absolute mess. The wall was twisted /crooked and the mudding was horrendous. So i had to fix his mess myself. I’m no drywaller. I’m ok around reno’s etc but there’s a reason I hired someone to tape and mud. Anyways thanks to your videos I finished the project and the walls/ceilings looks pretty decent now but god damn the amount of sanding and coats I had to put on. lol. Thought my arms were going to fall off. Respect to this trade.
As a taper w over 20 yrs experience I love this video. It is something I instill in my apprentices. Well worded. I especially loved, think of this a liquid wall.
A master taper, huh ??
Hahaha-haw
As a plasterer of 40 years I can agree with part of your process. No plasterboard finish can be achieved in one coat or even two it generally requires three coats of which the final coat is sanded. The taping coat and second coat need to be applied with a basecoat which is a gypsum based compound that sets up with a limited work time (usually within an hour) this compound has minimal shrinkage and is generally half the cost of a premix product ( a vinyl based compound) the top coat does not liked to be applied any thicker than 3 mm because it will create very fine bubbles that are hard to sand out and may require a recoat. I found the first 10 years of my trade the hardest. The trade has largely been condemned to the DYI realms but when you see a true master of the trade at work you will marvel at the speed and consistency. Ninety percent of any citizens in any country can drive a car but not everyone can drive like Michael Schumacher. Just observations.
You must be new here? Check a few of his other videos.
Are you in America? I didn't think they did any proper plastering work there. Im a plasterer in the UK and the way we work there is 2 coats of gypsum plaster and absolutely no sanding. If something needs sanding it's cos it was done badly.
@@joebloggs9719 I am in Australia and we have adopted the American method of plasterboard (sheetrock) which you just trowel the joints 12 inches wide then sand. I also do a full set method which you polish off with your steel trowel (no sanding) so I do take umbrage to your comment. This video is about drywall/plasterboard and my comments on how this particular method is performed.
@@66tas95 I live in America and I have never seen anyone do one single coat 12” wide and call it finished. Maybe a homeowner who doesn’t know what they’re doing. I will always tape and apply at least two coats, usually the first (and maybe second) coat with fast setting compound and the final coat with a premixed topcoat. That’s how all the crews around here work.
@@joebloggs9719 and no, we don’t do much actual plastering. We do proper drywall work.
I don't know why, but your channel is one of my favorites out of many. I've learned a lot about all of the things I have done wrong and improved quite a bit . Thanks for sharing so much.
Thank you!
Resonance!!!
Bens demeanor, disposition, and tutelage is superb.
As a fellow drywall pro, you did it 100% correct.
I would add, that as most of your audience is probably DIYers, folks starting out, or other traders looking to improve their drywall game, they could do it the "wrong way" you showed first and then fill in between everything after that has set/dried
I stumbled upon your channel and watched about six hours worth in the last day. Can't wait to watch this one. I'm beginning the mudding and taping phase of my garage this weekend and needed these pro-tips before I start! First time trying a big project and glad it's just my garage 🙂
Thank you very much! Sounds like my coffee today was on you😂
But seriously, thank you for helping me out a roof over my family’s head and food on our table. I couldn’t do it without you❤️
I finished up a whole basement using his videos. Definitely gave me the confidence and it turned out great!
@@vancouvercarpenter Roof and food? We all know the budget goes toward your boards. :)
Total newb DIY guy here... I have tried about a dozen times to do my own mudding, only to regret it the moment I paint the spot. I have the utmost respect for finishers as it is truly an art.
I admire you man!! I love watching your videos because I can see your passion and respect for your trade . When ever I need to reassure myself on a project involving drywall, I literally go straight to your videos and no where else!! Keep up the great teaching and content !
LOVE your videos and humor. You crack me up. You’ve taught me to not get so anxious and tore up about doing drywall finishing.
Mudding is a tricky trade to learn. This is why I subscribed to this channel, thank you for taking the time to give us tips. Drywall patching is a big part of my remodeling gigs.
Ok, dude I love your videos, but the issue with this one is that, that bad drywall patch technique looks better than any patch I have ever done. I have so much to learn. Thank you for taking the time to teach. Love it.
Thank you for explaining the different amounts of pressure and where to apply them, as you move across the all, to avoid lift-off. I had no idea about that. It explains a lot. I still have trouble with leaving little bubbles, think I'm not applying enough pressure.
I would like to thank you on ur hot mud videos and teaching us the ways to use it .
I do alot of repair work and hot mud has saved me so much time
You're easily the best drywaller on the internet. I love watching your videos but usually (and stupidly) it's right AFTER I've screwed up some of my own drywall repairs.
Thanks for rocking your trade with awesomeness!
That’s what I am doing right now LOL! Got like 75 little humps in my kitchen 😅
Perfectly done, I'm 4TH gen carpenter that specializes in taping. Love the fact you overworked ur last pass-glad I'm not the only one that does that. I wanna see stilts next, I spend a ton of time on them.
Can't tell ya how many times I just have to touch a joint or a patch one more time and end up screwing it up. LOL.
So you're a drywaller 😆
Why if you're a carpenter waste your time mudding,there's guys that do that.
Carpenter that specializes in tape? Ummm seems like you would have specialized in carpentry.
@@paulrobinson5833 Perhaps he is self reliant. Who wants to wait for someone else to show up?
It's always a joy to watch your instructional video's Ben!!
I can't thank you enough for your free help.
I've learnt absolute stacks over the years and it's lead me to be able to do some plastering weekend cashies, and was apart of the reason I left a high salary corporate job I hated and started a mature age chippy apprenticeship!!
Lol. You must've really hated that job. Would you mind sharing what the job was and in what industry?
@@losfromla1480 I was working in a sales rep job for pharmaceutical companies. To me it was a soul crushing job for me with little personal reward. Plus it's very cut-throat and there's little long-term security. I'm yet to regret my change to carpentry...apart from the pay cut to be an apprentice!
@@kournikovac2625 that sounds like a pretty bad job for someone who's got a conscience. Good on you for moving on to something not actively damaging your fellow citizens.
Aussie fr
I love how he starts by saying your such a jerk in 3rd person. Honestly ive watched so many of his videos and he is one of the nicest tradesman/construction worker ive ever seen. Thank you sir for all your insight and expertise!
You can tell an expert by how CLEAN THEIR JEANS ARE👏👏👏 bravo man.
This was the beginning of his day, let's see him at the end. Still clean but after a few ceiling joints he'll have a few daubs
🤣😂 you’ve never done a hard days work in your life.
Your personality / comments makes these videos so much more fun to watch! Outstanding teaching job!!
such a nice blend of natural comedy, great recoveries. honest example of how well all literally try to be the best only to wreck the entire thing obviously easy to fix but it feels terrible when you always want the best. and of course top of the line information and viewer friendly video. a true master of his craft. thank you
Absolute best tutorial I've ever seen, on anything. So great to see some great filling techniques explained like this. It makes it much more transferable once you understand why it's done that way. I plan to use these west coast tips all the way out on the east cost, in NS.
You are correct about how you approached the 3 patches. Next level is why have 3 patches in a row like that? Make it one big patch and you only have to cut one piece. You also delete 4 vertical pieces of tape that still want to hump out a little when running mud over them perpendicularly. Im just a 23 year finishing pro.
Agreed, less tape is less tape to fail, less joints to Crack, etc especially for a beginner / DIY person
Don't be making bad comments about the video until you have watched the entire mini series. This started out as instruction of various ways to make a patch, then 3 ways to tape and now how NOT to apply mud. There were 3 holes for a reason.
Yep, make one big patch, also I would have skimmed it sideways not vertical, should be no sanding until final coat only scraping.....grinding off mud you put on is pointless....float it correctly or put another coat on...g
Always one in the group, it's sad
Thank you, Ben. I know this video is over a year old, but I needed to tell you that I just did a ceiling joint inside corner re-tape due to your videos, and instructions. The tape had failed, and was sloughing off, and pulling away from the ceiling so the wall had really bad bubbles from it. It was cracked, and all messed up. The job I did wasn't absolutely perfect, (a few minor bubbles), but it looks way nicer than it did before I did it. I had to do a ton of prefilling because the original installers left too much of a gap, which is probably why the tape failed.
I'm leaving the bubbles as is until I sand down the hideous mop texture from the ceiling. Then I'll do it all at once. I'm not planning to skim coat because I'll be trying to not sand down to bare drywall. If I end up removing it to paper I'll use PVA drywall primer, and paint with dead flat ceiling paint as I'm not even close to experienced enough for a full skim.
Once again, thank you for all your help, and contributions. I wouldn't have been able to do what I've done without it.
You taught me how to do drywall. It's now my spiritual practice.
Just wanted to say, when I was learning, I never really understood how "ok" it was to leave large liftoffs, non-smooth textures, etc. I know it's a PITA, but close ups or indirect lighting would enlighten your students much more.
If you are learning how to finish drywall from his videos you are in real trouble. I have been finishing for almost 30 years. This guy is not doing it correctly
@@rekitrichard7837 thanks. Can you give an example or two of what he could do better?
@@rekitrichard7837 dude, you say shit like that and then just drop off the Earth?
They never do lol@@alexmack956
@@rekitrichard7837 Ya I bet you can type better ..thats about it...Wheres your work? All talk
You’re my new fav TH-cam drywall dude. I’m now looking through your videos for corner patching.
Most people approach taping like they're just taping the joints. Maybe in new construction, that is the case. But in remodeling we're constantly patching or, tying into old drywall, In some cases we're patching into existing plaster. The thing that took me the longest to learn is to not be afraid of laying on the mud. Lay it on there and shape it. The second thing is to leave well enough alone...get it on the next coat...lol Even if it looks perfect now, when you come back the next day after it dried and shrinks, it's gonna look like ass again. Sand the highs and apply more mud where needed. The thicker it is, the more it shrinks.
Yes, and some drywall shims can really save the day.
Drywall shims can help but also not putting mud where you don't need it is important, I will sometimes use an old auto body dent repair trick and spray a guide coat on the wall ,where you take ,after you sand and it's all kinda wavey, you take flat black spray paint and lightly spray it around the area you want super flat, and then sand it off in an X fashion! then when you dust it off and look at all the high and low spots ,they stick out like a sore thumb ! Apply mud where you still see the guide coat scrape clean where there is no need to build up mud! just keep doing that untill it's, bam! you know what I'm saying ??🤓💯✌🏻💪
You are not supposed to sand between coats. You take your 12-inch knife and give it a scrape and put mud right over, nothing should be sanded until after the final coat is on.
@@actionjksn Sometimes you gotta sand. I generally scrape. It takes what it takes to get it where you want it.
@@marcellemay7721 after over 25 years I have never had to sand, I have never seen a professional drywall finisher sand something that needs more coats. I've put on multiple 5 gallon buckets of mud in one day on many occasions. I'm actually finishing drywall right now.
Sorry if this seems rude but in uk we plaster board with gypsum based plaster. 2 coats at 2 and 3mm thick. Perfect finish in 2 and a half to 3 hrs. No sanding or filling. Square edge board. Can tolerate small gaps etc. Can be any size of wall, probably 2 plastrrers over 50m square suface
You make the major building of your fillcoat look so easy, and very smooth on your flattening . I guess when you do Drywsll everyday(almost) then your hand motions become very efficient. I watch your vids to see how it’s done🤙🏽 good work!
Just wanted to thank you. Had some finish tapping done and tapper missed and dent from my boat and seam. Decided to do myself which ive done in the past. However i am notorious for the bumps. This is a big deal to me what you just taught. Unfortunately its finished painted in egg shell. Next step after fixing is repaint. Which i am sure the painter will teach me how to blend. Even though its a garage i care how it looks. My tapper would of fixed but he blamed it on the walls only having a second coat over 17 yrs ago which i did not notice bubbling it was a clear miss.
I too am a carpenter that does way too much drywalling. After years of watching you'd videos, I have joined my skills to produce some very nice results. I keep watching you as there is always some little detail I can learn from & a big thank you for taking the time to teach all of us.
Also, G'day from Oz.
If you didn't learn something new one day, You didn't do anything that day.
I just started learning stucco recently. I’ve gotta say I’m extremely jealous of the muscle memory you have with a trowel. It all just goes right in one pass. It’s like watching a cartoon.
Ben you are excellent at what you do and always make applying mud look so easy!
Vancouver carpenter, I have honestly learned everything I know about drywall finishing from your videos, proud to say I make some damn fine work from your instruction! And no more subbing out my finishing on my Reno’s. You the man cool guy!
Love from Victoria bc
Thanks so much Vancouver Carpenter!! I went out and bought a hawk & trowel because you make it look so fun (&easy! ), but it's NOT!! Any who I'm still practicing, getting better, and loving your vids, please keep posting your work!!
If anyone asks me what I’d like for a present I’m going to reply, “A hawk and trowel, please.” Let them look it up.
I just finished plastering my house. I knew some about plastering but you gave me the last 30 percent of knowledge. As a result it looks perfect now. Thx from Holland
I hope some day I’m half as good as you. Thanks for giving me the confidence to drywall my downstairs by myself, turned out great and I couldn’t have done it without you!
Great video. The last pass you made to cause the liftoff line at the top, I chase those forever. Nice to hear you say that can just be sanded out. Great method to taper edges first, then flatten the middle. Never been taught. 64 years old and was in construction for 45 years, never drywall. Only watched the good ones, who like yourself make it look easy. Only do small patches at my house. Will check out all your other videos. Corner tape and corner to ceiling tape are killers for me. Thanks again!!!
I almost always coat the entire wall because I don't have years of experience. I trade my time and mud for that lack of experience. And I'm almost always dealing with texture so I fill in the texture to flat and then texture again. It's the only way for me because matching textures is not in my tool box. Same with painting...whole wall.
My mud/tape work has improved greatly from watching your videos. I use to dread it now I actually enjoy it. More material usage in the right areas with a lot less sanding in the end. Thank you!
In 3 minutes of "doing it wrong" Ben's garage looks better than 99.9% of DIY drywall patches but not good enough. 😂
No damn lie! lol im like umm if I do that good WINNING! haha
Hahaha good point Nathan
Exactly what I was thinking.
Not as good as British plasterers
@@michaelmcfadden1622 oh brother, dude your gonna brag about how genetics has something to do with a certain country of origin? 🤦. He was using a hawk and trowel not a 6' plastering blade the ye old plasters of yore. I bet the queen is really good at plastering since she's from those parts hey?
Thank you for solving my question! I started to rock and mud in 1987 with our first house built in 1902. I haven't done any sheetrock or mud for the past 15 years though. I just framed in an old 24" doorway and have 3 coats of mud on the taped seams, feathering out (and in) with a 10" blade at the last pass ... what do I do with the sheetrock still exposed in the middle? Now I know. I will continue to join the 2 sides together and probably float the entire wall since this is a 70+-year-old house. I want the entire wall to be smooth without any humps. I really enjoy your videos and your particular attention to the details - pressure on the blade at each pass, as well as "don't worry about the bubbles for now." This sure is a lot harder to do in my 60s since I am definitely not as strong, but your videos are encouraging me to learn even more for an excellent finished wall. Have a great day Vancouver Carpenter!
Had me worried. As you did each patch I was waiting for the “wrong”. I rarely (never) have had to do more than one patch close to another. Now I know what to do if that ever comes up.
Real tradesman he's very clean and nothing hits the floor , hard to find now a days and a pleasure to see , great job young man
Your videos are amazing and this one will probably be another amazing video of yours.
Keep up the amazing work Ben.
Thanks Zackery!
The best drywall expert on TH-cam. Period!!
"drywalliest carpenter on the internet " 😂😂
I am a former professional drywaller and finisher. Everything you said and demonstrated is 100% true and you obviously are very skilled and comfortable demonstrating it.
HOWEVER - I highly recommend that you give the mason his tools back and learn how to use REAL drywall tools like a (stainless steel not plastic) mud pan and actual drywall knives. I promise you will be very happy with the results.
I know the old school plasterers used those same tools you have, but they are still masonry tools.
Drywall knives are very thin and very flexible and once you learn to use them it is like magic. You have very gifted hands and you will love them.
Art from Ohio
Very interesting to watch. But I have never encountered three large areas to handle as one. In fact, I have never felt the need to use a hawk and trowel, just various width knives. Still, I enjoy watching pro's at work.
Great personality. Intelligently presented. You can never be a politician.
Firstly, thanks for your valuable time making these videos. How much do you thin your mud and do you add powdered quick setting compound to it? Yours certainly smooths out better than straight out of the bucket.
Been doing this for 20years. Your point is very good and clear. You definitely need a larger trowel at least 18-24 inch.
Will
Give your better leveling and finish.
Good luck.
I always love watching these "what not to do" videos so I can see what I've been doing wrong. I wait in anticipation to see where I've been going wrong. It's always satisfying when you reveal what it is we've been doing wrong to find that I in fact have been doing it correct. Well partially at least.
By the time you hit that third patch I was thinking to my self "why not just patch all three as one big patch since they're so close together".
Thanks for the tips
Glad you made a video of this. All your videos are vary educational.I've been taping for 10 years. Ppl don't understand how much we have to think about to be a good taper
I've only recently had my first couple of drywall repairs. Actually one was a ceiling where I replaced a 4x8 area of a textured ceiling. I used 2x4 sections working alone with no equipment or experience lol . So with tape around each of 4 panels by trying to blend tape and texture made the humpy borders even more pronounced. I eventually textured the new material and put a coat over the entire ceiling and gave it a knockdown appearance. Good enough for carport storage and fortunately only a 6x12 ceiling. Yes building up the high spots is stupid lol
I’m a basic home owner that had a bunch of dry wall work needed on a house willed to me.
You really helped me out
While I agree about not leaving the in-betweens, it's far and few that anyone has 3 or 4 giant patches. If it's that bad, just bid to float the whole thing.
This technique also works on new drywall if you have two joints that are close together. It actually makes it easier to send because you have less feather edging.
I’ve learned so much from your videos. I watch them even when I don’t have a project! Thanks for taking the time!
I've made an art of doing it the wrong way :) I'm currently fixing up my bathroom and the original walls are terrible. I see every glob, divot, pop out, and mistake the original drywallers did. I'm fixing them all. The walls are looking better now than when the house was new. It's amazing how much better the quality is when you're doing the work for yourself vs paying someone else to do it.
Yup. You can pay someone else to do it but you can't pay anyone else to actually care. And that's a strong incentive for us diy's.
These videos have been so helpful! They all strike the balance between being concise, but thorough!
Please include footage of the walls after the mud dries. Additionally I’d love to see the sanding process and the finished work. Great content.
Sanding process would cover the camera screen in dust. Realistically.
@@juelz4516 No, it wouldn't. People film drywall sanding all the time.
Should only be quick pass with sanding pole and really only scraping....apply less mud or more if your sanding/grinding drywall mud off the wall......
All the videos I've seen in years of watching how to. This is the first video that a repair was done correctly.
Hey Ben I’m a big fan of your videos I think you do a great job at educating yourself and then passing on that knowledge to others! So recently I was working on a job and had to tape some off angle corners in a vaulted ceiling and after I finished I thought wow that was actually pretty difficult and was wondering if you had any videos on mastering off angle tape seams! I didn’t see any but i think it would be a great addition to your drywall taping series!
I myself use straight flex tape in my outside 45 degree angles and inside. You can run the mud like you would on a corner but I just kill the edge of the flex tape. 2 coats.
You're definitely one of the best video wall plasterers on TH-cam thank you for showing correct and not correct
Thank you again be safe
According to that theory you should coat the whole wall… there are different ways you could coat patches, one is individually then tie them in after they dry which makes it easier to mud. The other is to do it the way you did it. You will always leave humps no matter what unless you have a big straight edge and you go really wide then level 5. It comes down to the customers wants/needs in my opinion. Like the thought that you put into your videos by the way.
This guy Taught me how to do level 5. I haven’t been able to write on here because I have been level 5ing my whole place. My dad goes no one is going to see that section. I said eh it’s good practice. everyone loves the look so far. Taking allot of time but it’s worth it. The sopranos taught me about skim coat .. thanks for taking the time to show people.
You can tell just by watching him for the first minute that he is a professional and that he knows what he is doing.
As soon as you stepped back I was thinking from an auto body stand point there would be voids between repairs lol. It the same way when we repair dents close to each other. Great video
Don't know much about mud and dry wall but with multifinish plaster I cloud have the wall perfectly level top to bottom in the same time . Not trying to know you down but the plaser I'm using doesn't need a sanding and is smoth as glass.
This is the truest thing ever. I had a ton of patches in a wall and had so much feathering and what not I should have just skimmed the wall. Textured and primed, and during paint got the light across the wall at a shallow angle and it looked....insane. Just blend it all together man, he's right.
Far and away the best drywall instructor on TH-cam!
Helpful video. Flatting out high spots like your 3 patches together, helps create the illusion of flatness, and will most likely look perfect without texture!
hey Ben I made a stand that i can put my hawk on instead of laying it on its side and what a quick life saver it was. I just screwed some old pieces of 2x4 to a piece of plywood and can set my hawk right on top. took all of 2 minutes but it helps so much
I've just been repairing and patching a wall in my basement. Luckily for me, the previous people just rough troweled the entire wall. Either that was deliberate or they were just really pathetic at mudding. Either way it makes my patching easy as I I just needed a skim coat, with some like sanding to remove the courser parts and some sponging to soften it and it blends right in!
I learned this on my first wall. There were a lot of joints around windows, an so forth. My house also had badly done popcorn ceilings. I had to mud all that in.
What ticks me off is that I would just prefer to do a skim coat plaster job, but in Toronto, the only place I could get it is no longer there. When I ask people whether they had the tools or the plaster they want to hire me. I got some that was at an HD after a large apartment went up and there was some left over. If you do it right, there isn't even any sanding.
Drywall doesn't float out like plaster, but you can apply it fast with a roller, and then just knock it down. Final coat, I use ultralight compound.
I agree. Never do a patch if multiple. Treat it all as one large patch. Good job. Well informed and very professional.
Liked how you showed the troweling technique. It seems to me that this kind of work is all in the wrist and how you hold the trowel. as well as the methodology of application. Actually leaned something. Thanks again.
Ta Daaa!Yes your right! Even when I first started ,I did a level five ...? It only made sense to me.Glad to see you gave up your pan and went to a hawk.So much easier on the hands an wrist.Great info.
Agreed, but some people still swear by the pan...
If a deep gouge to fill or excessive gap between drywall sheets, best to initially fill with Plaster of Paris. It is more of a chemical reaction (hydration) which hardens fast (
I learned from the old plaster and lathe guys in the 80s, they knew how to swing a trowel like nobodies business. I still keep my weapons sharp and clean, a clean trowel makes all the difference in how much sanding you'll do after every fill. I can't count the number of times I took flack on a job site for taking my time polish coating with my trowel work but on the worst day of all, sanding day, I was finished and packing up in a quarter of the time it took the others to grind down their mess with a pole sander. I did this trade for 25 years and left it behind me with zero regrets, but it sure is a money saving godsend every time you need to open up walls on your own properties.
Good lesson teacher! This may even help me when I lay the epoxy micro filler on my homebuilt aircraft! It's called a Europa XS Monowheel btw.
Nice job, I just retired as a handyman and did many many drywall jobs. I was a stucco contractor for yrs. and have only seen 1 other finisher use a hawk and trowel. I have a hack for you to scoop mud out of a bucket, if you like.
@Philip
1 in.pvc, cut to length , cut out bottom of 5 gal bucket shape to fit. Screw together.
@Philip Ok, sorry I didn’t explain it better. The bucket you cut is an empty bucket, screw the pvc to the piece of bucket bottom. Sorry I don’t know how to do a video to send.
Orrrr...just buy a $10 bucket scoop that will last many years
Thanks!
I went through a union training program back in the day, and my instructor was super old, and super skilled, he taught me to use a hawk and trowel, and also sheetrock knives and pans. In the day, I mostly used the trowels when dealing with plaster and lathe. But , yeah, I've carried the banjo, and the bazooka..lol
I use fiberglass tape for patches. Actually, what I do is Gorilla glue the patch in. It expands and so then I shave off the stuff that expanded proud. For small patches (for example - patching where a light fixture used to be), I don't even use tape. After shaving-down the cured Gorilla glue and then a couple thin coats of spackle and then sanding - you'd never know there was a patch done and it never cracks. Many people use mud to put patches into place. Mud shrinks as it dries and therefore cracks.
Tell it to the studs that are slightly warped and the framer that put that wall together on a sketchy floor. You can't really see if it has waves in it until it has paint on it....and of course the specs will probably call for satin which will show everything no matter how good your work is. Eggshell finish is, btw, the magic bullet that hides nearly all flaws.
Omg. Yes. We are doing an 1890s farmhouse and I'm completely new at drywall (like this is my first time ever). Well I'm learning the hard way the rights and wrongs, starting in the attic space with rafters from Amish cut 2x4s and walls that have both new lumber and Amish cut. I havent even started on the areas that touch the old wavy flooring. Uggghhhh, it has been a learning experience to say the least!
Also, ty for the advice on eggshell - I will be remembering that!
I bought an older home (1955) and wanted to repaint the bedroom. Had nail pops all over the place. After I cut and pull them, put screws above and below it looked like a machine gun had went off in the bedroom. I had cracks above doors and windows so had to repair them. Covering you make look so easy but it's an art and hard to get right. I'm on third coat but still not happy with what I got. Much respect to you sir.
Best advice I've ever taken from your videos is "You're not making it flat, you create the illusion of flat"
Texture is relevant and light as you pointed out. Taping is all about creating an illusion of flatness
Cuz it ain’t flat unless you coat the whole wall
Even when I don’t have a project going on, I find it super, and oddly, satisfying to watch the way you expertly mud drywall. It’s a trade I’ve never mastered, have tried again and again, and have accepted that I’ll never be good. Yet I still keep trying it. 🤷♂️
Doing God’s work sir, thank you. Much respect for drywall pro’s like you. Im doing a wall now and its miserable! I keep ending up with these tiny drywall bubbles after sanding mud smooth and idk what to do- it is so frustrating. Do I need to fill all those tiny air bubbles with patch n paint or do I just go on and primer/paint over and they will disappear after some coats of paint?
I don't know how they do it in the US, but in many other countries you actually roll the mud on the wall, just as if you were painting it with paint. Really easy when you have big areas that needs to be covered. Then you smooth it out with the same tools as you are using. After two turns with that, and some polishing, you have a perfectly smooth dry wall. You are also right in th fact that if you are just spot mudding, and also use excess mass on the wall, you are just creating bumps on it. It doesn't necessarily show under all conditions, but try to throw some bright sunlight on that wall, and you see it instantly. Thanks for a great video.
... and sorry ... if I actually paid attention to your channel name, I should have known that this is probably in Canada, and not in the US ...
I roll the mud on often. I have maybe a dozen videos where I have done that.
@@vancouvercarpenter : There you see. Another detail I have not noticed yet. For my excuse, I stumbled upon your channel today. Well, anyways, great videos sir 🙂