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Drywall Finishing
How
to Finish Drywall to Hide Seams and Nail Holes
By Mark J. Donovan
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When it comes to installing drywall,
hanging drywall is the brawn part, and drywall finishing is the finesse part.
This said finishing drywall can be done by the do it yourself homeowner with the
right tools and material. To finish drywall you’ll need 6”, 8” and 10” drywall
taping knifes, a pole sander and sand screen, drywall paper tape, and all
purpose ready mix joint compound. Also have a shopvac close by, and make sure to
wear a mask and eye protection when sanding.
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Filling Nail Spots
and Bedding Drywall Tape into Seams
Start by using your 6” drywall taping knife to cover nail holes. Then go back
and begin to tackle the seams. Again use your 6” drywall taping knife to apply a
bed of joint compound into the seams. After applying the joint compound to a
seam, cut a length of drywall paper tape and place it over the wet seam. Use
your 6” taping knife to bed the tape into the seam, however don’t press so hard
that you remove the joint compound from behind the drywall tape.
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Once you have bedded the tape into
the joint compound apply a coat of joint compound (mud) over the drywall tape.
Repeat this process for all of the seams, including the corners. For the
exterior corners you will need to attach corner bead first if it has not already
been installed.
With the first phase of the drywall finishing process complete and fully dry,
you can move onto the next stage.
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Second Drywall
Finishing Mud Coat
Use your 6” drywall taping knife and
quickly run it over the edges of all the seams and nail holes to remove any high
ridges on the dried joint compound.
Next, use your 8” drywall taping knife to apply a second coat of joint compound
over the nail spots and seams. Feather out the seams another 2 inches wider on
each side of the drywall tape, so that you effectively flare out the seam. Also
do the same for the nail spots.
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Final Drywall
Finishing Mud Coat
After the second coat of joint compound has dried, use your pole sander and sand
screen to lightly sand the edges of all the seams so that they blend in with the
surrounding walls and ceilings. Then lightly sand directly over the taped areas
and nail spots to remove any high ridges.
Use your 10” drywall taping knife and apply a final skim coat of mud over the
drywall seams and nail spots. Again, feather out the seams another 2 inches
wider on each side of the seams. Likewise feather out the nail spots another
couple of inches in diameter. When feathering out the seams take long strokes
directly over and parallel to the seams.
After the final coat of mud has dried, use your pole sander and sand screen
again to lightly sand over the seams and nail spot edges to blend the joint
compound into the walls and ceiling. Also very lightly sand over the center of
the seams and nail spots.
Finally prime the walls and ceiling to complete the drywall finishing process.
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How to Repair a Large Drywall Hole Ebook
- If you have a large hole in your drywall and need to repair it,
you can
either call in a drywall contractor and pay an arm and a leg, or you can fix
it yourself. The "How
to Repair a Large Drywall Hole Ebook" will show you how to
repair your damaged wall so that it looks as good as new.
See HomeAdditionPlus.com's
Drywall Calculator
For more help on new home construction, see
HomeAdditionPlus.com’s
Home Construction Contractor Bid Sheets.
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Construction Contractor Bid Sheets
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Additional Drywall Resources from Amazon.com
Tools for Repairing Cracked Drywall Tape From Amazon.com
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