DIY taping and drywall finishing

Are you considering attempting a DIY taping job? Once your drywall / plasterboard / sheetrock (all the same thing) has been hung, you may be pleased to hear it’s a relatively straightforward process and nowhere near as daunting a task as you may think. The work is physically demanding but the job satisfaction is second to none and anyone relatively fit can do it. You will be able to progress from bare plasterboard to a finished article ready for decoration in 3 thin coats over a few days regardless of what some experts tell you.

A word of warning! If you need a small area finished in a single visit due to time constraints I suggest you use plastering instead. However, I guarantee it won’t be dry and ready to paint any quicker than taping it.

I am presuming you wouldn’t have automatic tools for the job so will recommend a few hand tools that can do the job to an acceptable standard. Some basic tools required will be a 4”, 6” and a 10” or 12” taping knife (or plastering trowel), a hawk (or pan), a set of snips, nothing more abrasive than 120 grade sandpaper, and a hand or pole sander. Last but not least, you will need some dust protection for your general health and property. Trust me, you really don’t want to be breathing the dust or allowing it to contaminate any furniture.

Before you begin, you will also need some materials such as joint compound (ready mix or bags), setting compound, paper tape, (fibre tape if using the alternative method), and corner tape or bead. As a general guideline for coverage, the walls and ceilings area, external metal angles and screw holes need 3 coats, and internal tapes need 2.

The fundamentals of taping are fireproofing to a certain extent and decoration and every taper and jointer should aim to leave a snag free seamlessly smooth finish ready for painting. There are certain stages to the process that involves making sure all the tapes are applied, and covering them with layers of joint compound building up the applications much the same way a painter does. Each separate coat of compound should be applied wider but shallower in depth than the last one. (If that makes sense? By this, I mean very thin applications.)

There are 2 methods you could use for applying tapes. Paper tape or fibre tape for the flat areas, please use one or the other but don’t use both.

Before you begin, fill any large cracks and gaps with a setting compound and make sure the boards are screwed up properly.

Paper tape method
If you have any butt joins (these are the flat edge of plasterboard) you may want to apply these first as this allows any overlap in paper tape to be done beneath the bevel edge joins. To begin with, apply a generous covering of joint compound using the 6” knife onto the joins in the boards (you may want to cut these lengths to size first), then stick the tape to the compound using the taping knife to push the tape onto the joint making sure that there’s no air bubbles trapped underneath the tape. Remember to leave some compound underneath the tape and remove any major excess of compound proud of the board while attempting to leave a very thin skim. Repeat the same process for all the bevel edge sheets until all the flat areas are completed.

(If you’ve used this method, please skip the fibre tape method)

Fibre (scrim) tape method
(Only use as an alternative to the paper taping method on flat boards. DO NOT USE ON INTERNAL OR EXTERNAL CORNERS!!) Dont ask me why, just dont do it.
This is sticky backed mesh tape commonly used for small patches and working environments in colder climates so that it allows 2 coats on a single day. Consider applying the butt joins first, and then all the rest as this allows any overlap in scrim tape to be done beneath the bevel edge joins. Fill all flat tapes with a setting compound like you use for corner angles, using your 6” taping knife, taking care to remove all excess material which is proud of the drywall because unlike air drying joint compound, this stuff is a menace to remove later once it has hardened. You can jump straight onto the second coat from here once it has set.

Internal corners angles are different. These angles (usually 90 degree right angles) intersect the join between 2 sheets on adjacent walls or the angle between walls and ceiling. Measure the sizes of paper tape needed and cut to the lengths required using your taping knife. If you look closely you should notice that the tape comes with a crease already indented, fold this over for the complete length of the tape measured. Now using either a large paintbrush or 4” taping knife, apply air drying (not setting) joint compound to both sides of the internal angle taking care not to leave any dry areas where the tape will lie. Using your thumbnail, press the tape snugly into place on the joint making sure that there’s no air bubbles trapped underneath the tape. Go over the whole area pressing the tape into the join with the 4” taping knife making sure you press it right into the corners. Remember to leave some compound under the tape and remove any major excess of compound proud of the board. As with taping the flat joints, leaving a very thin skim on top of the tape and filling any indents will help your next coat adhere better once it has dried.

External corner angles will structurally reinforce any corners which may take a knock over the course of time. You can use metal corner bead that comes rolled in a box or a plasterers corner profile bead and this is your choice or preference. Pre cut these to size with the tin snips, plasterer’s bead should be tacked into place with small screws or nails to create the profile, the corner tape roll which consists of two metal strips bonded to paper will also need cut to size and left handy nearby. Now mix up some setting compound remembering to add your material to water, and not vice versa. This is different to the joint compound material you used as it sets solid in around 90 minutes, however other derivatives of setting compounds are available in 20 and 45 minute set versions. To bond the tape onto the corner you must generously coat the area the tape will be placed, then take the pre cut tape and press it onto the corner and manipulate it until you are happy that the profile is uniform to the surrounding plasterboard and any angles are correct. Using window reveals as an example, these should be as close to 90 degrees as possible. Remove any excess compound with the 6” taping knife while trying to leave a relatively flat finish to use as a base for the next coat. Plasterer’s beads should be flushed off in the same manner.

Make sure screw heads are fixed properly and below the surface of the plasterboard, if they are proud screw those in a half turn at a time making sure not to burst the drywall paper. Fill these nails with any surplus setting compound.

Once all the tapes are applied, give your work a quick once over looking to remove any air bubbles and remove any excess compound from the drywall. Give yourself a pat on the back and go put the kettle on. That’s stage 1 over and done with, well done!

Once your work has dried thoroughly, give it a quick rub with sandpaper removing any nibs that may be proud. However, if you did this while the compound was still workable you shouldn’t have to.

Now may be a good time to give a tip on efficiency and speed before we continue. It is always quicker to put more on the plasterboard than you actually need then swipe off the excess compound rather than take ages filling a small bit at a time. On and off in the shortest possible time.

Skim all the flat tapes with a thin coat of joint compound using a 10” blade, then ‘one half’ (wall or ceiling – your choice) of the internal tapes with the 4” knife. Skim both sides of the external corner tape removing excess compound from both of these and fill the screw holes again.

Once everything has had a second coat, stage 2 is finished. Let it dry, preferably naturally overnight. Small heaters and the like should be OK but I don’t recommend gas space heaters as they can crack the plasterboard.

For the third and final coat, give everything you have done so far a light sand to remove any nibs. This coat is only a very, very thin layer with feathered edges to remove any blemishes and scratches. This coat is so tight to the previous application that it may seem you are taking the entire compound back off again. What you have to do is skim all the flat tapes wider than you have done before, this is where a 12” taping knife or plasterers trowel comes in handy. Take care to fill in any dings and any defects that are below the surface of the plasterboard. Go over the screw heads once again and coat up the remaining half of the internal tapes with the 4” knife. Apply another skim coat to both sides of the external corner tape. Don’t worry too much about excess joint compound on the corner edge as these can be removed easily during the sanding process.

It may only take a few hours or preferably overnight to dry. If you are using one of the harder compounds I suggest you sand it down as soon as it dries.

Make sure you use a respirator, cover any furniture and mask up anywhere you don’t want drywall dust to go. (I’m not kidding; these particles are fine and can contaminate your whole house for weeks). If you have never done this before, it can be an absolute soul destroying task. You should bear in mind that it is a dirty job and this is as bad as it will ever get. Don’t worry, it gets easier from now on and your DIY job is nearly completed. If you don’t fancy it, you could always hire a dustless drywall sander but these have drawbacks such as being unable to sand into tight corners as they use circular sandpaper so you will still be doing some sanding manually regardless.

Sand it down paying special attention to any edges that have deviations in depth, if these are not sanded flat now you will see them after painting and may have to snag it later. A light ‘tickle’ sand should suffice if you have remembered to pick off any nibs and protruding lumps during the taping process. The sanding should be minimal, so please bear in mind you have spent all this time putting the compound on the walls and ceilings, so why take loads of time rubbing it all back off again?

Once you’ve finished scrape any drops from the floor and remove all loose dust from the plasterboard and work area before continuing.

I recommend you apply a coat of drywall primer or sealer to the area you have just taped. This can be done with a painters cutting in brush, roller and paint scuttle. You may also consider adding 2 coats to any areas where steam and moisture will be an issue such as bathrooms, kitchens or utility rooms.

Think you’re finished? Not quite. If this is a job in your own home and you require perfection, please plug in a 500 watt halogen spotlight and see how well you did. This will show any defects you may need to fill again before decorating your job. If you have none, (as if I would believe that??) please feel welcome to look me up as you may be able to show me a few tricks. ;-)

Congratulations, you’ve completed your job and this finish is known as level 4 taping. Good luck with your project and I hope you found this article useful. If you have any comments or questions, please PM me at the forum.

See also A simple flowchart for taping drywall.

If you like the article and find it useful, please feel free to link to it while making sure to leave all relevant credits and links intact. Thanks.

Alex Paterson