In an effort to save money, more and more homeowners are choosing to build or do their own remodeling themselves. There is a fountain of information on the internet for almost any job you would be thinking of tackling. Drywall is something that some homeowners want to tackle while others may hang the dry wall, but hire a professional for mudding drywall and the drywall finishing.



While mudding drywall is not the most difficult job in the world, it is a messy job and you do need to know the correct way to do it. The end result will have a large part to do with how well the mudding was done.

You'll need to used jointing compound, which comes in powder or premixed. If you are new at this, you may want to get the pre-mixed form so you know you are using the correct thickness. They also sell taping compound and topping compound and you'll need both of them. The taping compound will be used for the first layer of taping and the topping compound, which is thinner and smoother, is used for the drywall finishing. They also sell an all-purpose joint compound, which is a combination of both.

Once the drywall is hung, you'll start applying the "mud" using a taping knife. You'll want to make sure before you begin this process that all the nails are properly sunk in the wall and not sticking out. You can double check this by running your taping knife over the seams. You'll fill each nail hole with compound and go over it with your taping knife to make sure it's smooth. You need to allow at least twenty-four hours for drying between each application.

To begin the taping, you apply the compound and the tape on the joints and smooth over it with more compound. After you are finished smoothing the compound, you let it dry for twenty-four hours. The next day you will apply two layers of compound again using a taping knife. Each day that you do this, you will want to use a taping knife slightly longer than the day before. It is very important that you run over the compound carefully making sure it's smooth. The smoother it is now, the less sanding you'll have to do later.

On the third day, you will be applying the last layer of compound on the joints and nail holes. When this is thoroughly dry, you will sand off any rough edges and get ready to paint.