Taping Drywall for Beginners Day 3(Final Coat) 

Dude is the Bob Ross of drywall mudding!

I consumed loads of your videos and completed a successful drywall job, which turned out great for a first timer. Thank you! After my first day of taping, I couldn't wait to get back in there and finish it up. I'll be drywalling more in the future :)

9:26 "Just do it. It takes what it takes until it's right." Probably the best advice I've heard and true in a variety of circumstances. Keep up the good work and thanks.

You are such a natural teacher, it's really impressive. Not everyone who is an expert at something can put themself in the mindset of a beginner. Nicely done man!

Dude, I’m a general handyman kinda guy who has a water damage restoration project on the go, and your tutorials are a great help in giving me confidence to tape, mud and sand the drywall. Keep doing what you’re doing.

Drywall mudding is definitely an art form. You’re an artist as well as a damn good teacher. Always learning & getting better as I go.

I finished the first coat today on two walls I’m resheetrocking and I thought to myself “wow, that looks really good. When did I get so good at mudding?” Then I realized it was after I started watching your videos.

I have watched like 40-50 diy drywall videos and that was the first time anyone said the blade was curved!!! my mind just exploded.

One thing I've heard you say before that makes a ton of sense is "It's not how you put it on, it's how you take it off." Keep saying that

I am a former IT guy trying to reno our house pretty much by myself. Your videos are immensely helpful for my drywall repairs. Thanks very much.

Hey Ben, thanks for all you do. I was a sucker when it came to drywall. But ever since I started watching your videos, it has become my favorite thing to do as a handyman. Even my coworkers rely on me to do all the drywall repairs now. Thank you!

Great job with the instruction Ben! Keep ‘em coming.

I subscribed well over a year ago and I tend to watch / re-watch a couple of your videos before doing my next DIY drywall project. Great tip here about lift-off is good but leaving a line is bad because of needing to sand to the low spot (instead of just sanding-off the lift-off highspot). Your commentary and explanations are great because if one just watches a pro it can be impossible to discern the technique that's being used in any particular step. Thanks!

One of the most amazing things about these videos is that you're not consistently swearing a blue streak like me whenever I try to fix anything in my 130 year old house. Awesome stuff man as always

Holy crap... the tip at 17:20 about the convex side of the knife / lift offs vs lines. So well illustrated and explained!

I recently found your tutorials, and I wanted to say that I am extremely thankful for the content you’ve created! I was anxious about taking on a larger scale drywall project, but the information you’ve provided, delivered in such a concise and informative manner, has been extremely helpful! Very often, instructional videos are laborious to watch, but you are direct with how you deliver the information, thorough and extremely knowledgeable, while exhibiting a great amount of pride in doing a great job, which is inspiring to watch! Thank you!

I have probably watched every video on drywall taping you have made. I still feel like I pick up something new each time. Thank You.

Its actually kinda nice to see you struggle a bit around the electrical boxes. It shows that even pros have tough spots to deal with.

As a pro finisher for 30yrs, this guy can teach a lot of great things, keep it up, i was tought by a french canadian who is a great finisher👍

In the last year or so I stopped working in the art/photography world and took a HARD 180 into DIY and working with a painter and GC. Its been a hell of an adjustment BUT your vids have helped me tackle my own house stuff. Right now I am skimming my REAL awwwwwful horror show of a job I did when we moved into our south surrey 70s build townhouse. These 3 vids helped me more in a couple hours than all the hands on I have been getting in the field. Thanks a ton!

Wow! Great info! As always, delivered in an easy to understand fashion with great examples. Appreciate all you do. Fantastic channel.

19:28 "I'm not a protractor" - you're the opposite, in fact... a contractor! Thanks so much for the videos, they've been a huge help.

I absolutely love how you showed how to deal with a true ball-breaking area of a wall! most videos I've seen on drywall technique just show the easiest stuff and call it a day! I learned a ton watching this series so far and I thank you for it! Color me subscribed!

Good point on differences between methods of DIY vs at day at the office as a subcontractor. I appreciate that you took the time to film and did the mental gymnastics of explaining while doing. I look forward to hearing non-drywall things you have figured out over the years.

By far the best video out there. Thank you for your time!

We do kitchen & bath remodels, but our subs do the drywall work. I'm doing my own master bath remodel down to bare studs, thus all new drywall. 17 inside corners! Your videos have been immensely helpful getting me over my novice techniques into the world of pro techniques. Repeat after me: Feather, Feather, Finish...

I give all you drywall pros props. Heck, all the home skill trades! Thanks for giving us regular folks hope.

Holy smokes good timing. Literally taping and muddying my basement this weekend and needed a bit of a refresher

Watching this demo gives a nudge to try it your self. The drywall skill set comes with practice and artistic talent. It brings out the Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni in you.

Again, THANK YOU for making a hard job look easy😁 Nothing beats experience, but your videos sure help

Great information....I learned here, to listen to the scraping noise of the troweel...it tells me about my pressure which was helpful.

One of the top 2 dry wall guys on you tube!

I like to fall asleep to your videos. Such a relaxing voice! Im also mudding the walls in my house and im hoping your tips embed themselves in my brain 😅.

It's funny but I used to just do this stuff without a lot of thought but here I am trying to up my drywall game! I used to think I was pretty good at this but not a pro, I am more humble now, so many little details I never knew .

Great content! I’m in the middle of redoing a room that had some horrendous drywall work done when the house was built 35 years ago, I’ve referenced your vids numerous times and they’ve been a great help! I’m actuality getting better at it as I go (of course as I conquer all the mistakes I’m making as well) Still have the whole rest of the house to redo but….. it’ll get there eventually🤦🏻‍♂️ I’m not looking for absolute perfection because short of tearing everything down to the studs and starting over ( or skim coating every square inch of wall and ceiling ) I just don’t think it’s possible but it is looking much much better. Thank you!

Super helpful. I'm came here because I have a butt joint near a toilet water supply pipe. Also I have some spots to build up. Glad to see that you handle similar situations

I've been binge-watching your videos and went to spackle a room and man you make it look so easy

Wonderful work. Wonderful teaching. Very helpful. Thank you.

Thank you thank you for doing that tricky part of the wall. Most other videos available on RU-vid showing you how to skim coat only show a plain blank wall. I just did one side of my kitchen that had 3 switches and and outlet plus going around the bottom of my upper cabinet. A pain and makes me wonder if I’m really so horrible, but this video is both helpful AND makes me feel better about what I did.

Will you ever give real plastering a try, even if it's just a small test square? You have the technique of applying plaster down already, since it's so similar to applying mud. Plastering gives a lot nicer and more durable finish, and doesn't require any sanding afterwards.

Really excellent demonstration and explanation.

Well forgive the leaving the switches in, Great class ! Again !

Re: switches. I always pull them out and tape the terminals then put them back in: I don't want to mud over where the metal bracket touches the drywall anyway because makes it a nicer finish for the wall plate.

Our walls and ceiling have been half taped and partially mudded for over a decade. Getting up the nerve to finish the job....and FINALLY paint.

Great job explaining the very basics to me. Great foundation to build my skills on.

I definitely finished a few joints watching this. Thanks for the content!~

Hey have been doing a basement renovation to add two finished rooms and your videos have been extremely helpful, thank you so much for the explanations and examples! tapping and mudding is definitely and art form. Have had pretty bad results with the regular paper tape with bubbles etc so have surrended to the easier to use mesh! thanks again!

As a contractor in Oregon believe me when I say Ben makes this look easy! It ain’t…

i wish we would use these light muds in germany, for some reason most painters in my area use the most horrid and hard stuff ever, pufas sh45, even with the planex2 and 80 grid it's a hassle to work with. meanwhile you guys can just sand with a pole sander like it's nothing, so much easier on the body

best channel to learn drywall finish work! Thank you.

Tour de force episode, Ben.. and I've binged out on your channel for 2weeks.. when they run out I'll go cold turkey.. whatever's in them can't be legal!! ;)

I LOVE how those switches are not covered. I can already hear crunchy button action.

Pure art! We watch in the hope that one day we can achieve this!!!!

Great instructions/tutorial, I've learned a lot in the past few videos! Thanks very much!

I really appreciate your teaching style. Thanks for the help.

Just push the hrv wall control in through the caddy. That'll make it much easier to work around the quad switch box.

Wish I had seen this video before I redid my basement!! Makes drywall work look so much easier! Cheers

16:49 Which side of the knife to use? Probably should have been in day 1 video but explained here. Overall very nice explanation on steps involved.

As an electrician, those electricians installing their switches before the walls are finished are for sure insane. It is so counter-productive to them alone, let alone your work flow.

Did i miss it or is it not necessary to wipe the dust off after sanding between coats.

Me watching this after i put up drywall at 3am😂

First of all big shout out of thanks for your videos and teaching ability! I have learned tons even before putting into practice all the methods. But in progress... Anyway my only complaint is that you would work more with what us do it your selfers would buy at the local big box stores. (knives, pans, rolls of tape) I had NO clue there was a convex side of a knife either!!! That info was worth the price of admission. Keep up the good work! If you record it, i will come see! OK. I just watched a video of you in an American Home Depot. VG. I'll just go sit in the corner now....

very interesting set of videos. but how to tape the corners between a drywall and a standard wall? two different materials most of the time lead to cracks in the taping

Am I the only one here thinking that he made this look so easy, I thought I could do it myself, but now I'm going to have to hire him to fix my DIY job?! :D Just kidding. I think it will come out fine. I watched all these videos for my first drywall job, and it's four years and still going strong--but doing my second, four years later, and it is NOT as easy as he makes it look!

Great video. Very helpful. Sadly I think I've over mudded under the tape... and over it... and I've created a hump. Is my only way fwd to sand it right back down? Even if this means sanding out the tape?

Is it true that sanding mud without wearing a mask gives you grey hair ?🤔

I think the hardest thing to do is to stop and allow sanding to take care of the rest. I see lines and I'm like nope, gotta get it all nice and smooth haha

Hi Mr. VC~ Thoroughly enjoyed Day 1 AKA 'Taping drywall for beginners.' My question: is there a 'Day 2' video?

Thanks for showing the mistakes you made, (now I know you’re human like me 😂). And thanks also for giving us an idea on how to work around the tight areas that’s pose more of a challenge!!!

No kidding i just started seem filling today was my first day doing anything other than screws the guy im learning from can basically seem fill with mud the constitancy of paint on a ceiling i can berly get a half trowel of the stuff to a wall without loosing 3/4 to the floor XD

Hey, my brother recommended your video´s and they really helped a lot. I´m from Belguim and not so much good dutch video´s of drywall or jointfilling. So thanks a lot. I have one question... do you remove the dust after you sanded your first layer, or can I just leave it and mudd over it? In a other video you said you leave it on, but that was before painting. Only in corners with a paintbrush. Thanks a lot in advance.

happy 500k man!

I use 10 and 12 inch knife you make that trowel look easy

Bro,I live in hawaii and I must say the advice you give in your videos is spot on! You come off as totally cool and not at all condescending,I am also a carpenter who does a lot of everything that a renovation may entail,I commend you bro,if your ever in hawaii,specifically Oahu,hit me up,the ladies would love u......aloha

Are there any tips you can offer for fixing sagging ceilings? Some places have cracks where the sheets separated but other spots seem fine. I was only going to cover the new screw holes in some places but where there are cracks I feel like I should cut along the tape like you do for wall cracks. Any advice would be great or maybe a video one day? haha.

I really like your videos, its been really usefull . But i just want to be sure about one thing. For the inside corner, its just 2 coats or 3??? Looks like its just 2 🤔

Excellent videos. Very clearly explained. Thanks.

Is the lightweight mud you use air drying? Awesome stuff always enjoy your content here and on your skate channel Ben. Thanks so much for your excellent detailed instruction.

Thank you for this!

I am looking for a video to just patch Sheetrock sheets that have not gone to the base. Does the whole wall need to be mudded or just the areas where a part of the top layer has been pulled off?

I can’t find the short on three-way taping. Can you provide a link…? Thank you.

Looks amazing, hope my little $ comes through to you. Thanks man!

Concerning the electrical outlets and switches. Yes, they are usually very easy to remove and install, but not always. There are newer switches that are not as straightforward as the old style. The biggest reason not to pull them is liability. If you are not a licensed electrician, it is illegal to do electrical work on any permit jobs. If anything happens, it's on you 100%. There's also the last touch rule which is essentially, if you touch it you have taken responsibility for it. Another issue is your own safety. Chances are you are not going to be able to turn off the power to a given outlet and run the risk by messing with a live circuit. Master electricians avoid live work as much as possible because it's not safe, even for someone who is very experienced. Additionally, if it's new construction and the final electrical inspection hasn't been done, there's a chance something may be wired wrong, especially on large jobs. Your best bet if you're worried is to tape off the contacts (realistically you should be taping off the switches and outlets to cover them anyway, especially on new construction [yes I saw him smack the expensive multi-button controller with the blade]). Even just cramming cardboard in the sides will work.

Hey thanks for all of the awesome videos man! Super helpful for ke, w carpenter who keeps getting more calls to do drywall bahahaha When i sand between coats i try to wipe the dust off rhe wall with my hand but it always still seems a little dusty... How do you get the dust off lol

So you don't feel you could save time with a inside corner trowel?

16:08 is it fair to say that sanding is the way to learn how you should treat that situation?

Thank you!

No need to wipe the dust off after sanding before applying the final coat?

If you're like me Ben we really don't need this third coat we just always do this to make it perfect

It would be useful to have Canadian Amazon links as well

Thank you! What trowel are you using? Do you prefer it over the Marshalltown DuraFlex Finishing?

When I go to finish the other side of corners my mud always starts to crumble in the corners. Why is this? I feel as though I have it mixed enough with water. And I’m positively sure I’m not gouging the other corner.

Question. On day 3 what type of mud did you use? I see day 1 we did Joint Compound and All purpose. Day 2 was the Plus 3/lite (for canada).

A couple years ago you did a video on window sills. What material do you use for the sills? I can’t find one shaped similar to what you used in the video!

Ben did get a 14" curry? Thought you only had the trusty 12". I have 12" 14" and 16"

Hey Ben i started priming over previously sanded mud because i was geting these ridges or halos. Not sure what to call it but anyway. I started priming to protect the previous mud. Am i just wasting time doing that?

Awesome work dude!

I just had my house dry walled and there’s pin holes everywhere the guy who did it painted over the pin holes my question is would you have left pinholes or would you have fixed them before you painted

Got a question for you. There was a leak in my garage that ran the entire width of the ceiling. The garage isn’t finished but it was tapped. The drywall is in good shape, no notable damage other than water stains, leak is not active. Can I mud and finish the drywall or should I replace? Trying to avoid replacing because the builder used sheets that are wider than what is available at the box stores.

He is using plus 3 for the 2nd and 3rd coat and just thinning it out for 3rd?