Finishing Drywall for Dummies

taping drywall

Of all the many tasks a DIYer may attempt, the one that the staffers here at the Antisocial Network find least rewarding just has to be hanging drywall. The actual emplacement of the sheetrock and screwing (or nailing) it to the framing is bad enough, but when you're done with that, you still have to tape the stuff. Now that is a thankless task. If you were to follow the directions YaShekia King laid out in her HomeSteady.com post, "What Goes on Top of Drywall?" you would definitely not be thanked.

King's grasp of the process of hanging drywall was, to be kind, tenuous. Oh, she wasn't wrong when she explained that,

"Installing drywall is a laborious task that requires physical strength and patience, as drywall is heavy and bulky to maneuver."

After all, a 4-by-8 foot sheet of drywall typically weighs almost 60 pounds, and it's awkward as all heck. It's no secret that a drywaller has to, "[make] sure the side edges [sic] of the sheets are centered on studs" either, although we doubt that's "to ensure stability." It's what YaShekia seemed to think happens next that caught our staffer's eye and earned the J-school grad her nomination:

"Compound, also called spackle or mud, is an important item that goes on top of drywall."

We guess she meant "joint compound," but we are loath to say it simply "goes on top of drywall." We were especially amused by the notion that the sequence of events in applying mud to the seams is,

1. "...apply the compound to the drywall board [sic] seams using a 4-inch-wide knife"
2. "...sand the first coat prior to applying two more coats of the compound to the drywall."
3. "Tape goes on top of the compound you applied to the drywall's surface."

Yup, she said to apply three coats of mud before she ever mentioned taping the seams. Sheesh. And nowhere did our Dumbass of the Day ever mention that successive coats of mud should each be applied with a wider knife. Oops.
No matter what else King said about what goes on top of drywall – she pounded out some boilerplate about tile and plaster but never mentioned wallpaper or paint – her bogus instructions for taping the stuff were all we needed for an award.

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