# Drywall mud question



## tomptat (Aug 17, 2009)

Ok, my first attempt at a semi-big drywall project (for me anyway). About 50 sheets, I'm doing a bathroom and two other med. size rooms, about 600 s.f. total. First coat, used EZ Sand 45 min joint compound (powder). No special tools, just my knife and pan. There was certainly a learning curve, but I think by the second coat, I was getting the hang of it. I switched to Sheetrock 90 min joint compound (powder) halfway through the second coat, because it comes in a bigger bag for the same price. Holy crap, what a mess! This stuff goes from so soupy I can hardly get it on the wall, to hardening in the pan in about 10 min, not to mention boogers dragging across my work everywhere even though I mixed the hell out of it. What is going on? This is supposed to be 90.


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## Willie T (Jan 29, 2009)

Sounds crazy, but the trick is to mix it thicker... it stays workable longer.


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## oh'mike (Sep 18, 2009)

Learn your different muds.
DuraBond--Bag mix-used to fill gaps and holes.sometimes used to set paper,Very hard.

Green bucket--contains glue-used to set the paper,very hard.


Blue bucket--Used for final top coat-soft easy to sand.

This is over simplified-however this is the basic mud types.
Experienced tapers can get away with methods that will ruin a beginners job.-GOOD LUCK--MIKE


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## tomptat (Aug 17, 2009)

Willie- I'm gonna give that a try, thx
Oh' Mike- I'm definitely gonna get some blue bucket for the final coat, thx

However, I still have about 3/4 of my Sheetrock 90, and doggone it, it's going up!  I was doing so well with the EZ Sand 45 powder, why is the Sheetrock 90 so friggin' ... oh, they are made by the same company, one ( EZ sand 45) is "lightweight" while the other (90) is "regular?". I just can't figure out why the 90 gets hard at least twice as fast as the 45 and is virtually impossible to get the chunks out of.
Thanks,
Tom


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## JohnJak (Jun 28, 2008)

Weather also plays an important part.


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## ARI001 (Jun 26, 2009)

Weather, age of mix, water used to mix the mud, additives used, amount of water used to mix the mud, and skill of the applicator all affect the workability of the mix and the end result. I am not a big fan of the chemical dry mud's because of the variables that can effect the end product. I also do not find them to be as big of a time saver as most people think they will be in normal situations. If you don't have a good deal of experience in tape and finish work you are really better off using the premixed joint compounds. 

That said on a recent job using the 90 minute mix (we mix with distilled water) we were unable to get the product to mix properly. After burning through 5 bags we decided that something must be off with the batch. We returned the unused portion and purchased more from a different supplier. We had no further problems mixing the joint compound. This may be the issue you are having along with to much water in the mix (the mud should not be soupy when mixed properly). Good Luck.


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