Taping Drywall Ceilings
Myron Ferguson walks us through the proper sequence for taping seams on ceilings and includes helpful tips to achieve professional results.
When I’m finishing a ceiling, there is an order I follow for taping the seams to make the job go smoothly. My goal is to make one continuous pass on the long beveled-edge seams, but I have to deal with all these butted seams that intersect it. So, I want to put tape on the butted seams first, then I will handle the long, beveled seam. After that, I’ll tape my inside corners.
For the butted seams and and the beveled seams, I use a fiberglass mat tape, embedding it in an all-purpose heavyweight compound. Once I lay down about an 1/8-in.-thick layer of compound, I place the fiberglass mat tape over the center of the seam. And I’m not really pressing it in—just kind of lightly setting it in place. Then I embed the tape with my taping knife, starting in the middle and working toward each end. You can see the excess compound coming out. The tape is embedded nice and tight right into the compound, and that’s what you want to look for.
Now that I have tape embedded on the butted seams, I’m ready to handle this long, beveled-edge seam. I’m going to work my way down the entire length, applying a nice layer of compound. Now as I apply the fiberglass mat tape to the seam, I center it as I pull it along, and I try to keep it pulled tight so it doesn’t get any wrinkles.
Watch the video to get the rest of Myron’s tips including:
- Tools and materials he uses for different parts of this job
- How to check the quality of your work
- Problem areas to look out for
- Techniques for taping the inside corners
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