I’m a painter and drywall finisher for Penn State University and I do that same patch every day! Ha! Lots it’s student damages! I use fiber fuse like crazy, probably a roll or two a week! Awesome job!
I can't emphasize enough the truth about all-purpose (air-dry) mud vs the setting type. I'm not professionally trained as a drywall finisher, but I do drywall repairs or smaller finish jobs professionally when the need arises on bigger projects. I'm mostly self-taught or would pick up pointers and techniques here and there from subcontracted finishers. It took me years to learn what you said toward the end, as I didn't really understand the difference between the mud types. I eventually learned that all-purpose mud should only be used as a really thin finish coat, or final 2 coats if there's going to be a lot of sanding, but NEVER use it for the first (structural) coat because it shrinks and/or cracks when applied too thick, and it doesn't adhere as well as setting type mud. For those who are apprehensive like I used to be about "mixing" the setting type compound: Get 45 minute first, and only mix a little at a time until you get to know how to work with it. Once you feel it start to thicken/harden while troweling it out, STOP! Dump what's in your pan, clean your tools, and mix another batch. Once the stuff starts to harden even a little bit, it is practically unusable for anything except making a mess of your work because of how rapidly it cures. Do not try to add water to salvage what's in your pan, it won't work. Cleaning your tools is essential too, mainly because the setting type compound will strongly adhere to your tools, and will not rinse/scrub off (like the air-dry stuff) once it's cured. The only way to get tools cleaned at that point is sanding, or chiseling it off, which will likely ruin the tool. Just rinse and wipe tools clean while the mud is still malleable.
You can clean hardened plaster and quick set off tools more gently than chiseling or sanding, but it takes some time. You have to let the tools soak for a good 24 hours submerged in water, which will weaken the plaster. It still takes a little elbow grease, but can be accomplished much less aggressively with regular scrapers and/or scrubbies.
Stainless steel pot scrubber pad (its kinda like steel wool, but more like thin flat wires) works pretty good and quick unless it's dried for weeks, and even then works fine if you soak for a little while. My drywall work sucks, but I've figured out how to clean the tools pretty good from redoing everything over and over, lol
After putting down fiberglass tape whether you're patching or taping joints spray it with spray glue, that prevents any loose strands from standing up and creating all those little dots in your finish and you can just do everything in one coat of mud.
I'm saying it on a job I'm doing right now, water damage on a ceiling from a leaky toilet upstairs. But mines worse than that, it's a post WW2 house made when they were transitioning to drywall, it's got ¼" drywall nailed up with the rough plaster directly on it and then the finish plaster. After I got into it I was wishing it was the older lathe type of plaster wall, they're easier to fix after water damage than this nightmare is.
I have been in this position myself. Not the most ideal plan but, it works. I've found that cleaning the dust off with a damp sponge creates a easier and better bond between the speed set and the damage drywall. Thank you for the great content!!
If you mix quickset 5 mud with quickset 20 will it set up in the average of the two (or 12.5 minutes) if both parts are mixed equally? Ok, I’ve worked the last 14 hours so my attempt at humor fell on its face. Great video (again). I’m so glad I discovered you a couple of months ago. I’ve learned so many techniques and tricks from you. I love your sense of humor too. I’m from Canada (and want to return) so it’s nice to hear your Canadian accent speaking in English :). Keep up the inspiring and informative videos! Btw, I was a carpenter while working though college. I built houses and apartments and since they’re still standing I must’ve done a good job. I’ve also made surfboards and made a 17 foot sailboat. 👍👍👍 Btw, is Canada allowing Americans into Canada? I was born in Canada so I hope they’ll let me back. You’re so right, these are hard and strange times. Thank you for that heartfelt message Ben.
I learn so.much much from your videos.. You show mess ups, you dont hide the fact sometimes you have tonuse what you have on hand and make it work. Awesome Job Ben, and Thanks to you and your family for sharing.
If the viewers of this video never used fiber Fuse tape, please check it out! It’s a awesome product! You can make a patch disappear in (2) coats without much experience! The secret is lightly sanding the area after the embedding tape coat! If you sand off the minor fiberglass edges and allows the patch to be super flat! Then use 20 min mud and slightly over fill the area! I have the luxury of using a power sander to flatten it out but a radius 360 sand disc will work awesome too with lots of dust! Great results either way!
After putting down Fiber Fuse or any type of fiberglass tape or mesh whether you're patching or taping joints just spray over it with spray glue, that prevents any of those loose strands from standing up and creating all those little dots in your finish and you can do everything with one coat instead of sanding a first coat and then applying a second, much faster that way. It's one of the neatest tricks I've learned since I started doing drywall.
I'm a painter/ finisher and that's exactly how I do those patches...way faster and easier than cutting a whole a hanging new board or a stupid "California Patch"
Hey Ben, love the channel! Question for you, do you have any videos or info of what to do if remodeling a home and the drywall going up the wall was cut about 1.5 inches to short by the previous remodeler? They covered the wide gap between the wall and ceiling with moudling, I would like to do a better job than that. Any suggestions are appreciated, thank you!
Yup. Add a strip of drywall. It doesn't need to fit tight. Cut it a quarter inch small and split the gap on both sides. Then tape the joint and the corner. It's an annoying job but not too hard of one.
I did one similar to this and I added a layer of tape embedded within the thickness of the setting compound. I thought this sort of lamination would reinforce the repair. I wonder what you (or anyone) thinks of this.
Love the drywall patch videos. I am a renovator and most of what I do is small patches. I always keep a spray can of oil based zinser on hand to seal loose edges before skimming questionable drywall where the face paper is loose or torn. Nice thing us the primer will dry in about an hour if it's a light coat
I love the Fibafuse products. I have 120+ brick home...some cracks in the concrete skim coat and drywall sags on the walls/ceiling. I use the Fibafuse 36" x 150' rolls along with the 2 1/16" & 6" rolls...started skim coating my entire home following your techniques, but the 36" rolls of Fibafuse are a game changer. I simply coat the walls and cover it with the Fibafuse and smooth out, second coat next and....done after a light sand, ready for prime & paint.
Just found out your a skateboarder that makes sense because I feel more connected to your communication style. I’m a journey man carpenter in Eugene Oregon. If you pass through let’s push around. Ps: I am considering starting a RU-vid channel. Could you make a video of how you managed that lol.
I’ve done a lot of smearing power grab glue all over the loose stuff. I also shellac over any brown paper still exposed. But I’ll let the power grab dry for a couple days come back and then quickset fill/level all purpose to finish. kind of basing what I thought I should do off of many of your videos. Has worked well for anchor blowouts from prior drapery arrangements or ripped out toilet roll holders. -U10
First timer patching up similar project. What brand of "quick set mud" should I get? Putting that in home depot search gives me all types of joint compound including all purpose. All I have is all purpose at the moment and would rather get the right stuff from the start.
Had my living room rerocked then had a floor installed. The floor guys were hacks. They did a shit job and then after they left I was installing the baseboard and noticed they damaged the wall. Man I was so pushed. Luckily I'm a master Painter and repair man. Did the same thing and still solid no cracks. Oh I didn't use mesh. I'll never use that crap.
I am so surprised you didn't add Elmer's on this patch considering the crumble. I do it every time I use quick set now regardless of ceiling or wall. I know it might be overkill but I know it will always have good adhesion 😊 Take care and stay safe Ben.
You are my favorite RU-vidr, and you have given me the knowledge to do work on my own and get my jobs done efficiently and effectively. Keep up the amazing work!
Dang, wish I has seen this video prior to today. Just had this same issue happen to me on my stairwell yesterday. Instead of patching over like shown here, I removed all the crumbling sheet rock, and now I have a hole. I will have to use some backboard to fit some sheetrock, or maybe use the California patch?
I have some drywall that cracked behind hardware of stairway railing. I’m having trouble finding repairs that include the need to cope with having a handrail Re installed on top
That's pretty much what I do in situations where there's an exposed/damaged gypsum core but its hard to put a new piece in for whatever reason, nice to see someone with way more drywall experience than me using the same method. I know you hate Gardz but I usually saturate the core with it to glue down the powder and loose stuff and give it overnight to dry, then patch with durabond and all purpose the next day.
Even faster is using spray glue, it dries in minutes and then use it to spray over Fiber Fuse or mesh tape whether you're patching or taping joints, that prevents those loose strands from standing up when you smear on the mud that winds up making those little dots in your finish after you sand.
when would one use regular joint compound in the bucket? what can you NOT do with 45 min mud? can i finish coat with quickset mud or is that not good to do
Good lord the loose strings on mesh tape are so annoying. The brand of mesh tape we buy 9 out of 10 times you'll have a loose string off the end for the entire roll.
I'm 60 years old and I've been doing this work all of my life. I've picked up so many tips watching your videos, keep doing it please. The way you interact with your audience, the way treat your family whenever you speak of them or they are working your camara is just pure respect and love. You make my day every day. Thank you. May G-d bless you and your family.
Thank you! I’m removing my kitchen tile backsplash and only one spot had a little crumbling from the drywall. Luckily, my husband had all of the materials so I knocked it out before he got home.
It’s funny at my work I’m the only one using A California patch! It’s so fast and efficient! In my neck of the woods their called blow me patches! Lol! All our drywall is 5/8 buy I keep a piece of 1/2” for California patching! I actually have many California patches pre made for single gang mud rings made up in my work van!
$1 store hairspray the exposed paper and or gypsum. Needs to saturate, even if it takes 2 passes. Skim w/ hot mud & prime. Don’t forget that hot mud cures for sanding and recoat in the time on the bag but still requires 24hr set time for decorative coating.
It's like you're rebuilding the drywall sheet, they spread gypsum in mud on paper and press it together I think and then compress the factory edges which is why they don't behave well, they're compressed so breaking them doesn't always happen cleanly. I think you're right that this is stronger than a california patch because you have the strength of having both sides, paper and tape rather than just paper on the front, the thing is though I'd never california patch something larger than like 8x8 or maybe 10x10 or some rectangle in that ballpark. I use this type of patch every job because the boards are pretty bad and get blown out all the time during install. My boss told me that they've gotten so much worse since covid for some reason but they're weaker and get blown out along the flats and corners, Did a 12plex awhile ago and the board was delivered and sat stacked up in teh rooms for the rest of the trades to destroy throughout the whole job and they needed tons of repair before tape.
I know it's not much, but you don't bother to remove the residual paper as it might blister? Or seal it? Nvm just saw the mesh tape being used which locks everything down
Can’t you just use two coats of mud or maybe three, instead of using tape? The point of drywall is to be a wall anyways, it’s not to be a solid wall that can’t be penetrated.
Other than an impact, what could cause drywall to behave like that? I have this situation where the drywall has cracked and sort of flaked out in the corner of a room, on both sides of the corner. It's all up and down the wall. I'm thinking moisture, and there is a bathroom on the other side, but the bathroom isn't used very often and I see no other signs of a leak. I don't even think there's plumbing on the other side of the corner. We did have a slab leak that we thought was a foundation issue at first. Turned out the drain lines had rotted out...the clay under the slab expanded and shifted things around. Plus we had a drought. I don't see any other cracks like this in the house, though. Anyway I need to paint the room so I think I'm going to go with this method of repair. If the crack reappears I guess I'll just hang some new drywall and paint again.
I can't tell you how many times I've said "feather them edges" in all different applications, and people think I came up with it 🤣 don't worry, I give you the credit 🤣
This might be what I need to firm up a very small greasy soggy spot I have in the kitchen that's been crumbling. It sits dead center under a wall exhaust fan.
I have the hot mud but no mesh tape. Just the regular tape. Probably wouldn’t do as good but I’m sure it would get the job done. Personally I would probably do a California patch but that’s just me. lol
Would adding glue make it even stronger? I'm not really sure. I know it makes it grip better. When I've added glue I've also noticed that it also makes it almost impossible to sand and 'feels' stronger. I wonder.
Hey Ben! Question, how would that additive I've seen you use in the past, I forget the exact product, but i think it was like a fluffy glass fiber stuff you add to the mud instead of using mesh tape. Thanks for all the great videos !!
