As a DIY’r I only do drywall every few years. This time it’s renovating a bathroom at my church. I bought a corner trowel; boy is it easier to get a straight line than fussing with a straight knife. Applying the mud has been slow and messy, though. What is a good technique for applying the mud to corners before smoothing it with the corner trowel? About how much should be applied? Is it applied all along a joint or should it be put on in a lump at one end and dragged the whole length?
Any other tips?
Replies
Wow, I got nothin--I can picture how I'd take a knife-full from hawk or bucket and lay it in a corner. But, even in thinking about it, I'm already "pulling" the mud out to finish the corner (negating the need for the corner knife).
I suppose that you could flip the corner knife over, and dollop some mud on it, then drag it up the corner to get it on. Then flip the knife over to set the mud. But, that's supposition.
I use my 6" knife sideways, and smear about a 2" wide gob up one side and down the other, as tight to the corner as can be easily applied. Takes about 10 seconds. Then run my 4" corner trowel up from the bottom and down from the top, to about midpoint. Another 10 seconds, corner done. Everyone develops their own technique. I do a lot of drywall, but no jobs big enough to justify production tools, like the big crews use.
I like what Huck said. I'm not much of a drywall finisher, but I do know that the less you fiddle with it, the better it is. Fix little imperfections with the second coat, after scraping the worst blobs and such with a dry (drywall) knife.
I don't use the corner tool, I have one, but it's never been used. Instead, I cheat. On inside corners I spread mud up one side and down the other, then apply preformed inside paper-faced corners (they have a steel angle insert and are great for bridging gaps.) Scrape the mud, apply a second coat right then. Next day, the third and last and the corner is done before everything else.
Use a roller.
I have found that applying the mud with thw corner trowel in lumps about 6" apart, on both sides of the inside corner works well. then spread the mud with the trowel. It usually takes several passes to remove excess. Then feather edge with trowel pressed into a curve on each side in turn. I always do a second coat the next day with 6" broad knife. Corners look as good as those done by the pros. if not as fast.
YC's got it. Thin the mud and use a small corner roller then run your tape and corner trowel. Done. It's the fastest way short of using expensive high end production tools.
Thanks everyone.