How to Finish Drywall

It’s easy to engage in a series of hoots, hollers, and high fives once the last piece of drywall has been hung in your renovated room, but you really have to calm down and realize that the job isn’t anywhere near completion.It’s fine to be excited, especially if what you have just finished is your first attempt at hanging drywall, but the reality is that the hardest part is yet to come.

You can’t even begin to think about putting a lick of pain on there until the job is finished, and if you struggled with the hanging, then it might be time to look at hiring a pro. If you still feel comfortable about doing it all yourself, then read on.

Finishing Your Drywall

how-to-finish-drywall1. If you are still here, then it’s time to get screwed, by which I mean making sure that all the screws used to hang the drywall are set the way they should be. What that means is that all the screws have to be set below the surface of the drywall with no sign of them sticking up. It only takes a couple of screws to be sticking up to make the next step difficult. Checking every screw in the wall may seem like a monotonous chore, but it is absolutely crucial to the proper completion of your project.
2. The next step is to apply the mud, with the rule of thumb being that you should apply it everywhere you plan on putting the tape. Having said that, you will want to make sure that the mud you apply is slightly wider than the tape, which can be achieved by using a 3.5 inch knife.
3. Taping is next, and if you want to make it a little easier on yourself, try wetting the tape first so that it will stick easily. You are then going to use that same knife to skim off the excess mud which is done by dragging it down the length of the tape and scooping up the excess that will come out the sides.
4. When you see that all the tape is firmly adhered to the joints it’s time to take a 24 hour break in order to allow it all to dry and set.
5. When you get back at it, you may find that there are still some splotches of excess mud, so be sure to remove those as you want the surface to be as smooth as possible.
6. Once that is done, you should firmly apply another layer of mud to the joints and keep repeating until the joints are completely covered.
7. Allow the mud to dry and then sand it smooth.

Once that is done, you can then commence with your celebrations, that is until you have to start thinking about slapping on some paint.