Ever wonder how your wall achieves that seamless, flowing surface absent of any cracks or lines? The answer is through the skillful application of tape and plaster, otherwise known as mud or joint compound.
Joint compound is a white, mud-like product that is used to fill the cracks in drywall. The basic ingredients of the fast-drying product are water, limestone, expanded perlite, ethylene-vinyl, acetate polymer, and attapulgite. Mud either comes premixed or you can mix the powder with water to obtain the desired consistency.
After the drywall is in place and tightly secured, you are ready to apply the mud. For the first coat, you want to slightly thin the mud with water. With the trowel, spread it into the seam in the drywall, and then place the tape over the wet mud. Allow this to dry, and then add repeat coats of mud expanding the width of the joint with each application. After three to four coats, your taped joint should be about 10 inches wide, and should cleanly blend into the wall providing a smooth surface for your primer, paint, or wallpaper.
Before applying any finishing product such as wallpaper or paint, the mud will need a quality primer to seal it. It tends to absorb other materials easily, and will quickly soak up any paint or glue applied to it.
Taping compound can also be used as texture. A slightly thinner consistency, the mud is either spread with a trowel or sprayed onto the wall in the pattern of your choosing. Here again, it is important to seal the texture with a good primer.
Over time, mud or plaster tends to develop cracks from the shifting of the building. If this happens, you can reapply mud to fill the cracks, sand and re-paint.
If you need a drywall project completed, request free estimates from licensed drywall contractors in your area.
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