# need help taping and sanding



## AndyH24 (Mar 18, 2010)

Hey I've got two holes Im recovering from where I had to repair some plumbing in my downstairs bathroom. One is 2' by 3' and the other is about 18" square. I already cut and installed the drywall. I then went to lowes and bought a 1 gallon bucket of ProForm Lite joint compund. It says it is DustTech (Dust reducing technology) I also got a roll of paper tape. Upon opening the compound, I thought it appeared too dry but I don't know much about drywalling anyway. I put some compund on the seams and put the tape up and then went over it with more compound. Let it dry overnight and went back to sand it to find the tape didnt stick. So, I tore the tape off (rather easliy) and started to sand. It actually looks decent without tape. If I go over it with more compound let dry and sand will I be okay? Or, do I need to retape it? Also, any tips for making this look good? It is on the ceiling. If I can't do this myself, would a pro come out for just two little pieces? Any help and advice would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!


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## epson (Jul 28, 2010)

If it was dry when you opened the pail you should add some water to it and mix it so you get a peanut butter consistency and reapply it to the drywall and embed the tape into it and then with a 10’’ taping knife scrape away any excess compound and then apply a thin coat of compound over the tape using a 6’’ knife and be sure to feather the edges. Let the patch dry completely. After the first coat is dry, apply a second coat with the 10’’ wide knife over your patch and feather out the edges again and allow to dry. Apply a final coat let that dry and then sand the patch until smooth by using fine grit sand paper to smooth out the surface. Remove any dust from sanding and then apply a primer over your patch when the primer is dry apply your paint finish. Note: even if you still had the existing paint you will notice a difference in color on the wall I would suggest to paint the entire ceiling.


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## AndyH24 (Mar 18, 2010)

All I have is an 8" taping knife. Will that work, or do I need to buy a 10 and 6"? Also what is the difference between a taping knife and a regular knife?


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## epson (Jul 28, 2010)

*Yeah you can use your 8’’ taping knife as long as you feather out the edges. What do you mean by a regular knife? *


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## redmanblackdog (Jan 7, 2011)

I am not aware of pro form. But I have taped for 30 years. I have noticed that through the years the mud has changed. Probably for profit by the companies. So I only use taping compound for paper tape. It has the best sticking power. Some of the other compounds say that you can use them for taping and sometimes it works but sometimes I have found they don't(such as all purpose and multipurpose).

Make sure that any painted areas that you will be going over with mud, has been sanded with coarse grit to scuff the paint and allow the mud to stick better. You will find too that mud over a painted surface will not dry as fast. And there will be more air pockets in the mud on a painted surface as a rule. If you see those form, after drying, scrape air pockets off with a knife, not sand paper, and before you sand those run a tight coat of mud over them to fill, and wait a few minutes for it to dry before sanding. If you sand them, sometimes the dust in the pockets will not allow the next coat of mud to bond. Leaving you with air pockets later to work with.

With taping compound I mix it so it is quite loose but still workable. Once the wall is buttered and the tape applied, then you wipe tightly over it with a 6" or 8" knife to squeeze the mud out from under it(wipe firmly but don't get carried away, you want some mud to stay under the tape).

After that dries I use a 8" knife and spread mud on both sides of the tape (leaving a line in the middle to sand out later, I would use finish mud and mix it so when you get a scoup with your 6" knife and turn it, two blobs fall off). Smooth it out and make sure the edges are feathered (You probably won't think that it looks very good). But, then when dry, sand rough spots and apply a third coat with a 12" knife (I mix this so that a scoup with a 6" knife when turned will cause 3 blobs to fall off). Each coat will make it look a little better (always feather the edge). Once that is dry, sand and touch up (or run some more mud, and sand some more, a pro might do it in 3 coats, so a beginner might need 4 or more).

After the tape coat is in place and dry. You can take your 8" or 12" knife and hold it perpendicular over the tape. Usually the knife will rock back and forth from the extra thickness of the mud and tape. That is why you have to spread the mud out multiple times with different knives. In an attempt to hide it with a gradual hump.


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## AndyH24 (Mar 18, 2010)

lol, I dont know. When I was at lowes the had two different kinds of knives. One was a taping knife and the other just said drywall joint knife (i think). The where shaped different.


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## epson (Jul 28, 2010)

AndyH24 said:


> lol, I dont know. When I was at lowes the had two different kinds of knives. One was a taping knife and the other just said drywall joint knife (i think). The where shaped different.


Ah ok, taping knives and or joint knifes are the same they are used to fill holes or gaps in drywall and to fill joints in between using pieces of drywall tape. The knives are constructed with wood, metal, rubber and plastic handles. At the end of the handle a thin sheet of metal, known as the blade, extends outward. The blades are made of carbon steel, blue steel or stainless steel. There are small taping knifes and large ones. Sizes can vary from 3’’ to 14’’. Some of the more popular sizes for general drywall work are the 6’’, 8’’ and 10’’ taping knives. There are also corner taping knives, also known as drywall corner trowels. These knives are shaped at a 90 degree or right angle in the middle for use on the inside corners of drywall. I hope this answers your question.


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## bjbatlanta (Jul 16, 2008)

Use regular ready-mix compound. Light weight compound is intended for the final skim, though I, personally, wouldn't use it. And let each coat dry thoroughly before you apply another coat. Don't mud over wet tape....


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## DangerMouse (Jul 17, 2008)

AndyH24 said:


> ProForm Lite joint compound. It says it is DustTech (Dust reducing technology)


I know what you mean, I got a bucket of that too, it did seem a bit too dry, but still worked quite well. Then the wife brought home a bucket of something else from a large chain store that was WAY too WET! ....Almost oily?
It was next to impossible to scoop it out without tipping the bucket so it wouldn't just slide off the blade!
I guess that stuff really varies from one brand to the next!

DM


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## masterofall (May 27, 2010)

If you can develope a good smooth trowl hand spread mud over the entire area to soften the pronounced tape joints. I will use a curved blade trowl centred on the tape and then flair out 2" either side from centre with a 12" or 14" knife to hide butt joints. When the curved trowl is at a low angle near parallel to the surface of the board it will fill both sides of the high tape centre to softed the ridge.


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