Walls and Ceilings - Basic Knifework Advice

Remodeling my bath and beginning to mud and tape. Read many posts here and have a good idea of the basics, but I have questions about proper use of knives.

I seem to get "micro-bubbles" in the mud, even if I move very slowly with the knife. I have stirred up the mud till smooth, and even thinned it, but I still get a myriad of little surface bubbles that pop and leave small pockmarks. If I move too slow, then I get ridges or chatters. I know I can sand these out, but also know one wants to sand the least possible.

I've done enough patching before to know that paint will "telegraph" any imperfections.

Can someone go over very basic knifework? Things like angle to the wall, how much to load the blade, speed, and direction (parallel to the joint, or occaisionally perpendicular?). Does one ever flex the blade in order to improve feathering? Stuff like that....

I know this might be hard to convey, but mudding is pretty subtle work, and shows up like a bounced check if done wrong.

Thanks!

Only the last coat counts. Mix it with a power mixer [low rpm drill attachement till really smooth.Leave the drill part in the mud so you do not add air into the mix :wall: For the final coat you can add a squirt of joy dishwashing liquid--not much]. This should not be necessary, but joneq has been known to do it.It makes it go on smoooooooth. You may need to go over the same spot a few times to get rid of the bubbles.

When I say only the last coat counts I don't mean you should not pay attention to the other coats. You still need to mix well and not put on too much. Make sure there is enough under the tape for sure though.

What I do mean is that the subsequent coats will fill any imperfections,and all you will have to worry about is the final coat.


As far as the little bubbles go. You will still need to sand the final coat anyway. when you are done if they are stll visible I would go over it with a thinned down coat,just filling in the holes nothing else.Do not create another sand job

1 coat of primer and 2 finish coats will help to hide any small holes. You are right the paint will show any imperfection,but not so much the little holes[below the surface and tiny] as the imperfections like ridges[above the surface] you were talking about,which shouldn't happen just because you go fast btw.

You need the lower the angle of the handle=bring the handle closer to the wall=decrease the angle. Apply more pressure to the outside edge[farthest away from the tape] of the mud so it leaves nothing proud of the surface=less sanding. After you get the tape embedded you don't have to put much on top of it either to hide it. Just a very little on each coat and nothing on the edges. A light brushing to remove high spots is all that is needed until the final sanding.

Don't be afraid to extend the mud to 20"-24" wide. This will hide the seam better as long as it is not applied to thick.

Get your face up close and personal with a spot lite before you prime over some "edge" you missed when sanding.Your hand is your best tool :o when it comes to getting a perfect finish that is. Even if you can't see it you will feel any imperfections.

I think more people have this problem than one might think. When you do the final sand the dust created ends up filling the holes and I think the primer wets it and it dries hard and all is well---I guess!!

Joneq-

Great suggestions. Just what I was looking for. Probably just need a little more mixing and going wider and/or thinner with the coats. I got a 12 inch knife last night to help.

Thanks again.