We put up 1/4" drywall over existing drywall in my kitchen since th ewallpaper wasnt coming off very well. Im no pro, but after spackling the joint and taping I thought it looked good and smooth and after painting it a dark brown, it looks TERRIBLE! Can you guys give me some tips to make it look better and how should I redo it?

 

Ya, it's hard for the untrained eye to see how the drywall finish really looks until it gets paint on it. The good news is you now know where you need to do more work.

Sand what you can and apply more joint compound. Generally the tape joints and nail/screw heads take 3 coats of j/c. Be sure to use a pole sander or something to hold the sandpaper flat.

When you think you have right, apply primer and pay especially good attention to how the finish looks while the primer is still wet. If you see any places that need more work, finish them when the primer dries - don't forget to reprime these areas.

 

Additionally, spread that joint out as much as possible by using a 12 - 15inch blade for your last layer of mud.

 

Where do I find a 15" taping knife? I would buy it in a second. Stainless of course.

A wide taping knife of additional Joint Compound should be what the doctor ordered. Did you do the required three coats of mud?

 

No, I didnt really have a clue what I was doing. Anybody have some good instructions?

 

Describe exacty what you mean by terrible. That way the forthcoming instructions can be more precise.

 

Hi Matt,

Here's a tutorial for beginners. Why don't you read through this first, see where you went wrong, and then let us know what specific problems you may still have?

http://www.drywallinfo.com/tapingjoints.html

Connie

 

panteramatt.....just do two more coats of joint compound over the seams sanding between coats, prime and apply one finish coat over the repairs then one more coat over the entire wall.

 

Ha,Ha Nagra!
When Matt said, "I didnt really have a clue what I was doing. Anybody have some good instructions?" I sent him back to the beginning of class

 

I hear you connie, but you have to admit that going over the seams twice..... etc., is the way to go. But without a picture you can't be to sure.

 

Yea I did that all wrong. But the drywall I used was thin and went over existing drywall. It doesnt have the valley thats shown in those pics. Also, Is there better way than using paper tape?

 

Hi Matt,

The "valley", where the tapered edges meet, is designed to hold the mud. so if you have no valley, all the mud has been applied on top. Finishing in such circumstances is really an art.

I'm sorry, but it's difficult to help if we don't know exactly what you did. Nagra can help you fix it, but not unless we know WHAT to fix

Did you use any tape, or you used paper tape, but had problems with it? Can you explain just what you did? (or didn't do, after reading the tutorial

You can upload pictures to Picasa if you have a Google account, or just use photobucket. Then post the link here, or insert, using the "insert button" , the icon that looks like a mountain, above where we type.

Connie

 

I think I know what I did wrong. Do yo uthink I should use the mesh tape instead of paper?

 

Paper tape has a better track record. Mesh has a better track record to hairline crack. You may get away with the mesh. It is a tempting way to go for a beginner. Much easier.