How
to do drywall taping with perfect tools
Drywall
taping is a tedious job, but if it not
done properly any defects will show up when the
wall is painted. Taping has to be in
certain way for the finished wall to look perfect.
The first task is to make sure
that metal corners have been installed on all
the outside corners and that the
screws or nails
are sunk below the surface of the drywall.
What drywall taping tools are needed?
You must make sure that you have all the tools
you need before you start you drywall taping project. You need to have a plastering knife
for the walls and a tapered plastering knife
for the corners. You need to have a roll of plastering
tape and the compound/mud needed to apply the
tape to the wall. The compound will be used from
a tray called a hawk, which you hold in your
hand.
Use as plastering knife to place some compound
on the hawk. First you apply a layer of the plastering
compound over the seam where two sheets of drywall
meet by using the larger plastering knife. Then
you carefully apply the tape over this compound.
Then you take the plastering knife and while
pressing in, slide down over the tape so that
it sticks into the compound on the wall. The
excess compound will come through the holes in
the tape or out around the sides. This is scraped
off and can be reused. As you remove the excess
compound, slide it off the plastering knife onto
the edge of the hawk. When you are drywall taping
all of the seams, you can put the compound back
into the container.
A special drywall taping tool is the tapered
plastering knife that you use for the corners.
This tool is angled so that the correct amount
of plaster is used in the corners and they are
square, rather than rounded when you are finished.
The two sides of the regular plastering tool
are the same, but with this drywall taping tool
for the corners, one of the sides is designed
to fit into the corner as you press on the tape.
Drywall taping tips
Some
drywall taping tips:
- Don’t
use too little plastering compound. It is better
to scrape off the excess than have the tape
come off.
- Make
sure you remove all excess compound. This reduces
the amount of sanding you will have to do.
- When
doing overhead taping get yourself a safe
stand or stilt.
- If
you can use a
special drywall lift to easily
access all areas around.
Drywall taping requires patience, but the pride
you will feel when you see the finished product
will be worth the trouble you went through to
do the drywall taping.
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