How to Tape Drywall

In this post we’re going to talk about the best way to tape drywall. I’ve been taping for quite some time; beginning all the way back in 2006. Of course, I was taught to tape drywall using a certain style and method. Many other drywall tapers will have different techniques, but I think we can all agree that the end result is the most important part of taping.

We want to avoid any cracks, bubbling, visible seams and general rough finishes. While sometimes it’s impossible to completely prevent cracks from happening, there are things we can to do mitigate them from showing up.

Before we start anything, we must make sure that we have clean water, and adequate heating available. Most drywall manufacturers recommend maintaining at least 15 degrees Celsius (59f). I prefer the space to be closer to 20 Celsius; this helps the drywall compound AKA drywall mud dry faster. We will also need the proper taping tools. As a homeowner you’ll need a 4” taping knife, a 6” taping knife, an 8” taping knife, a 10” taping trowel, a sanding head with pole, sanding sponge and either a mud pan, or a drywall hawk.

Once we are sure that we have water and heat, we want to inspect the drywall that has been installed. Look out for any joints that have large gaps; those need to be pre-filled with a quick setting compound.  Have a look at the drywall screws, make sure that they are not sticking out past the drywall paper. You can check this visually or by running a taping knife over the screw and listening for any clicks. You also want to check that the drywall screws are not set too deep. The first sign of this will be broken paper where the screw was sunk, secondly, if you apply pressure to the drywall sheet, it will look like the screw is moving. We want to avoid this; these are known as screw pops. Sometimes screw pops happen because the drywall screw gun depth is set too deep. Other times the wood stud may be crowned, and it’ll pull the screw in past the drywall. In that case the best way to fix it is to remove the drywall screw. In most case you can put a new screw beside the popped screw to correct it.

Next we want to choose the type of drywall tape we’re going to use. We have a few options to choose from and I’ll briefly review the pros and cons of each.

First up we have paper tape. This is by far the strongest option to tape drywall with. The downside is that it can be difficult to work with; it is susceptible to air bubbles and peeling if applied incorrectly. Next if fiberglass mesh tape. It’s extremely user friendly, quick to install and less prone to errors. However, the negative side of using mesh tape is that it is prone to failure. It has a tendency to crack when used on butt joints, and it should not be used for internal corners. Last but not least; my personal favourite; fibafuse! This tape is somewhat user friendly, strong than mesh tape, and you can coat over top of it shortly after applying it. It’s tough to get air bubbles underneath fibafuse, but it’s still possible, so make sure that you apply an even and sufficient amount of drywall compound underneath before applying the tape. I do not recommend using fibafuse at internal corners, it has a tendency to tear when applied in corners. For now I’ll go over using solely paper tape.

I like to add some water to my drywall compound to make it easier to work with. For your first coat you shouldn’t add too much water, that’ll cause a lot of unwanted shrinkage, and we definitely don’t want that! Once you have a good mix, you can begin applying the drywall compound to the joint you want to tape. Apply the mud evenly and somewhat straight with your 6” taping knife, covering the joint itself, and enough that the paper tape can stick to. Now you can apply the paper tape, roll it out along the joint and embed it with your non dominant hand. Once you reach the end of the joint, you can cut the tape with a knife, or tear it by hand. Next you’ll use the same 6” taping knife to further embed the paper tape into the mud. Be sure that the entire backside surface of the tape is being embedded into the mud. The tricky part is to not pull the paper tape into folds, as this will cause issues later on. Keep the outer edges of the applied drywall compound clean, this will make the next coat much easier to apply. I would wait about a day to apply the next coat of drywall compound. You can go ahead and apply the next coat with an 8” taping knife, leaving the outer areas of mud clean to reduce sanding. You will likely need to apply once more coat to ensure a smooth finish. This can be done with a 10” taping trowel.

Next up will be internal corners. The concept is similar to flat joints; this time you’ll apply mud to both sides of the drywall using a 4” taping knife. Fold the tape in half down the centre parallel to the length. Once that is done, you can embed the tape to the internal corner. Now that the tape is embedded, you can wipe the tape further embedding it into the mud. Make sure that the outer corners are clean. After about a day the tape should be dry enough to apply another coat using a 6” taping knife. I would do one side of the corner one day, and the other side once the first has dried.

Cornerbeads or external corners should be straight forward, but a lot of folks get this wrong. If you’ve used steel corners, it’s always a good idea to use mesh tape where the flange of the cornerbead meets the drywall to prevent cracking. The first and second coats can be applied with an 8” taping knife, and the third coat can be applied with a 10” trowel.

Typically screw heads can be completed in two coats by a professional. Assuming you’re not a pro, I would recommend applying your first two coats with a 4” taping knife, and your third coat with a 6” taping knife.

And now for the fun part. Once all of the drywall compound has dried, you can start sanding. Typically I use 150 grit with a sponge backer. This helps with preventing any gouges from ruining your beautiful work! Test out a small area with your sander, then shine a light where the wall was sanded to check if you’re applying enough pressure, or making any mistakes. When you have the pressure and technique down pat, you can keep sanding the rest of the space. After everything has been sanded, I like to walk around with a work light and a small sanding sponge to check for imperfections. The sanding sponge will be used to buff out any inconsistencies. Often I’ll carry a pencil with me to mark any spots that can’t be sanded out and need to be filled with drywall compound. A good idea before priming the walls is to go around with a dry mop, or a dry Swiffer and wipe down the walls. This will help the primer adhere to the walls.

I hope this article helps you out a bit! It’s not an easy task learning how to tape drywall, but with a bit of practice, it’s certainly possible. Feel free to reach out to us if you have any questions.