I’m no beginner and I’m definitely no expert, but it is absolutely amazing that you can dig at the bottom of your bucket for mud and not get a single speck on your hand.
I just want to say THANK YOU!! Historically I have completed numerous of jobs with sheetrock repairs and my joints have always looked horrible UNTIL I came across your videos! I have watched hours of your videos and in one of my more recent projects I can finally give myself a pat on the back, THANKS to YOU!! Your videos are so informative and detailed! You have been such a great instructor!! Thank you so much!! Please keep doing what you do my friend!!
As a plasterer of 40 years I can agree with part of your process. No plasterboard finish can be achieved in one coat or even two it generally requires three coats of which the final coat is sanded. The taping coat and second coat need to be applied with a basecoat which is a gypsum based compound that sets up with a limited work time (usually within an hour) this compound has minimal shrinkage and is generally half the cost of a premix product ( a vinyl based compound) the top coat does not liked to be applied any thicker than 3 mm because it will create very fine bubbles that are hard to sand out and may require a recoat. I found the first 10 years of my trade the hardest. The trade has largely been condemned to the DYI realms but when you see a true master of the trade at work you will marvel at the speed and consistency. Ninety percent of any citizens in any country can drive a car but not everyone can drive like Michael Schumacher. Just observations.
Are you in America? I didn't think they did any proper plastering work there. Im a plasterer in the UK and the way we work there is 2 coats of gypsum plaster and absolutely no sanding. If something needs sanding it's cos it was done badly.
@@joebloggs9719 I am in Australia and we have adopted the American method of plasterboard (sheetrock) which you just trowel the joints 12 inches wide then sand. I also do a full set method which you polish off with your steel trowel (no sanding) so I do take umbrage to your comment. This video is about drywall/plasterboard and my comments on how this particular method is performed.
@@66tas95 I live in America and I have never seen anyone do one single coat 12” wide and call it finished. Maybe a homeowner who doesn’t know what they’re doing. I will always tape and apply at least two coats, usually the first (and maybe second) coat with fast setting compound and the final coat with a premixed topcoat. That’s how all the crews around here work.
I don't know why, but your channel is one of my favorites out of many. I've learned a lot about all of the things I have done wrong and improved quite a bit . Thanks for sharing so much.
Nice job. I use pan and knives rather than hawk and trowel but, whatever a guy learns on works. I was a taper for 23 years as a profession and still dabble in drywall today, 42 years later. Started in ‘81. On a patch this size, I’d probably break out my Darby. I was one of very few that used a 4’ darby to float bad areas. Ultimately, always remember that sheet rock is cheaper than mud and labor. If an area is too torn up, remove it all and start over. Gonna save you a lot of headaches and a bunch of time.
Yeah I agree with you there that sometimes you may run into drywall thats so damaged or whatever problem be it would be all around better (cheaper, faster, better look at the end, etc) to just replace the drywall in that problem area entirely. A really really good way to make large cut outs of drywall that is already hung on the wall is to use a jigsaw with a regular wood blade but the jigsaw blade length is cut to the thickness of the drywall that you're working on so that it barely cuts all the way through the drywall while its on the wall. You dont have to worry about wires or anything else - just cut. It cuts really fast and makes wayyyyy less dust (probably 95% less) than a drywall cut out tool. For the corners, I just use a multi-tool with drywall blade. Guys that were doing drywall cutouts after hurricane flooding were all using the jigsaw technique to cut and thats where/who showed me that.
I started using a pan and knife, but transitioned to hawk and trowel I found it faster/ easier on my wrist. After that only time i used a knife was taping and prefilling around bathtub/showers. Retired after messing up my back in a head on collision on the way to work one November morning. But yes if you have that many patches in one area, it is faster and less expensive to cut that out and just hang a new sheet of board
As a taper w over 20 yrs experience I love this video. It is something I instill in my apprentices. Well worded. I especially loved, think of this a liquid wall.
I admire you man!! I love watching your videos because I can see your passion and respect for your trade . When ever I need to reassure myself on a project involving drywall, I literally go straight to your videos and no where else!! Keep up the great teaching and content !
EXCELLENT! I am a heavy DIYer. I just took out three walls that were tile halfway up. and replaced the old wire and concrete tile with drywall. I thought about just mudding the gaps. But then I thought "self, you handsome devil, your best chance of making those gaps invisible is to mud the entirety of the new drywall, and then sand it all smooth. I did not know if that was the way it was supposed to be done, but it made sense to my logical processes. It is already done, but when I saw this title I had to come see whether or not the pro thinks I am an idiot for the way I did it. Turns out I got it right! Now I will sleep better. Thanks man!
I stumbled upon your channel and watched about six hours worth in the last day. Can't wait to watch this one. I'm beginning the mudding and taping phase of my garage this weekend and needed these pro-tips before I start! First time trying a big project and glad it's just my garage 🙂
Thank you very much! Sounds like my coffee today was on you😂 But seriously, thank you for helping me out a roof over my family’s head and food on our table. I couldn’t do it without you❤️
Mudding is a tricky trade to learn. This is why I subscribed to this channel, thank you for taking the time to give us tips. Drywall patching is a big part of my remodeling gigs.
You make the major building of your fillcoat look so easy, and very smooth on your flattening . I guess when you do Drywsll everyday(almost) then your hand motions become very efficient. I watch your vids to see how it’s done🤙🏽 good work!
It's always a joy to watch your instructional video's Ben!! I can't thank you enough for your free help. I've learnt absolute stacks over the years and it's lead me to be able to do some plastering weekend cashies, and was apart of the reason I left a high salary corporate job I hated and started a mature age chippy apprenticeship!!
@@losfromla1480 I was working in a sales rep job for pharmaceutical companies. To me it was a soul crushing job for me with little personal reward. Plus it's very cut-throat and there's little long-term security. I'm yet to regret my change to carpentry...apart from the pay cut to be an apprentice!
@@kournikovac2625 that sounds like a pretty bad job for someone who's got a conscience. Good on you for moving on to something not actively damaging your fellow citizens.
Absolute best tutorial I've ever seen, on anything. So great to see some great filling techniques explained like this. It makes it much more transferable once you understand why it's done that way. I plan to use these west coast tips all the way out on the east cost, in NS.
such a nice blend of natural comedy, great recoveries. honest example of how well all literally try to be the best only to wreck the entire thing obviously easy to fix but it feels terrible when you always want the best. and of course top of the line information and viewer friendly video. a true master of his craft. thank you
I hope some day I’m half as good as you. Thanks for giving me the confidence to drywall my downstairs by myself, turned out great and I couldn’t have done it without you!
As a fellow drywall pro, you did it 100% correct. I would add, that as most of your audience is probably DIYers, folks starting out, or other traders looking to improve their drywall game, they could do it the "wrong way" you showed first and then fill in between everything after that has set/dried
You are correct about how you approached the 3 patches. Next level is why have 3 patches in a row like that? Make it one big patch and you only have to cut one piece. You also delete 4 vertical pieces of tape that still want to hump out a little when running mud over them perpendicularly. Im just a 23 year finishing pro.
Don't be making bad comments about the video until you have watched the entire mini series. This started out as instruction of various ways to make a patch, then 3 ways to tape and now how NOT to apply mud. There were 3 holes for a reason.
Yep, make one big patch, also I would have skimmed it sideways not vertical, should be no sanding until final coat only scraping.....grinding off mud you put on is pointless....float it correctly or put another coat on...g
@@michaelmcfadden1622 oh brother, dude your gonna brag about how genetics has something to do with a certain country of origin? 🤦. He was using a hawk and trowel not a 6' plastering blade the ye old plasters of yore. I bet the queen is really good at plastering since she's from those parts hey?
This is really good. I've done it the wrong way before and I noticed the 'humps' 2 days later when I came back to finish and put a work light on the wall. In the end I sanded down the humps and used a straight edge to monitor the progress. Took longer than doing it the correct way but it did work out in the end.
I just started learning stucco recently. I’ve gotta say I’m extremely jealous of the muscle memory you have with a trowel. It all just goes right in one pass. It’s like watching a cartoon.
Thank you for explaining the different amounts of pressure and where to apply them, as you move across the all, to avoid lift-off. I had no idea about that. It explains a lot. I still have trouble with leaving little bubbles, think I'm not applying enough pressure.
I always love watching these "what not to do" videos so I can see what I've been doing wrong. I wait in anticipation to see where I've been going wrong. It's always satisfying when you reveal what it is we've been doing wrong to find that I in fact have been doing it correct. Well partially at least. By the time you hit that third patch I was thinking to my self "why not just patch all three as one big patch since they're so close together". Thanks for the tips
Had me worried. As you did each patch I was waiting for the “wrong”. I rarely (never) have had to do more than one patch close to another. Now I know what to do if that ever comes up.
I've picked up some good knowledge because of you brother! Love your videos always super helpful! Literally if I ever have a question about drywall I go on your page and look for the videos LOL. Good job brother.
Vancouver carpenter, I have honestly learned everything I know about drywall finishing from your videos, proud to say I make some damn fine work from your instruction! And no more subbing out my finishing on my Reno’s. You the man cool guy! Love from Victoria bc
Thanks so much Vancouver Carpenter!! I went out and bought a hawk & trowel because you make it look so fun (&easy! ), but it's NOT!! Any who I'm still practicing, getting better, and loving your vids, please keep posting your work!!
Glad you made a video of this. All your videos are vary educational.I've been taping for 10 years. Ppl don't understand how much we have to think about to be a good taper
Hey Ben I’m a big fan of your videos I think you do a great job at educating yourself and then passing on that knowledge to others! So recently I was working on a job and had to tape some off angle corners in a vaulted ceiling and after I finished I thought wow that was actually pretty difficult and was wondering if you had any videos on mastering off angle tape seams! I didn’t see any but i think it would be a great addition to your drywall taping series!
I myself use straight flex tape in my outside 45 degree angles and inside. You can run the mud like you would on a corner but I just kill the edge of the flex tape. 2 coats.
Firstly, thanks for your valuable time making these videos. How much do you thin your mud and do you add powdered quick setting compound to it? Yours certainly smooths out better than straight out of the bucket.
Great video. The last pass you made to cause the liftoff line at the top, I chase those forever. Nice to hear you say that can just be sanded out. Great method to taper edges first, then flatten the middle. Never been taught. 64 years old and was in construction for 45 years, never drywall. Only watched the good ones, who like yourself make it look easy. Only do small patches at my house. Will check out all your other videos. Corner tape and corner to ceiling tape are killers for me. Thanks again!!!
Even when I don’t have a project going on, I find it super, and oddly, satisfying to watch the way you expertly mud drywall. It’s a trade I’ve never mastered, have tried again and again, and have accepted that I’ll never be good. Yet I still keep trying it. 🤷♂️
I've only recently had my first couple of drywall repairs. Actually one was a ceiling where I replaced a 4x8 area of a textured ceiling. I used 2x4 sections working alone with no equipment or experience lol . So with tape around each of 4 panels by trying to blend tape and texture made the humpy borders even more pronounced. I eventually textured the new material and put a coat over the entire ceiling and gave it a knockdown appearance. Good enough for carport storage and fortunately only a 6x12 ceiling. Yes building up the high spots is stupid lol
Thank you, Ben. I know this video is over a year old, but I needed to tell you that I just did a ceiling joint inside corner re-tape due to your videos, and instructions. The tape had failed, and was sloughing off, and pulling away from the ceiling so the wall had really bad bubbles from it. It was cracked, and all messed up. The job I did wasn't absolutely perfect, (a few minor bubbles), but it looks way nicer than it did before I did it. I had to do a ton of prefilling because the original installers left too much of a gap, which is probably why the tape failed. I'm leaving the bubbles as is until I sand down the hideous mop texture from the ceiling. Then I'll do it all at once. I'm not planning to skim coat because I'll be trying to not sand down to bare drywall. If I end up removing it to paper I'll use PVA drywall primer, and paint with dead flat ceiling paint as I'm not even close to experienced enough for a full skim. Once again, thank you for all your help, and contributions. I wouldn't have been able to do what I've done without it.
Perfectly done, I'm 4TH gen carpenter that specializes in taping. Love the fact you overworked ur last pass-glad I'm not the only one that does that. I wanna see stilts next, I spend a ton of time on them.
I too am a carpenter that does way too much drywalling. After years of watching you'd videos, I have joined my skills to produce some very nice results. I keep watching you as there is always some little detail I can learn from & a big thank you for taking the time to teach all of us. Also, G'day from Oz.
You're easily the best drywaller on the internet. I love watching your videos but usually (and stupidly) it's right AFTER I've screwed up some of my own drywall repairs. Thanks for rocking your trade with awesomeness!
You taught me how to do drywall. It's now my spiritual practice. Just wanted to say, when I was learning, I never really understood how "ok" it was to leave large liftoffs, non-smooth textures, etc. I know it's a PITA, but close ups or indirect lighting would enlighten your students much more.
If you are learning how to finish drywall from his videos you are in real trouble. I have been finishing for almost 30 years. This guy is not doing it correctly
I just finished plastering my house. I knew some about plastering but you gave me the last 30 percent of knowledge. As a result it looks perfect now. Thx from Holland
My mud/tape work has improved greatly from watching your videos. I use to dread it now I actually enjoy it. More material usage in the right areas with a lot less sanding in the end. Thank you!
Most people approach taping like they're just taping the joints. Maybe in new construction, that is the case. But in remodeling we're constantly patching or, tying into old drywall, In some cases we're patching into existing plaster. The thing that took me the longest to learn is to not be afraid of laying on the mud. Lay it on there and shape it. The second thing is to leave well enough alone...get it on the next coat...lol Even if it looks perfect now, when you come back the next day after it dried and shrinks, it's gonna look like ass again. Sand the highs and apply more mud where needed. The thicker it is, the more it shrinks.
Drywall shims can help but also not putting mud where you don't need it is important, I will sometimes use an old auto body dent repair trick and spray a guide coat on the wall ,where you take ,after you sand and it's all kinda wavey, you take flat black spray paint and lightly spray it around the area you want super flat, and then sand it off in an X fashion! then when you dust it off and look at all the high and low spots ,they stick out like a sore thumb ! Apply mud where you still see the guide coat scrape clean where there is no need to build up mud! just keep doing that untill it's, bam! you know what I'm saying ??🤓💯✌🏻💪
You are not supposed to sand between coats. You take your 12-inch knife and give it a scrape and put mud right over, nothing should be sanded until after the final coat is on.
@@marcellemay7721 after over 25 years I have never had to sand, I have never seen a professional drywall finisher sand something that needs more coats. I've put on multiple 5 gallon buckets of mud in one day on many occasions. I'm actually finishing drywall right now.
I've made an art of doing it the wrong way :) I'm currently fixing up my bathroom and the original walls are terrible. I see every glob, divot, pop out, and mistake the original drywallers did. I'm fixing them all. The walls are looking better now than when the house was new. It's amazing how much better the quality is when you're doing the work for yourself vs paying someone else to do it.
love these videos, what brought me here was I paid a “professional” drywaller $1300 to frame in a wall /mud and tape and do large patches and ceiling work in my basement for an apartment project i’m doing . He made an absolute mess. The wall was twisted /crooked and the mudding was horrendous. So i had to fix his mess myself. I’m no drywaller. I’m ok around reno’s etc but there’s a reason I hired someone to tape and mud. Anyways thanks to your videos I finished the project and the walls/ceilings looks pretty decent now but god damn the amount of sanding and coats I had to put on. lol. Thought my arms were going to fall off. Respect to this trade.
I almost always coat the entire wall because I don't have years of experience. I trade my time and mud for that lack of experience. And I'm almost always dealing with texture so I fill in the texture to flat and then texture again. It's the only way for me because matching textures is not in my tool box. Same with painting...whole wall.
Very interesting to watch. But I have never encountered three large areas to handle as one. In fact, I have never felt the need to use a hawk and trowel, just various width knives. Still, I enjoy watching pro's at work.
Great stuff! I started off as a new construction finisher at 14 years of age. I’m 28 now. I’d work summer, winters, and weekends. Did this for about 4 years till I graduated high school. Then, I did commercial and industrial drywall for about 2-3 years and then I got into remodeling. I learned drywall from a guy that has now been doing drywall finishing for 30+ years. I dedicate myself to patching more than I do to any type of new construction. I have my own company and have seen hundreds, if not thousands, of finishers throughout the years and I can say that watching this made me happy. I had GC’s and contractors ask me in the past that why did I almost do a level 5 on 3-4 patches that are on the same wall. You just explained it the way I did to them. There will be noticeable humos on the wall due to the feathering in between each patch. Since then, I’ve done my own work and customers praise the finishing work I do. I wouldn’t have been able to do this without the people that taught me and from years of experience. Love the work man, keep it up
Ok, dude I love your videos, but the issue with this one is that, that bad drywall patch technique looks better than any patch I have ever done. I have so much to learn. Thank you for taking the time to teach. Love it.
While I agree about not leaving the in-betweens, it's far and few that anyone has 3 or 4 giant patches. If it's that bad, just bid to float the whole thing.
This technique also works on new drywall if you have two joints that are close together. It actually makes it easier to send because you have less feather edging.
Rookie here, you make that look easy. Understanding the goal, seeing the how to, and then the practice starts as I am doing a bathroom over. Thanks for the video any help is good. Cheers!
As soon as you stepped back I was thinking from an auto body stand point there would be voids between repairs lol. It the same way when we repair dents close to each other. Great video
@@vancouvercarpenter just feed back from one dude but just drop it a handful of hours before it actually releases. 2-5 hours or something. Btw huge huge huge help to me man I’ve basically learned everything in 2 or 3 years of watching your videos and then bidding out a job and doing it. Then making a mistake and then going back to the videos and doing it again. Thanks a lot I love how you just do it so skillfully
According to that theory you should coat the whole wall… there are different ways you could coat patches, one is individually then tie them in after they dry which makes it easier to mud. The other is to do it the way you did it. You will always leave humps no matter what unless you have a big straight edge and you go really wide then level 5. It comes down to the customers wants/needs in my opinion. Like the thought that you put into your videos by the way.
Liked how you showed the troweling technique. It seems to me that this kind of work is all in the wrist and how you hold the trowel. as well as the methodology of application. Actually leaned something. Thanks again.
Helpful video. Flatting out high spots like your 3 patches together, helps create the illusion of flatness, and will most likely look perfect without texture!
Having your mud mixed correctly, also helps. Not to lose and not so heavy. If it’s heavy, you’re going to see a lot of air pockets. You always wanna put on heavy the first time applying in the mud ,you can sand and fill in where needed. Meaning if you have a ridge and it’s not that high, you can always knock it down when it dries and then fill in the next time you apply the mud……. OK drywall mix, lol plaster , what ever you wanna call it.
Dang, you make it look so effortless. I was glad to see you do that last pass and regret it; it made me feel so much better, lol. The "one more" screws me on just about everything in life haha.
This is the truest thing ever. I had a ton of patches in a wall and had so much feathering and what not I should have just skimmed the wall. Textured and primed, and during paint got the light across the wall at a shallow angle and it looked....insane. Just blend it all together man, he's right.
Thank you for solving my question! I started to rock and mud in 1987 with our first house built in 1902. I haven't done any sheetrock or mud for the past 15 years though. I just framed in an old 24" doorway and have 3 coats of mud on the taped seams, feathering out (and in) with a 10" blade at the last pass ... what do I do with the sheetrock still exposed in the middle? Now I know. I will continue to join the 2 sides together and probably float the entire wall since this is a 70+-year-old house. I want the entire wall to be smooth without any humps. I really enjoy your videos and your particular attention to the details - pressure on the blade at each pass, as well as "don't worry about the bubbles for now." This sure is a lot harder to do in my 60s since I am definitely not as strong, but your videos are encouraging me to learn even more for an excellent finished wall. Have a great day Vancouver Carpenter!
Been doing this for 20years. Your point is very good and clear. You definitely need a larger trowel at least 18-24 inch. Will Give your better leveling and finish. Good luck.
excellent, thank you. mixing the mud to consistency for coating vs. taping is important, i was trained to use a banjo, 'tube' or bazooka and evn a hopper box. had a blast rebuilding 'n remodeling. ☮️
I learned from the old plaster and lathe guys in the 80s, they knew how to swing a trowel like nobodies business. I still keep my weapons sharp and clean, a clean trowel makes all the difference in how much sanding you'll do after every fill. I can't count the number of times I took flack on a job site for taking my time polish coating with my trowel work but on the worst day of all, sanding day, I was finished and packing up in a quarter of the time it took the others to grind down their mess with a pole sander. I did this trade for 25 years and left it behind me with zero regrets, but it sure is a money saving godsend every time you need to open up walls on your own properties.
