# easier butt joints?



## begal (Jul 23, 2014)

Wouldn't it be easier to just slice a bit of the top layer of paper off the drywall first? Then you would have room for the tape and not spend days 'evening out' a bump?


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## ToolSeeker (Sep 19, 2012)

No to just cut the paper would do no good you still will need to taper it. And now with no paper on it it has no holding power so a screw won't hold. If you want easy butt joints look into Trim Tex.com/butt boards will eliminate butt joints.


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## begal (Jul 23, 2014)

Or even simpler, fill the gap with mud and sand it down. Will it be noticeable after primed and painting



> no paper on it it has no holding power so a screw won't hold.


-okay so, don't put those screws into until after the tape! Then just cover the screw heads. 

How many screws do you put in per sheet is it really important? Is is bad to level a wall with drywall? ie less screws, missing beams?


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## ddawg16 (Aug 15, 2011)

Research Butt Boards.

I made my own using left over 1/2" OSB 8" strips and used drywall furing strips. Works fantastic. 

What is even better, if you make the butt board long enough, say 4.5' instead of 4', then 6" sits under the adjacent sheet....a couple of screws there and you basically lock that butt joint to the adjacent sheet and it really lines things up nicely

Here is how one of my butt joints turned out....nice little taper....wall came out perfect


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## mako1 (Jan 7, 2014)

Been doing drywall a long time and still don't know what a butt board is.Either you can finish a butt joint or you can't.If it makes it easier,more power to you.Maybe I should check it out .


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## begal (Jul 23, 2014)

Why wouldn't you just cut the drywall at the stud/beam level? Share the edge with each side?


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## Jmayspaint (May 4, 2013)

I don't know what a butt board is either but I have seen guys take a 2by4 and indent the panels at the butt joints to make room for tape. Seems like a better idea than cutting the paper off.


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## ToolSeeker (Sep 19, 2012)

Butt boards do not just make butt joints easier it eliminates them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGjaGfeS4ss

I have used them for about 15 years now and have never had a call back. I used them in my house, my daughters house, and my granddaughters house. You would be better to just do the butt joint instead what you want to do.


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## ToolSeeker (Sep 19, 2012)

begal said:


> Or even simpler, fill the gap with mud and sand it down. Will it be noticeable after primed and painting
> 
> -okay so, don't put those screws into until after the tape! Then just cover the screw heads.
> 
> How many screws do you put in per sheet is it really important? Is is bad to level a wall with drywall? ie less screws, missing beams?


Yes how many screws you put in is important that is why an inspector has to sign off on a pro drywall job in most locations. 
And yes it's bad to try to level a wall with drywall. You must shim out the studs so they are even or the wall will be wavy.


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## Fix'n it (Mar 12, 2012)

i love butt boards ! for a DIY person, it makes mudding the joints FAR easier.


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## 12penny (Nov 21, 2008)

mako1 said:


> Been doing drywall a long time and still don't know what a butt board is.Either you can finish a butt joint or you can't.If it makes it easier,more power to you.Maybe I should check it out .


I use them on most basement jobs. I do my own drywall and finish work, but I'm not a "drywall guy". Good clean work, but slow. 

Easier? Not necessarily. Same amount of screws, same amount of glue, same amount of time on install. Its the finish time. I've gone from a flat joint that's what..30" wide, to a nice clean tapered joint 8" wide. Imagine your day finishing only tapers. And... I can use a sheet 3/4" too long and it'll still fit. Really like them for ceilings.

They're pricey...+- $50 for a dozen, I think... probably why people tend to make them instead of buying. I buy them. The engineering's already been done, Trim-Tex has the liability and I can justify the price with the time and material savings.

Give em a go, you might like them.

Testimonial over.


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## jogr (Jul 24, 2007)

So even with the but boards don't you still have to deal with the flush butt joint at the top and bottom plates?


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## jogr (Jul 24, 2007)

ddawg16 said:


> Research Butt Boards.
> 
> I made my own using left over 1/2" OSB 8" strips and used drywall furing strips. Works fantastic.


Do you put a 1/8" drywall furring strip on each edge of the 8" strip so the middle is 1/8" lower, pulling the drywall edge in when you screw it down?


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## rjniles (Feb 5, 2007)

I have always wondered why they don't make drywall with tapers on all 4 sides?


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## ratherbefishin' (Jun 16, 2007)

rjniles said:


> I have always wondered why they don't make drywall with tapers on all 4 sides?


It's made in one continuous sheet, cut to length as it comes off the line.


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## mako1 (Jan 7, 2014)

Because a lot of people hang it vertically on 8' walls.
What fishin said too.


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## rjniles (Feb 5, 2007)

ratherbefishin' said:


> It's made in one continuous sheet, cut to length as it comes off the line.


From what I have seen on "How its made" it is still soft when cut to length. The taper could be pressed in at the same time.


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## ratherbefishin' (Jun 16, 2007)

rjniles said:


> From what I have seen on "How its made" it is still soft when cut to length. The taper could be pressed in at the same time.


Sure, it could be done. Think it would be a two stage operation, though, since some filler would probably have to be squeezed out and removed in the process. Then the end taping machines would have to be retooled. Probably just an issue of expense.


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## ToolSeeker (Sep 19, 2012)

jogr said:


> So even with the but boards don't you still have to deal with the flush butt joint at the top and bottom plates?


No if you hang horizontal it's tapered top and bottom. And the bottom doesn't get finished because the baseboard covers it. On the top it's easier to finish being on a 90 degree angle, unlike in the middle of the wall where it's easy to see.

The Aussie's have a tool that will cut a taper on the ends but I can't think of the name of it right now. I will go on drywall talk later and see if I can find it.

Mako if you do drywall go online to Trim Tex and get their free catalog They make a lot of things that make drywall easier. They are not very far from you in Lincolnville Ill.


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