Mudding Madness

Started to mud and tape the drywall over the 4th weekend. Wasn't quite as bad as I was anticipating, as I thought the ceiling would be terrible to cope with, but it went quicker than expected. I didn't spend much on the tools. All I needed for the first coat was a 6" drywall knife, a corner trowel and mudding hawk. Plus of course a 5 gallon bucket of pre-mixed joint compound. For the larger joints I actually stuck fiberglass tape to the joints, applied mud, then used paper tape on the joint as well.

Tools of the trade...

As seen, I over used the screws and didn't need to use as many as I did, but at least the walls will be solid. They definitely aren't going anywhere. So - I've completed the first coat. I applied two coats over the screw holes and applied a 6-8" bead of mud for the tape seams. Applying a uniform amount of mud to the seam first, then applying the paper tape and using a good amount of pressure to secure the tape ensured that it was bubble-free. I'd then apply a bead of mud over the tape. The biggest issue was not applying the tape straight which would cause issues with crinkling, etc.

before...

after

before...

after

A look at the ceiling work.