Does anyone know what causes joint compound to have little/tiny bubbles in the mix leaving multiple tiny craters on the wall when it dries? and how do you keep this from happening when drywalling?
Thank you for your answers.
-terry
Does anyone know what causes joint compound to have little/tiny bubbles in the mix leaving multiple tiny craters on the wall when it dries? and how do you keep this from happening when drywalling?
Thank you for your answers.
-terry
There are a number of ways to achieve a level foundation and mudsill.
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Replies
add some liquid dish soap..cures all ills.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
"Sell your cleverness, Purchase Bewilderment"...Rumi
Sphere: How much soap in a 5 gal bucket?
Steve
I mix about a table spoon in my pan..I don't mess with the full bucket..a drill powerd paint mixer, right in the pan..or slice and dice on a hawk.
It takes less than ya think. smells gooder too....
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
"Sell your cleverness, Purchase Bewilderment"...Rumi
lemon fresh
I mix about a table spoon in my pan..
How big is your pan? :) A table spoon per pan is quite a bit.
Remember somebody mentioned 1/2 cup per bucket.
We use just a squirt (coupful spoonfuls) in a box of mud. A tablespoon in a pan must be real greasy?!
It slides right on that way......that's not a mistake, it's rustic
Sphere is like 8ft tall, so he probably uses an oil pan to mud with.
-zen
I guess I mean a box..I always called it a mudpan..ya know, about 13" by 3 on the bottom and 4and a half at the top..about 4" deep?
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
"Sell your cleverness, Purchase Bewilderment"...Rumi
It happens to me, if your going on to a painted surface. Sometime I get it, sometime I don't, might be types of paint or gloss or flat or the type of mud your using vinyl or cement based. I can usually fill it on the third sometimes fourth coat. Go figure. Anyone else?
Use the dish soap it works. BTW, the bubblesare caused by air not stirring or stirring too much are two big reasons they are in there.
And just to add... if you sand, always wipe off the dust before touching up. The dust causes bubbles too.
It's nature of the animal except for the LaFarge mud and the USG Midweight. Use either one of these, but I think LaFarge is the best mud out there..hardly any pin holes and it dries in half the time as the other muds. Whenever you stir any mud, keep the RMP below 600, or just trigger on and off the mixer when mixing.
Does Home Depot carry this brand? Where can I get it?
-Chief of all sinners
Cheif, I tried checking your profile to see where you live - no info there
Can be helpful if you fill in your location
Anyway - I buy LaFarge mud at Menards - don't know if they have those where you live
I just filled in my profile. I'm in Springfield, VA (Just below the beltway around Washington DC)-Chief of all sinners
Chief -
There are a few drywall supply places in the area. (I live in Great Falls, VA.) Capital Building Supply has a number of locations and there is a drywall supply place somewhere down in the Manassas area. Check out the yellow pages and give them a call. I haven't seen the Lafarge mud too much around here mostly just USG products. (I did see it at a remodel job up in Annapolis). I do the dishwash liquid trick using the all purpose compound and don't really have the pinhole problem. Also, I have found that you have to apply some pressure to the knife to avoid the bubbles.
rk
Now we know the problem with your mud. It is all of that hot air coming out of DC from the hill. Move south and west in VA and you will be fine.
While I was in Richmond this last week I went to the Red Wing boot store. There I met a man who had been working as a State Inspector on the new W. W. Bridge. Asked him when it would be completed and he told me 2012. Glad it is you having to deal with that traffic mess for that long.
DaneI will always be a beginner as I am always learning.
hey Shoeman--Which Maynards do you find LaFarge at?Mike
Pretty sure I have bought it at Fridley, Bunsville, Apple Valley, Richfield. Imagine they must have it at the new Midway store in St. Paul - they have everything there - University & Prior.
Good luck,
Shoe
I'm between Burnsville and Richfield ---I'll have to take a look next time I am in, Been to the Mega store in Hudson---Is St. Paul like that one---Made HD look like a mom and pop place.Thanks, Mike
I haven't been to the Hudson store, but the midway store is a brand new MEGA store.
Site wasn't all that big though, so it is their first store with two full floors. There are a couple elevators as well as a long sloped moving sidewalk in the middle of the store that will move you and your cart between floors.
Lots of selection - pretty small yard though.
I am just happy to have someplace that is less than a mile from home.
thanks for the info. I'll have to check out the store next time I am in the area, Probely on the bike though as I don't work that side of town, Heard you had a corner on the market. LOLMike
Lowe's carries it. It costs about a buck more than the USG..but your buying quality.
Maybe this is basic information, but since I've just started doing quite a bit of taping/spackling lately, I thought I'd share my experience.
When I buy a bucket of joint compound, I mix it up pretty good, but only down several inches, I don't add water or soap. I use 2 taping knives. One serves as the hawk and the other is the working knife. Usually a 6" and a 10". Here's the key technique I use to avoid bubbles: every time I reload the hawk, I toss the usable portion from the hawk back into the bucket, clean the knives (if necessary), RE-MIX the top inch or so in the bucket with one of the knives and re-load the larger knife with a nice creamy load of compound. I know I've got the right texture when it looks good enough to eat.
One of these days I may try a little soap, but I feel about compound additives the way I feel about engine additives: if the manufacturer knew that that the user would get better results, they would add it themselves and charge a premium for it.
-Don
working it too hard...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming
WOW!!! What a Ride!
Always mix your jc first, the bubbles will disappear. I cut it with a little water.
Am I the only one who adds a little Flowtrol (sp?) instead of soap? Seems like someone else said there was some downside to using soap.
no you are not, i also add the flow stuff... about 1 cup per 5 or so.
james
I usually am doing it for small applications and tend to put a splash in the box to desired consistancy. FWIW I have heard more people say they have no problems with dish soap than I have heard voicing problems. As others have said they are all just wetting agents baically, if I read it right.
I wouldn't add anything to the drywall. Especially not soap. Won't it cause the paint to not stick properly? My bucket says not to add anything. It also says to mix lightly. No electric mixers. Just my 2 cents.
Thank you for this question lately I have been having this same problem, I have changed mud companies and still had the problem. I look forward to trying the soap idea however it is hard to mix drywall mud when you purchase it in boxes. My problem is why does the product do this in the first place are companies not aware of the problem , I had thought it was just me. this dicussion could lead me to send a note off to the compund company and ask there tech. department. I am however glad to hear it was not just me.
George
I don't get it, when I first read this post I presumed it was referring to JC over paint. I have never had bubbles come through during regular drywall applications, ever. I also can't imagine that soap would be real good for the final finishes. If your getting bubble there is something wrong. BTW JC comes in boxes because the fulltime tapers don't wan't 50 buckets hanging around after the jobs over, they use one or two buckets to mix and clean with. So dump your box of mud in a bucket, stick in a 1/2 drill with a drywall paddle on it, stand on it and hang on.
My problem is why does the product do this in the first place are companies not aware of the problem
The more air bubbles or the less densely the mud is packed in the bucket or box, the less mud they sell. I brings the profit margin up! Remember, it's always the bottom line. I had thought many times why don't they just mix it well before packing it too. I agree with the other fella, soap is not good for the mud particles binding together..but it does seem to work.
Please forgive me Zano, don't mean to be dis-respectful or contrarian, but I am not following on either of the 2 points you made:
1)>>> The more air bubbles or the less densely the mud is packed in the bucket or box, the less mud they sell.
The air bubbles in the JC make up a tiny % of the stuff (probably less than 1 in 10,000??), the product is always labelled with how much is in there (i.e. 28 kg for the green top), so I can't believe any body is trying to cheat you on this one. Like buying cereal, don't go by the size of the box, they tell you exactly how much is in there.
My guess is some the bubbles are part of the manufacturing process and although the stuff is supposed to be properly mixed, it is not 100% perfect, and you're supposed to gently mix it/homogenize it anyway before & during use. Some of the bubbles also are caused by technique, trapping air between the knife and the surface. DAMHIKT.
2) >>> I agree with the other fella, soap is not good for the mud particles binding together..but it does seem to work.
Are you saying it is OK or NOT OK? If it is "not good for the mud particles..." then is is not OK. If "it seems to work" then it is OK. Which is it?
Again my guess and experience is that the amount of soap used is supposed to be very small, just enough to help lube things up a bit. I use a spray bottle with a couple of squirts of soap, gently dilute my mix when I'm skimming, maybe spray my knife when I have to go back and smooth things over. The surface is nice and hard when it dries, no problems there. For those concerned with paint adhesion, again, the quantity is so minute. Plus, remember that a good primer/sealer is supposed to go next (if you care about a good finish) that stuff will stick to anything (even supposedly wax based crayon marks!). then paint. have been doing the above with good results for a while now. YMMV...
Half of the mud in a new bucket is water. It's more than 1% air, don't know how much, but depending on the manufacturer, I say it adds up when you sell $100 million annualy. You may be right, it may be minimal, but still there are in there. Why can't they mix it so it comes out smooth. Try the LaFarge mud, you don't need to mix it with as mixer, just a few strokes with your knife in your mud pan and hardly any air bubbles.
Soap is no good, it diminishes the quality of the mud, but not to the degree that it may cause failure of the mud for adherence. It's like a motor additive, don't use it because it diminishes the quality of the motor oil but not to the degree that the motor oil does not work. All your doing is cheapening the oil when adding it.