Replies

1. 
   Huck | Aug 12, 2008 11:06pm | #1

   I've seen production guys mix it in a bucket, with a blade.  Since I mainly do remodels, smaller stuff, I keep a helper busy mixing a new pan full, while I mud.  Time he's got a pan ready, I'm ready to give him my empty for a quick rinse and refill, and so it goes.  I don't generally use hotmud for the final coat, tho.

   View Image “Good work costs much more than poor imitation or factory product” – Charles Greene
   CaliforniaRemodelingContractor.com
1. 
   MSA1 | Aug 12, 2008 11:18pm | #2

   I agree. I always use bucket mud for final. Less rocks in it. 

    

    

   Family.....They're always there when they need you.

1. 
   Piffin | Aug 13, 2008 12:29am | #6

   "Less rocks in it."?????????????You are either not mixing right or not storing it right if you have lumpy hot mud 

    

   Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!

1. 
   MSA1 | Aug 13, 2008 02:59am | #9

   I'm probably mixing it wrong. I go powder first water second. I know its backwards, but then again so am I sometimes. 

    

    

   Family.....They're always there when they need you.

2. 
   marv | Aug 13, 2008 04:20pm | #12

   I too have "rocks" in my durabond.  How do you mix it to get rid of these?You get out of life what you put into it......minus taxes.

   Marv

1. 
   Piffin | Aug 13, 2008 04:48pm | #15

   water first, then the powder, mix well, then let it slack off five minutes, then mix again, adding a drop or ten of water if needed.If you work from a bag that has been open in humid weather all bets are off. Once a bag has been openned, it is best to store it in a plastic bag in a dry place. 

    

   Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!

2. 
   stemreno | Aug 13, 2008 04:40pm | #13

   I have done the helper routine and that worked well, but usually I'm a one man show. If I have a helper, he is  semi skilled and to me its a waste of his time and my money for him to mix mud.

   I haven't mixed the mud in a bucket with a mixer in a drill.   I'm going to try it and see what happens.   I was concerned about it hardening quicker when it is in a big lump.( don't know why...)

   Thanks

   stemreno

1. 
   Piffin | Aug 13, 2008 04:49pm | #16

   The biggest thing that affects setting time is temperature. use hot water and watch out! 

    

   Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!

2. 
   Huck | Aug 13, 2008 05:55pm | #18

   Like popawheelie, I generally mix my hot mud with regular all-purpose, at about 50-50.  I like the way it goes on better, and I also find it sands better, and it retards the setting/drying time a little. 

   But if there is high humidity, cold temperatures, or a non-porous surface beneath (i.e. painted wall), then you may not want to retard the drying time.  It probably goes without saying, but if you're concerned about setting up too quick, avoid the real quick-setting formulas.View Image “Good work costs much more than poor imitation or factory product” – Charles GreeneCaliforniaRemodelingContractor.com

2. 
   RRav | Aug 12, 2008 11:26pm | #3

   Drill with a painters mixing paddle in a bucket, works fine!
   only about a few minutes to get it right

   r2

3. 
   rnsykes | Aug 12, 2008 11:29pm | #4

   I do mostly my own taping on the size jobs that i do. Mixing it stinks, but with this kind of mud, it's necessary. You could switch back to the buckets if it's that bad. I'll usually mix up a small batch of 45 minute in a one gallon bucket and go to town. I'll keep making small batches till I'm finished. Then after all the tape is bedded and that coat is dry, I'll switch to light weight bucket mud for coating. Then the next day, I'll put the third coat on in the morning and with any luck I can usually scrape and sand by the end of the second day. On whole house projects I'll always hire out. The guys come in like a swarm of mosquitos and knock out the whole house. Three coats in one day with very little sanding to do. They mix up the 20 minute mud on a big piece of cardboard(like a refrigerator box) right on the floor. At any time the pile of mud will be about 30" high, and there is a constant flow of guys loading there banjo's, bazooka's and mud boxes.

4. 
   Piffin | Aug 13, 2008 12:24am | #5

   mix a third or half bag at a time in a bucket.

    

    

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   Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime.
    where ...
   Excellence is its own reward!

5. 
   vintage1 | Aug 13, 2008 01:12am | #7

   I'm a remodeler so this applies to an addition or maybe a basement finish.  (Perhaps this is a larger scale than what you do if you are mixing in the pan).  If we are talking 60-100 sheets, I sub it out.  But here is what I do. 

   Check every fastener to make sure they are all seated properly, nothing screws you up faster than having to stop mudding to set a nail or screw.

   Fiberglass mesh tape all of the factory seams ( I like USG's yellow tape or I will use the blue plasterer's tape.  I think the 1.5" white mesh tape at most big boxes is sh!t)  prior to even touching any mud.  Precut 4'strips of paper tape for any butt joints as well as all inside corners.  (I tuck the tape into the joints and leave them hang until I get to that location. 

   Mix 90 min. lightweight mud and mix it loose.  Use a 12" or 16" trowel to apply mud to all of the factory joints starting on the ceiling ( I always use stilts).  Use a hawk and the narrow end of the trowel, it is so much faster than a pan and 4" knife. 

   While still on the stilts, tape all of the wall to ceiling corners- paper tape, 90 min mud.  Then follow up with all of the butt joints.  Depending on the size of the room, you should be able to do all of this in one batch of mud ( I mix in 5 gal. bucket with a paddle on a 1/2" drill).

   With 8' walls, I am tall enough to do all vert, inside corners w/o stilts, so while the celing work sets up, I use the same methods to tackle the walls- mesh tape the factories, paper tape the butts and inside corners, 90 min. mud all around.

   By the time I am done with the walls, it is time to get back to the ceiling.  12" beveled trowel on the factories (90 min mud) and one half of the ceiling wall corners with 4" knife.  Finish with a loose coat of all-purpose mud on the fastener heads.

   Next day- hit all of the ceiling butts with 12" beveled trowel and 90 min. mud, catch the 2nd half of the ceiling/wall corners and the top 4' of the wall inside corners (4" knife, 90 min).  Move to the floor and repeat on the walls.  Fill any corner bead with 90 min mud.  2nd coat the fasteners with all purpose.  By now, all joints should have tape coat and fill coat with 90 min. mud.

   I like to finish with ltwt. mud and I either use a 16" trowel or 12-14" broad knife.  I repeat the alternation process on ceiling and walls, switching to a 6" knife on the inside corners.  Then final coat the fasteners with thinned ltwt. and then let everything dry overnight.  Assuming you are going to texture I will scrape and do touch-up the following day- then texture.

   It takes practice, but I hate to sand, so I don't.  Better to scrape a ridge and fill a void than to sand.

   Hope this helps. 

1. 
   Piffin | Aug 13, 2008 04:06am | #10

   Lightweight should not be used for bedding tape. Only top settings.The thing that makes it light weight is that it has less bonding agent - the PVA glue.So it does not hold the tape as well. Think about it - you won't ever be sanding what is under the tape anyways. You need SR90 or DB90 for that bedding coat. Then you can switch on top. 

    

   Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!

1. 
   vintage1 | Aug 13, 2008 03:09pm | #11

   Piffin,

   I said Lightweight but I should have clarified that. 

   I was referring to "Lightweight Setting-Type Joint Compound" mfg'd by USG as opposed to Durabond.  I prefer the lightweight to durabond for fill coat and there is one less step if I don't switch products. 

   From USG- "Formulated for tape embedding, filling and finishing in regular gypsum panel interior applications."

1. 
   Piffin | Aug 13, 2008 04:46pm | #14

   I still prefer the DB90 to the lightweight.
   It may be more a matter of theory as the tape I have seen bubble off has been where somebody squeazed too much mud out from under it.Topic like this one is hard to teach on the web - it is more technique than anything else 

    

   Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!

1. 
   vintage1 | Aug 14, 2008 02:48am | #20

   I agree, this is hard to teach on the web.  Reading through the posts, we all have slightly different methods and when dealing with setting compound, all the little details can make a big difference.  I've had more than one batch set in a bucket before.

   Sometimes I sub out repairs or small jobs (1 room) to help with my schedule.  The guy I use works almost exclusively with the 5 min setting compound.  Don't know how he does it but he can put it on, and I rarely ever have a callback from his work.

    

6. 
   craigf | Aug 13, 2008 01:12am | #8

   I mix with a beater from an old kitchen mixer chucked in a drill.

   I have three small cheap flimsy slick buckets which give me three coats without cleaning buckets which saves time. After the mud sets hard the buckets flex enough I can smack them with a dead blow and most the mud will fall out.

   I try to mix heavy and waste a little rather than spend more time mixing.

7. 
   popawheelie | Aug 13, 2008 05:09pm | #17

   I mix it in the mud tray also. There are few thing I do to make it faster.

   1. You don't need straight powder/ hot mud mix. I put about a cup of powder in the tray and mix it first. Then pile on your regular mud and mix them together. The mix will stiffen up just as fast as straight powder/hot mud.

   2. I put water in the tray first and then the powder. Mix it pretty soupy and add some powder if you want it stiffer. Soupy mixes faster. If it is a little soupy the regular mud will stiffen it up.

   You will have to judge for yourself but I think mixing a little hot mud with a lot of regular mud makes for a better product. The hot mud makes it stiff on the wall but the regular mud makes it less hard for a while. You won't be able to sand it as soon but with hot mud I don't really want to anyway. If I have any high spots I use my 6" knife to carve them away. you can get pretty good at using you 6" knife to carve/scrape off this mud. LESS SANDING!

   I buy good 6" knives. If you look at the blade of a good 6" knife the blade tapers from thicker at the handle to thinner at the tip. This taper makes it handle MUCH better and carving/scraping is much more controled.

   It will hold moisture longer so if that isn't what you want this technique won't work.

1. 
   Jim_Allen | Aug 13, 2008 06:47pm | #19

   Good tips! Bob's next test date: 12/10/07

   Quote of the day: "...can't be done, it will take too long, not enough pipeline capacity, yada yada but yet they don't apply the same skepticism to their own "solutions" such as wind and biofuels"