# Premix or hot mud?



## rjniles (Feb 5, 2007)

I run a small handyman service and as such I get a fair number of drywall repair jobs (door handle holes and the like). I have been bedding my paper tape with premixed mud and coming back the next day to sand it out and second coat. For the second (and third if necessary) coat, I use 20 minute hot mud. This allows me to finish, prime and paint without an additional trip.

I was thinking that if I use hot mud the first day, I could complete the job in a single trip. Are there any issues using hot mud for the tape bedding step.


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## TrapperL (Jul 23, 2011)

The builder CSTs here use 5 minute mud and a hair dryer. They almost 100% use an orange peel texture and the CSTs use the spray can texture. A hair dryer and they can patch a wall in about an hour complete with paint. That may or may not work in your area. When these guys leave a customers house it looks fabulous. How well it stays looking fabulous I don't know.


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## 1910NE (Sep 5, 2010)

My brother (long time reno/remodel guy) swears by hot mud for bedding in tape. I have had mixed results myself, but when I compare my work to his....I assume experience counts..


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## bjbatlanta (Jul 16, 2008)

For patches I use 20 min. over mesh tape, bed with 20 min., and a tight skim with ready mix for the final coat. Dry with a heat gun and you're done in one trip....


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## chrisBC (Dec 28, 2010)

I use hot mud all the time for the smaller boarding jobs and repairs I do-I use it (20 or 30 minute) for taping and 2nd coat, then I use all purpose the the 3rd coat, come back the next day, sand and prime. (or as mentioned for small stuff u can use a heat gun, get it done the same day)

Personally I find hot mud (especially as you get into the quicker set times) works well however is harder to sand, so I don't like using it as a topping coat, as I can't get the same results I can with pre-mixed or topping compound.


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## JoJo-Arch (Sep 15, 2011)

*What is hot mud?*

Hi all!. Now that I'm retired I came across this DIY site by accident when I was researching something, so I decided to look into it further. In the drywall section, there is reference to "hot mud". As I live in Melbourne, Australia, (and all atlases show Melbourne way way south, nearly as down under as you can get, only Hobart, Tasmania beats us, in fact they made a film about this being the last liveable place on earth after wipeout), I am baffled by the term "*hot *mud". 

We use the term "mud" (a mortar mix used in bricklaying) but not in drywalling. When we do drywall (to us, meaning plaster sheets glued or screwed to studs), the joints are scrimmed horizontally with 'cornice adhesive' (plaster mix that sets very hard and sticks like poo to a blanket), and while still wet, a paper or fibre glass open weave 6" wide tape is pressed into the adhesive and allowed a few minutes to set, then a second coat is scrimmed over the tape and allowed to harden. When it goes completely white (1-2 days) and dry, it is sanded smooth. After painting, you can't tell where the joint betwen the sheets was.

Per head of population, I think we use more plasterboard than anywhere on earth as every house in Australia built in the past 40 years has interiors lined with plasterboard.

Can anyone shed some light on this topic?

PS: the film starred Fred Astair & Ava Gardner and filmed in Melbourne
Cheers, from the prawn on the barbie land down under. Joe!


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## rjniles (Feb 5, 2007)

The "mud" we are discussing is dry wall joint compound use to set parer or fiberglass tape on the joints of drywall sheets or for repair work.

Premixed mud comes in a bucket and takes a day or two to dry depending on how thick it is.

Hot mud is a dry powder that you mix with water before use. It comes in 10, 20, 40 minute (and maybe other) set up times.


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## JoJo-Arch (Sep 15, 2011)

*"hot mud"*

Thanks for your reply. It sounds exactly the same way we apply jointing adhesive down under. We mix plaster (adhesive plaster) powder with water to make up a bucket of (whipped cream consisitency) liquid plaster we scrimm over the taped joints, as you described. In my ignorance, I imagined you might use "hot" water in the mix, hence your term "hot mud". 
Thanks and cheers!.:whistling2:


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