There are several ways or methods to finish Drywall or "sheetrock". There are machines on the market which make the job go very fast, but these are expensive and used only by pros. This is one job that can be done using very little expense in tools, in fact, you could get by with under $30 worth of tools not counting the materials needed for the job:

1. Taping Knives. These are used to apply the drywall compound. You will need at least 3 sizes: 4 inch,  8 inch and 12 inch  (these are called taping knives although they are used throughout all phases of finishing the drywall after the actual tape is applied). $3 to $5 each will buy good knives.

2. Tape. Try both paper tape and nylon mesh tape. Both can be used on the same job as explained below.

3. Drywall compound: Mostly found in box or 5 gal buckets. The most common blend will be sold in quantities at suppliers. A smaller amount of finishing compound should also be purchased. Boxes are about $6 to $8. Five gal buckets are about $10 (and you get a useful bucket for later!) You may want to mix the compound with a strong drill and paint mixing attachment for good consistancy.

4. Water bucket and sponge: Car washes and restaurants are good sources for free 3 to 5 gal buckets. Buy a few if you have to. Drywall or tile sponge: $2. Useful for the messes you WILL make.

5. Sanders. Sander on a pole: $10 to $12. Sand paper about $3. Sponge sanders (great for tight spots) about $2 each. Power sanders: not recomended because of excess dust (but may have to be used to fix really bad compound mistakes).

6. Like most construction jobs, using the right cuss word(s) works wonders. Priceless.

More tools and materials will be needed but this list will set you well on you way. Finishing Drywall will at first look to you like an art, but technique is key to a proper job. Most Tapers (as most finisher are called in the trade) will use about 3 phases or steps in completing the work in a single area. Expect more as a beginner.Taping is the method used to make joints and imperfections go away. It seems to be a lot of work just to make the surfaces look flat and square.  Expect to be frustrated at this seemingly impossible task, but keep at it because finishing drywall is a very rewarding job. When possible, watch a pro and see his methods. The good news is any mistakes can be corrected so don't be afraid to try!

Let's begin with a small room. Drywall has be applied to the studs and ceiling joists, there is a window, a entry door, a closet opening with sliding doors and of course inside and outside corners to finish, not to mention areas of poorly hung drywall gaps! Questions should now be answered whither the insides of the window will be finished with wood trim (even though drywall was applied) or if they will need to be finished out by taping. Sometimes where the walls meet the ceiling, these inside corners will not be finished because wood trim will be applied in this area (If this area is not taped and finished it will lose a lot of heat up through the ceiling, it's a good idea to finish this area). How high will the wood trim be from the floor? Around doors? All areas not covered by trim should be finished by taping.

Walls, ceilings (flat areas). These areas are a good place to start learning. There are 2 types of joints that need finishing in flat areas; recessed joints and butt joints. Recessed joints are the easiest because the joint in deeper than the surface of the wall or ceiling. Butt joints are harder because they are level with the surface and are harder to mask. Notice that drywall in 4x8 sheets have the long edges tapered and the short ends even with the surface. When the recessed joints are applied together to a wall or ceiling, you have a recessed joint to finish out. When it is not possible to apply recessed portions to walls or ceilings, you have butt joints to contend with.

Recessed joints are not to hard to hide because the joint needing finished is below the level of the surface.  In this guide nylon mesh tape is used on flat surfaces and paper tape used on inside corners. Today, most pros still use paper tape for all aspects of taping. I find using nylon mesh tape saves a step on flat surfaces for most beginners. The nylon tape comes with a sticky side in which the tape can be applied to the wall without drywall compound. All paper tape must be applied to the surface using drywall compound. (HINT: when using paper tape, cut to length then dip into a bucket of water to help the tape stick without bubbles arising later. For beginners, bubbles in paper tape always happen after drying!!) Apply a thin coat of drywall compound, place the wet tape over the compound, then pull your knife carfully along the tape to smooth flat. On inside corners, this takes some time but it's worth it to make your work look good. The wet paper tape will give you more time to adjust the inside corners.  Using mesh tape on inside corners is hard to hide.

After the nylon tape has been applied to the wall (or ceiling), it's time to apply the first coat of drywall compound. Starting on a wall, apply some compound on the total length of the joint.  This step does not have to be fancy, if you apply too much mud, you can remove it-not enough, you can add more. This is a place where you should train yourself to apply the mud in the correct direction. Always apply mud in the same direction as the joint. At first, you may see yourself wanting to work swiping across the joint when applying mud. Don't let that become a habit. Start here with a 4 or 6 inch drywall knife, scrape up some drywall mud toward the center of the knife and begin applying at one end of the joint. Apply at least enough to cover the tape well. When the mud runs out on the knife, scrape up some more. Finish the length of the joint. Again, at this point, we are only applying mud to cover the joint, not make a pretty joint. Now, take your 8 inch knife, start at one end of the joint, pull the knife slowly across the total length of the joint to make a smooth joint.

This step should be where the most mud is used. We are building a foundation to make the joint appear flat with the rest of the wall surface. We want the joint to disappear. The mud we applied here should have filled the recessed joint up to the level of the wall surface. The tape should be completely covered and not showing. If we applied too much mud, the smoothing stroke should have pulled the access mud off. If we applied too little mud, the smoothing stroke left pits in the recess areas. Simply apply more mud, work your smoothing stroke across the total length of the joint again. If your foundation step looks overall good, leave the whole joint alone until the next day to dry completely. If small bubbles or pits are showing in the mud, leave them alone for later, small knicks are ok. We are building the foundation with this step, not so much putting final touches on the joint.

Remember to apply your smoothing stroke the total length of the joint, slowly. See how holding the knife effects the stroke. Using a lot of pressure or little? Holding the knife strait to the work or holding the flat portion of the knife more against the surface. It takes a while to see what works best. At this point you will see that drywall hanging as well as finishing makes a considerable mess. All things not needed should be removed from the working area. Cover anything that can't be moved. The floor will become nasty white so cover it if can't be cleaned later. Did  drywall compound slide off your knife or the wall onto the floor as you were working? Scoop it up and throw it in the trash, it will now have particles that hinder good work.

After the initial first coat of drywall mud, let it dry overnight. Sometimes it may take longer due to temperature or humidity but all coats should be completely dry before the second step. Do we sand the first coat? NO! If done fairly well the first time, prep for the second coat should not take long. If the coat is higher than the surface of the wall, we applied too much mud the first time. Actually, the mud has shrunk a bit during drying so we should be able to use our drywall knife to knock off any high bumps. Do this before using any compound and keep the knife and mud free of any dried particles. These dried particles cause havoc in applying mud. I call them Crispy Critters, amoung other names.

This coat goes much faster than the first! Once again, apply mud along the length of the joint. This time, you will drag out your compound a little wider, so use your 12 inch knife. Again, make one smoothing flat coat slowly from one end of the joint to the other. All of the previous coat should have been covered, plus some, becoming wider. (TIP: when working on a joint that was covered previously,  as you apply another coat of mud, your dried coat will begin to soften. Work one joint at a time, applying some mud, then smoothing out the joint-THEN LEAVE IT ALONE UNTIL THE NEXT DAY. Don't overwork the same joint for long).  

The third day, look at your joint after the first 2 steps. The work should look almost complete but still need some final smoothing  (If you are a pro or have a lot of experience at finishing drywall!!!) Your joints may need a lot of work and most of the time it is from using an excess of mud. At this point, some heavy sanding may be needed. As mentioned before, any flawed work can be fixed, but with extra time and work. Knocking down excess dried drywall compound takes a lot of sweat and makes a lot of dust. It is best to use a smaller amount of mud and use more steps building up the joint until you have more experience (time permitting).

Normally, the third step is where we use the softer finishing coating compound. Most pro's sand after the third phase to make their work professionally smooth, so using the softer drywall compound helps. There are a few different ways to finish off during this final coating step. You can apply the compound as before OR, as I prefer, dump the coating compound into a 5 gallon bucket, add some water, and whip it with a paint mixer until has the consistency of thick pancake mix. Use a paint roller to apply the mix over the joints, immediatly scrape off with your widest drywall knife. Again, don't apply the mud and let it set too long, roll it on-scrape it off.  After a few hours if the compound has completely dried, finish off your work with a (hopefully) light sanding.

The Test. In bright light, your work should look, well, not too bad. The real test comes when in the evening, those shadows appear. When the room is fairly dark, hold a light so that it shines across your wall from the side. Those imperfections begin to come out! It happens to the best of us, the light shows us all is not smooth. Either high spots have to be sanded or low spots have to be filled. With practice, there will be less such problems as you become experienced. A good working light is a useful tool, set it up to help you see imperfections as you work. Sometimes, lights too bright are a hindrance in seeing your work.

The steps above are mostly used in all aspects of finishing drywall. The remaining portions of finishing inside/outside corners and butt joints, etc,  are only a bit different. REMEMBER: apply mud and smooth out your joints along the length of your joint, not side to side. Work your smoothing stroke SLOWLY along the whole length with one pass. When applying mud over dried compound, smooth it off and leave it alone.

More to come with pics--

Brant Lee