This is the best overall description of an actual "Process" for drywall finishing that I have ever seen. I've done a lot of amateur drywall - and it seems like I always put on too much mud and do too much sanding. But the way you describe the 5 stages and how to apply the coats - really gives me some fine tuning that will help me with my current project. Thank you for such an awesome tutorial!
I've watched a lot of Drywall Finishing how to videos.. since I don't have a life... I'm a retired Drywall contractor which included many years of commercial slick wall... and I found very little to fault you on with your technique and skill set.. Very good video.. the best I've seen of RUclips.. the one and only thing that I wouldn't do is to sand between coats for smooth wall since the dust fills the air pockets of the previous coat and like a buttered and dusted cookie sheet, the mud has trouble sticking and when sanding (final sanding) the air pockets can become visible.. as long as you don't sand too much and by that I mean 1 or 2 strokes max... typically I would scrape before applying the next coat but like you I leave every coat very clean so minimal scraping is required..for butt joints I tend to use the rounded side of the 6" knife to get rid of the ridge only on the butt joints and lap marks.. I know.. I'm an over the top perfectionist but from what I see in your video you are as well... take care my skilled friend... AAA++
Letzrockitrite I forgot to add the comment that one should only use blue chalk when mixing for touch up as red will bleed through paint.... thanks again for the GREAT VIDEO !!
Letzrockitrite I have found that when using "chalk" to tint the touch up mud it DOES dry harder than untinted mud, so it is harder to sand. I now use painters tint. It is the tint use to color paint. It does not make the touch up mud hard, sands easily and there are no issues with "bleeding" thru. Give it a try.
I'm a Painter. Have done some mud work. Trust me folks, mediocre mud has to be fixed or your paint job will look like poo! This guy has some very valuable advice to save headaches in the final product.
Excellent video. Explained clearly, one of the best I have seen on youtuble. Great Principals and Sound Techniques. As a professional taper for over 20 years, if you follow the stages as explained your project will be successful. Use your light lamps when accessing for imperfections besides the naked eye visual, hand touch and feel.
I found this a thorough tutorial on drywall finishing from beginning to end and demonstrated professionally for enthusiasts to easily follow. I loved the idea of adding dye for detecting where the patches are to be sanded. Thanks for sharing
I had a number of "Ahhh. I see" moments watching this. I do minor home repairs and have done a fair amount of mudding where my results have just been "okay". This clarified a number of things that should result in considerably better finishes. Thank you!
I first ran across this video 2 years ago when looking for tutorials after I reinsulating and drywalling my bedroom wall. I always did a poor job when it came to taping and mudding as I'm an IT guy and don't drywall and mud all that often. After watching this video I tried it and my wall came out perfect, I was very happy with my work, thank you for giving me the confidence to tackle this myself saving me money and giving me pride in my work every time I look at my wall. I'm now doing my garage wall since the previous owners installed non fire rated drywall and watching this video again as a refresher.
Awesome video, I might add that you can lower the lights and use a worklight or bright flashlight shining down each seam to find imperfections you might otherwise miss. It's usually overkill but takes it to the next level.
This guy makes it look super easy but the reality is it's all about the angles of the knife. Depending on the compound you're using, the angle of the knife makes a huge difference. For example I find using sheetrock 90, 45, 20, etc. , having the blade almost parallel with the wall works best, while using finishing compound, having it at more to a 90 degree angle (lets say 65-70 degree angle) reduces bubbles and pock marks. I don't know why this happens, I'm just a jack of all trades and here to help improve my skills.
it's absolutely an art,knowing all the ins &outs..efficiency..perfect perfect perfect painting surface & keeping the sanding down to the minimum, I've done miles of it & no where near as smooth,efficient& fast as guys like this & the bottom line, the paint finish is only good as the prepped walls.
I'm currently finishing my basement and have watched at a lot of videos on finishing drywall and this one is easily the best video out there! Thank you Mr. Gobeil. btw, this video is targeted to homeowners.. i've tried using a trowel and find that a knife is better suited for me
I am a professional builder. I think you covered this subject very well. I find on a remodel, it helps to lay down canvas tarps before you sand and to vent the shop vac out a window with a second length of hose place in the outlet of the machine as drywall dust tends to go everywhere. Thanks'
old school that's how I learned. I am a 3rd generation finisher. Tape,bed,skim. all purpose for taping light weight for finish. use 180- 220 sandpaper. Finishing can be fun and you can take pride in it.
If you shine a light at an angle on the wall you can easily find all imperfections. If you don't find them this way, once painted any sunlight from windows or lights will show them.
Great instructions, I just finished a large patch job including installing some replacement drywall. My joints look better than the original "professional" work. Rule number 1-patience, don't rush it.
+Karl Hammerberg I always find that my drywall work both looks better and lasts longer than all the professional drywall work I have paid "professionals" to do. That said, I still have a greater tendency to hire out drywall work . . . the "professionals" get it done so quickly . . . perhaps that may be contributing to why my work turns out better . . . at 3-4 times as long to do.
Just did my 1st taping/mudding. Did like 8 coats haha. I was doing fine at first then I made newbie mistakes like sanding too hard to expose the tape, then tried the wet sponge and scrubbed too hard to fuzz up the drywall paper. Got impatient and used 20-min quick set, spread it thickly thinking "i'll just sand it later" only to find out not only is it much harder to sand than 24hr mud, but it's also a LOT more dusty. Lesson learned is I just need to apply adequate tape bed and super fine 1st coat, then wait 'til tomorrow, where i'll apply a super thin 2nd coat. Wait another day and apply thin coat to the whole wall. Wait another day then sand/sponge lightly.
Great point about the butt joints and how they will always bump out from the wall and to hide it is the trick. Never really made that connection before.
I like this video it helped learn how to sand properly … a little heads up for everyone who plans on doing this. While I was doing this I had a hard time with all of the dust. I needed something to filter the air but I cannot use the typical dust mask because my safety glasses always fog up. My neighbor told me about a cool product the Air Commander Respirator. I bought it off of Amazon and it filtered the air just great without fogging my glasses. Anyway thanks for the great video now I have to start sanding the ceilings yuck!
ummm, no I just messed up couple for the first time, and the 3rd and so forth are awesome and were a piece of cake. I am here for tips on fixing those first couple ones instead of destroying the whole thing. Experience gives you speed.
Very good video. Great technique and info given. I am not a pro butbim well on my way. I have only been mudding off and on for about 2 months and a co worker of mine is a professional finisher, he asked how i go so good, so fast. I camw natural. He said i will be better than him soon.
Very nice. However, lol, I would include the WAIT times between jobs, i.e. filling in the joints with mud then placing the tape then WAITING (for how long?). Also, I would Explain what Feathering entails. JMHO.
I would like to ask you a question if I may. The question is on the exterior wall on the inside of the house, some one can slap, not very hard, the wall or sheetrock and several feet away you can fell the sheet rock vibrate. What do you think the cause of the vibration to be? Thank you for any information
Nicholas - sand the paint (just rough it up so the compound will stick). Then apply a coat of compound on either side of the tape. Feather each side to the tape (so you will not actually be leaving any compound on the tape). It will look like you put two 12" coats of mud side by side. But this will hide the joint.
I always first coat my tape after bedding it...I ALWAYS do one corner side...I don't use the inside corner knife but when my next coat goes on, the corners are ready for sanding and sometimes only a third touch up coat is needed.
i'm finishing my basement bathroom. it has taken me forever and looks like shit at current. i sanded it and it should have been ready for a final skim, however, the tape is exposed in many areas and the drywall paper is roughed up everywhere. i'm frustrated to the point where i'm going to slap up some primer to lock in my current progress, then continue mudding from there until acceptable. sound like a good plan? i can't hire a pro, either.
I have drywall that was coated with a little texture, mostly little specs of sand like mod ( I think) Can I have another layer of texture applied over it?
my problem is i want to paint my bathroom wall the guy that started it never finished himself he let a helper do it and the guy never taped the seams so i been looking at this for yrs i have one corner and 3 straight seems to do can i use the ready made compound? i bought a 6" knife and the mesh tape should i use the other tape the mesh is all i could find i did not get any sanding stuff thanks in advance for any tips
Oh and another question; I mostly used the mesh sticky tape for seams. I've lately been using the paper tape and I do it just like in the video but then immediately apply the first coat. I find it works ok. Are there any long term negative effects to doing it like this?
adhesive mesh tape is stronger over time and bonds better because the mud actually bonds through it. spraying a little adhesive on the wall helps keep it from slipping.
If there are any air bubbles behind the tape they will hunt and haunt you later. Allowing the bedding coat to dry helps spot a problem while it's easier to fix. If this "short cut" was truly reliable- it would be standard practice in the industry. Please do not cut your self short, do it right and be confident in your work. Pride matters.
Can I paint right over it or do I have to finish it with another texture first. I'm re-doing a bathroom. In the past I had a professional apply a coat of texture. Thanks
+j lo Always apply a slightly watered down coat of paint that you are using on that specific wall/ceiling to the bits that have been repaired with filler. This seals it up and prevents any areas that have been repaired looking patchy once it has been fully painted
good video but you did not give any detail on the spot were the beveled joint and the non beveled joints ran together. This is where I have a lot of difficulty and end up with having to do a lot of sanding!
Hey Mike. So what you describe should not happen on a professionally drywalled job. However, yes - this situation often arises for homeowners. My advice is to simply treat it / finish it as if it was a butt joint.
This is the best overall description of an actual "Process" for drywall finishing that I have ever seen. I've done a lot of amateur drywall - and it seems like I always put on too much mud and do too much sanding. But the way you describe the 5 stages and how to apply the coats - really gives me some fine tuning that will help me with my current project. Thank you for such an awesome tutorial!
I've watched a lot of Drywall Finishing how to videos.. since I don't have a life... I'm a retired Drywall contractor which included many years of commercial slick wall... and I found very little to fault you on with your technique and skill set.. Very good video.. the best I've seen of RUclips.. the one and only thing that I wouldn't do is to sand between coats for smooth wall since the dust fills the air pockets of the previous coat and like a buttered and dusted cookie sheet, the mud has trouble sticking and when sanding (final sanding) the air pockets can become visible.. as long as you don't sand too much and by that I mean 1 or 2 strokes max... typically I would scrape before applying the next coat but like you I leave every coat very clean so minimal scraping is required..for butt joints I tend to use the rounded side of the 6" knife to get rid of the ridge only on the butt joints and lap marks.. I know.. I'm an over the top perfectionist but from what I see in your video you are as well... take care my skilled friend... AAA++
Letzrockitrite I forgot to add the comment that one should only use blue chalk when mixing for touch up as red will bleed through paint.... thanks again for the GREAT VIDEO !!
Letzrockitrite
I have found that when using "chalk" to tint the touch up mud it DOES dry harder than untinted mud, so it is harder to sand. I now use painters tint. It is the tint use to color paint. It does not make the touch up mud hard, sands easily and there are no issues with "bleeding" thru. Give it a try.
lmao that was funny
I used food colouring
halconsalvaje + lol)]
I'm a Painter. Have done some mud work. Trust me folks, mediocre mud has to be fixed or your paint job will look like poo! This guy has some very valuable advice to save headaches in the final product.
Excellent video. Explained clearly, one of the best I have seen on youtuble. Great Principals and Sound Techniques. As a professional taper for over 20 years, if you follow the stages as explained your project will be successful. Use your light lamps when accessing for imperfections besides the naked eye visual, hand touch and feel.
I found this a thorough tutorial on drywall finishing from beginning to end and demonstrated professionally for enthusiasts to easily follow. I loved the idea of adding dye for detecting where the patches are to be sanded. Thanks for sharing
I had a number of "Ahhh. I see" moments watching this. I do minor home repairs and have done a fair amount of mudding where my results have just been "okay". This clarified a number of things that should result in considerably better finishes. Thank you!
I first ran across this video 2 years ago when looking for tutorials after I reinsulating and drywalling my bedroom wall. I always did a poor job when it came to taping and mudding as I'm an IT guy and don't drywall and mud all that often. After watching this video I tried it and my wall came out perfect, I was very happy with my work, thank you for giving me the confidence to tackle this myself saving me money and giving me pride in my work every time I look at my wall. I'm now doing my garage wall since the previous owners installed non fire rated drywall and watching this video again as a refresher.
Awesome video, I might add that you can lower the lights and use a worklight or bright flashlight shining down each seam to find imperfections you might otherwise miss. It's usually overkill but takes it to the next level.
This guy makes it look super easy but the reality is it's all about the angles of the knife. Depending on the compound you're using, the angle of the knife makes a huge difference. For example I find using sheetrock 90, 45, 20, etc. , having the blade almost parallel with the wall works best, while using finishing compound, having it at more to a 90 degree angle (lets say 65-70 degree angle) reduces bubbles and pock marks. I don't know why this happens, I'm just a jack of all trades and here to help improve my skills.
it's absolutely an art,knowing all the ins &outs..efficiency..perfect perfect perfect painting surface & keeping the sanding down to the minimum, I've done miles of it & no where near as smooth,efficient& fast as guys like this & the bottom line, the paint finish is only good as the prepped walls.
I'm currently finishing my basement and have watched at a lot of videos on finishing drywall and this one is easily the best video out there! Thank you Mr. Gobeil.
btw, this video is targeted to homeowners.. i've tried using a trowel and find that a knife is better suited for me
+Paul Yee You are welcome, sir.
The best drywall finishing video I have seen and I have watched a lot. Thanks so much.
I am a professional builder. I think you covered this subject very well. I find on a remodel, it helps to lay down canvas tarps before you sand and to vent the shop vac out a window with a second length of hose place in the outlet of the machine as drywall dust tends to go everywhere. Thanks'
old school that's how I learned. I am a 3rd generation finisher. Tape,bed,skim. all purpose for taping light weight for finish. use 180- 220 sandpaper. Finishing can be fun and you can take pride in it.
+Clayton Staggs Can you explain what the purpose of the skim coat is?
This video is really helpful for lots of DIYer who need to finish their Drywall. Thank you.
the chalk to color the compound is a great idea. ill try it thank you
I don't know if this video made drywalling easier for me, but you definitely made it look easy.
This is by far one of the best drywall videos on YT! wish you could update the video to be watched in 4K (hope I am not asking much!)
Very good presentation of the procedure. Well filmed, good explanation, clear speech, and relatively short video given the information provided.
This is a perfect video for me - A homeowner looking to finish up one room in my house. Thanks for the video.
If you shine a light at an angle on the wall you can easily find all imperfections. If you don't find them this way, once painted any sunlight from windows or lights will show them.
I enjoyed the video. Very good tips and techniques to do drywall mud and tape. I would recommend this video to anyone.
I'm from Brazil and i work in this área, think this s a good video completely instructive
Great instructions, I just finished a large patch job including installing some replacement drywall. My joints look better than the original "professional" work. Rule number 1-patience, don't rush it.
sure dude ...then they where not professional
+Karl Hammerberg I always find that my drywall work both looks better and lasts longer than all the professional drywall work I have paid "professionals" to do. That said, I still have a greater tendency to hire out drywall work . . . the "professionals" get it done so quickly . . . perhaps that may be contributing to why my work turns out better . . . at 3-4 times as long to do.
Just did my 1st taping/mudding. Did like 8 coats haha. I was doing fine at first then I made newbie mistakes like sanding too hard to expose the tape, then tried the wet sponge and scrubbed too hard to fuzz up the drywall paper. Got impatient and used 20-min quick set, spread it thickly thinking "i'll just sand it later" only to find out not only is it much harder to sand than 24hr mud, but it's also a LOT more dusty. Lesson learned is I just need to apply adequate tape bed and super fine 1st coat, then wait 'til tomorrow, where i'll apply a super thin 2nd coat. Wait another day and apply thin coat to the whole wall. Wait another day then sand/sponge lightly.
Learned how to mud from some pros a few years back and have to say this is a great video.
I really like the ideal of adding the color on the touch up skim coat.
Great point about the butt joints and how they will always bump out from the wall and to hide it is the trick. Never really made that connection before.
Thanks for posting this good quality well spoken and easy to understand video !
Love the Video. I wish I saw this video before I finished 2 basements. I will use your tip to my third basement project. Thanks,
Thank you for providing this video. I have it bookmarked and keep coming back to it for reference.
This is a stellar video. Fantastic workmanship and professionalism. Thank you
Your video was very instructional and helped me tremendously. Thankyou for posting it.
Lol we do a second coat even if there are any ridges then we sand after the final bed and touch it up, it actually saves alot of time
His instructions very easy to understand.
I like this video it
helped learn how to sand properly … a little heads up for
everyone who plans on doing this. While I was doing this I had a hard time with
all of the dust. I needed something to filter the air but I cannot use the
typical dust mask because my safety glasses always fog up. My neighbor told me
about a cool product the Air Commander Respirator. I bought it off of Amazon
and it filtered the air just great without fogging my glasses. Anyway thanks
for the great video now I have to start sanding the ceilings yuck!
excellent video, it always looks easy when a pro does it,totally different when you give it a go
Good job sir you have a
smooth finish
And a steady hand
Good video for the home owner who has only the basic tools.
Thanks for the video! Just bought a house- has an unfinished garage, which I'm planning on changing soon. Your video will definitely help!
I appreciate your video! Just completed my theater room, no texture. Came out 1st class thank you!
Great video, love the idea of the chalk coloring at the end, I could probably use food coloring also. have a great day
use a angled corner tool ,internal joins done both sides at once.
I watched few other video but yours is the best!
Thank you. Very helpful, never done drywall before.
ya make it look so easy. ... thank you for your time
How the hell do you do this in a black shirt and keep it clean???
Thanks for bringing this information to us so professionally!
your product is very easy to use I love it
Now I am ready for a career in drywall finishing.
Leap Frog have fun /s
Its harder than they make it sound. Over 6 years experience.
Machiavelli B. I was joking. I have been in drywall over 20 years. Started with my father.
ummm, no I just messed up couple for the first time, and the 3rd and so forth are awesome and were a piece of cake. I am here for tips on fixing those first couple ones instead of destroying the whole thing. Experience gives you speed.
Excellent!
Thanks for your gift in sharing these tips.
Hey this video was very technical and simple at the same time, thank you for sharing
Very professional ! This guy is an awesome finisher. 😎
Awesome how-to instruction... thank you!
thank you, i was nervous finishing mine but ill give it a go.
I’d appreciate it if you tell me what type compound you used on your levels 2 through 4. Thanks!
Very good video. Great technique and info given. I am not a pro butbim well on my way. I have only been mudding off and on for about 2 months and a co worker of mine is a professional finisher, he asked how i go so good, so fast. I camw natural. He said i will be better than him soon.
finally! the video i was looking for... by far the best explanation how to finish drywall on youtube
I enjoyed this video very much .Good tempo!
Thank you for your expertise. Well done video
Got nothing to say the man knows his shit👍🏼
Very nice. However, lol, I would include the WAIT times between jobs, i.e. filling in the joints with mud then placing the tape then WAITING (for how long?). Also, I would Explain what Feathering entails. JMHO.
Idk this come naturally to me I was always doing this as a kid with my a father I’m only 25 I receive compliments from master carpenters
Best video I have seen online.
Wow, best how to video ever.
Excellent video. Sad I didn't see it before, at least now I know what to do to fix it!
Great video - the best I've seen on drywalling. I will be doing a single room and found this video to be well thought out and presented.
Does the end of this video mean it's time for paint? what's the next step?
this guy knows what he's talking about
I would like to ask you a question if I may. The question is on the exterior wall on the inside of the house, some one can slap, not very hard, the wall or sheetrock and several feet away you can fell the sheet rock vibrate. What do you think the cause of the vibration to be? Thank you for any information
Is all that sanding necessary if you are going to spray texture?
Excellent video. How do you handle a situation where the joint shows through the paint after the wall has been finished?
Nicholas - sand the paint (just rough it up so the compound will stick). Then apply a coat of compound on either side of the tape. Feather each side to the tape (so you will not actually be leaving any compound on the tape). It will look like you put two 12" coats of mud side by side. But this will hide the joint.
great info. Thank you for the thorough explanation
I always first coat my tape after bedding it...I ALWAYS do one corner side...I don't use the inside corner knife but when my next coat goes on, the corners are ready for sanding and sometimes only a third touch up coat is needed.
did you use muds with different set off times? was it all the same type product? did all get done in one day?
i'm finishing my basement bathroom. it has taken me forever and looks like shit at current. i sanded it and it should have been ready for a final skim, however, the tape is exposed in many areas and the drywall paper is roughed up everywhere.
i'm frustrated to the point where i'm going to slap up some primer to lock in my current progress, then continue mudding from there until acceptable. sound like a good plan? i can't hire a pro, either.
Excellent instructions
Can you embed your tape in the fast setting compound in the first step?
Very good tutorial, thank you for sharing your knowledge!
many thanks for the great video
6'' 10'' 12'' Knife. I do Drywall for a living. Paper Tape and light weight mud.
I have drywall that was coated with a little texture, mostly little specs of sand like mod ( I think) Can I have another layer of texture applied over it?
Very good explanation!
Usually on a butt joint, doubling out the sides with a twelve curve trowel is part of the first coat
Very informative and easy to understand thank you!
my problem is i want to paint my bathroom wall the guy that started it never finished himself he let a helper do it and the guy never taped the seams so i been looking at this for yrs i have one corner and 3 straight seems to do can i use the ready made compound? i bought a 6" knife and the mesh tape should i use the other tape the mesh is all i could find i did not get any sanding stuff thanks in advance for any tips
thanks for the training.
Great video! Thanks for posting it with such detail.
Great video! Learned a lot!
Excellent video ... many thanks.
Oh and another question; I mostly used the mesh sticky tape for seams. I've lately been using the paper tape and I do it just like in the video but then immediately apply the first coat. I find it works ok. Are there any long term negative effects to doing it like this?
adhesive mesh tape is stronger over time and bonds better because the mud actually bonds through it. spraying a little adhesive on the wall helps keep it from slipping.
Actually walls amd ceiling's magazine tested mesh vs traditional paper and determined paper was up to 7x stronger. it bested mesh in all areas.
Actually walls amd ceiling's magazine tested mesh vs traditional paper and determined paper was up to 7x stronger. it bested mesh in all areas.
Actually walls amd ceiling's magazine tested mesh vs traditional paper and determined paper was up to 7x stronger. it bested mesh in all areas.
If there are any air bubbles behind the tape they will hunt and haunt you later. Allowing the bedding coat to dry helps spot a problem while it's easier to fix. If this "short cut" was truly reliable- it would be standard practice in the industry. Please do not cut your self short, do it right and be confident in your work. Pride matters.
Very well done training video
I love this video , really help fully
very good techniques thanks for sharing.
Excellent video!!
Awesome video! Very helpful! Thank you!
Can I paint right over it or do I have to finish it with another texture first. I'm re-doing a bathroom. In the past I had a professional apply a coat of texture. Thanks
+j lo Always apply a slightly watered down coat of paint that you are using on that specific wall/ceiling to the bits that have been repaired with filler. This seals it up and prevents any areas that have been repaired looking patchy once it has been fully painted
first time I've ever seen someone jump straight to the 12" knife on the first layer
really the only way to do corner bead
Justin Under .....8 inch 1st coat then 10 inch, polish with the 12
isn't it easier to use fiberglass tape..and trowels?
How do walls breaks
good video but you did not give any detail on the spot were the beveled joint and the non beveled joints ran together. This is where I have a lot of difficulty and end up with having to do a lot of sanding!
Hey Mike. So what you describe should not happen on a professionally drywalled job. However, yes - this situation often arises for homeowners. My advice is to simply treat it / finish it as if it was a butt joint.