# Butt joint help



## mako1 (Jan 7, 2014)

You always have to feather it out no matter what your thinking is.No matter if its a carck or butt joint.Use hot mud and paper tape to fill and cover the joint.Use some blue lid topping to feather the joint out as wide as it needs to be to get a good transition.Could be 12 -14" depending on the wall.


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## kaliona (May 5, 2015)

I understand feathering is always required. . .but is tape required in my situation? I'm just thinking without the tape, it would be easier to hide the joint. I realize without tape it's not as strong a joint and may crack, but I figured 24" is not that long of a joint.


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## mako1 (Jan 7, 2014)

Not that long of a joint but it will crack without tape.Especially with a 1/8" gap.What's the problem with taping it?Prefill the gap,lay on the tape and lay some mud over it to wet both sides of the tape then another coat and you've got it.Then some topping to finish it out.


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## kaliona (May 5, 2015)

Mako. My reply here is not to argue with you. It's more of a learning and understanding question to your advice. I thought hot mud doesn't shrink, therefore shouldn't crack. What if the gap were smaller, say 1/16"? Everything I've read about getting butt joints to look smooth just made me think about trying it without tape, since the tape is what causes the bump. Like I said, I'm new at this so if I'm way off, just slap me in the right direction and I will take the advice of those in the know :thumbsup:


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## mako1 (Jan 7, 2014)

The tape does not cause the bump.Poor finishing does.If you don't tape the joint it will appear again.The trick is to tape and feather properly .It will leave no bump even on a butt joint.I imagine you are not feathering the butt joint out far enough from the seam.


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## kaliona (May 5, 2015)

OK, tape it is . Last question to this repair: Do I need to sand down the texture of the existing drywall before I mud and tape the joint? Or will feathering take care of any texture bumps under the tape?


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## mako1 (Jan 7, 2014)

I'm assuming without any pictures that the " texturing of the wall "was probably done with coats of paint being rolled on.
Sand the wall down "outside of the area to make the repair" Feather in the new repair.
You will need to prime before you paint and use a suitable nap roller for the paint to match the existing wall.


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## Sir MixAlot (Apr 4, 2008)

Since this is your first drywall project, I would recommend using self adhering fiberglass mesh drywall tape (less chance of a big bump) along with hot mud on the first two coats. Then finish off with some pre mixed joint compound.

Oh and if you haven't already put screws on the existing drywall at the seam you're going to be mudding? Go ahead and do that and it will help insure that the joint won't crack. :thumbsup:


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## scottktmrider (Jul 1, 2012)

If there's like 1/4" or wider gap use hot Mudd to prefill. if your not experienced at taping you may want to use bucket mud its a lot eaiser to work with
Use all purpose ( green lid) for your tape coat than you can use lightweight. you will have to feather out pretty wide but put your knife on it and that will tell.
Run a 12"pass from the middle out and if its still humped you will have go father out. A lot of times I will have to go up to 2' to feather out.


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## Nestor_Kelebay (Jun 17, 2008)

Kaliona:

First off I agree with the recommendation to use fiberglass mesh drywall tape over that joint and to use a chemical set drywall joint compound for the first two coats.

To eliminate the difficulty of getting an "invisible bump" on the wall, go to any home center or any of the places listed under "Plastering & Drywall Supplies" in your yellow pages phone directory and ask for a "curved trowel", like this one:










A curved trowel looks for all the world like a normal plastering trowel until you set it down on a flat surface or sight along it's edge and notice that it arches upward about 1/8 of an inch in the middle, like so:










Since you hold the trowel at a comfortable angle to the wall when applying your joint compound, a curved trowel allows a total noob to spread a mound of joint compound about 5/64ths of an inch thick in the middle and tapering to zero thickness on each side. This is more than enough to bury drywall joint tape in, but not nearly enough to make a visible "bump" in your wall even if you have wall mounted light fixtures.

Curved trowel come in different sizes, but a standard 11 inch curved trowel, which is all any DIY will ever need will cost you about $20 to $25.


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## kaliona (May 5, 2015)

Thanks for all your guidance guys. And that curved trowel looks like the perfect tool, especially for beginners.


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## jeffnc (Apr 1, 2011)

First of all, tape is a requirement, not an option.

Mesh tape is OK and easy to work with, as long as you're willing to put up with the hassle of mixing and cleanup of your hot mud.

Keep this in mind. All butt joints on a stud have a hump or bump. It can't be avoided. The trick is to spread that hump out so it tricks the eye into not noticing it.

There are actually ways to avoid putting the drywall right on the stud, but you don't want to change your drywall, so let's avoid that detour.

A curved trowel can help, but it can also hinder. Most drywallers will create a final seam that is about 18" wide. You can't do that with that trowel. However if you need the "crutch" for your first coat, it's a good tool to use. For the second and third coats, you really need a flat knife, so you can do one coat on the left side of the joint and one coat on the right side of the joint. (Same with the wider final coat too, of course.) A curved trowel will mess with your ability to do the last 2 coats.

Also, keep in mind that the trowel is not solid. It's flexible. If you press on it, that curve decreases and can even go away. So you are not automaticaly getting that amount of "hump" built in, depending on how hard you press.


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## ToolSeeker (Sep 19, 2012)

As I have stated before I hate a curved trowel. When I changed from knifes to trowels the first one I bought was a curved one. Used it a few times, put it in the garage it has rested there for at least the past 12 years. 

When I used knifes on a butt joint I would use a 12" then feather it out 12" on both sides of the seam.


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## Nestor_Kelebay (Jun 17, 2008)

jeffnc said:


> Also, keep in mind that the trowel is not solid. It's flexible. If you press on it, that curve decreases and can even go away. So you are not automaticaly getting that amount of "hump" built in, depending on how hard you press.


Jeff: As long as the OP thins their mud with enough water to make it easy to work with, any flexing of the curved trowel is going to be imperceptible.

I bought my first curved trowel decades ago and I still use it for butt joints.


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