how do you like my butt joints {drywall finishing tips}

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Clearly we’re still talking about drywall and spackle here. 😉

And it’s impossible to drywall without ending up with a few butt joints. You know, the butt joint, it’s when two edges of drywall come together that aren’t the manufactured, tapered edges.

Raise your hand if you think it needs a new name.

They are much harder to blend than those fresh, clean manufactured edges and I’ve gotten quite intimate with a few butt joints in my day (snicker if you must) so for anyone who is not totally over this seemingly-never-ending-parade-of-things-that-need-to-happen-before-we-can-decorate already, here are the tips I’ve learned along the way about drywall finishing.

Supplies:

• all-purpose joint compound
• spackle knifes in desired sizes
• taping knife
• puppy*

*completely optional but 100% adorable

Obviously, not everyone will need a full 5 gallon jug of joint compound. There are multiple smaller sizes available.

And I used to think that long taping knife was intimidating, but it is actually a secret weapon when it comes to getting flat finishes on those tapered edges. And I know there are some super cheap, plastic spackle knives out there and I have one but if they get dented or dinged in any way and the flat edge of the knife is compromised (We’ve been watching the show 24 from the beginning and I now have this odd tendency to claim things as “compromised”. Joel “How is the house coming along?” Me “It has been compromised” Joel “what is for dinner?” Me “My cooking skills have been compromised”.) in any way it will be the detriment to your attempt at a smooth finish.

A few items to be sure are prepped before you get started:

• good lighting – I’ve made the mistake of trying to do this finish work in the dark only to wake up the next day and have the light show all of the little imperfections that I missed in the dark
• make sure all of your drywall screws are a little embedded, even if they are flush with your drywall it will make this finishing step so much harder

But if you’re installing crown molding there’s no need to even spackle that corner seam. Bonus!

And the same theory holds true when you’re spackling an area where two lines intersect. Work in one straight line, let dry thoroughly and then work across your little spackle intersection in the other direction.

And that picture is after only one coat of spackle. You’ll be making your way around these walls 3 or four times before you’re ready to sand. TAKE YOUR TIME! I always want to rush this stage, but getting started on sanding before you’ve spackled enough to end up with smooth seams is the worst thing ever!*

*not really, but it’s not fun at all

Update:  Staggering drywall joints throughout the wall / ceiling doesn’t provide any added structural support, the important point to keep in mind is to line up all of the joints with a wall stud or ceiling joist. Also, it is a good idea to avoid having drywall seams that line up with door and window corners. Those seams would be more apt to crack overtime from the use of the windor or door.

Now the secret to that mack daddy taping knife is that the width lines up perfectly with the tapered edges of the drywall. So the trick is to make sure that you don’t see any daylight between your knife and your spackle … if you do, that means you need to add more spackle. I used to think the narrower I could make my lines the more professional they would look.

But that is sooooo not the case, the tapered edge has to be filled in to the level of the whole sheet of drywall to create the perfect flat finish.

My third pass in areas is often only to make sure my line is wide enough to fill the entire tapered area. If you think about it, the first coat will create a bit of a hump directly over the line where you taped, now it’s just matter of filling in all of the areas around it until you get to smooth.

And when you don’t have the nice tapered edge to work with, you know, the butt joints, the overall width of your line helps create a really shallow transition from flat drywall to taped/spackled seam to flat drywall again. Butt joints can be hard, but going wide here helps make it all much less noticeable in the end.

I like wide butt joints and I cannot lie. 😉

Update #2 – My contractor buddy adds a good point here “A lot of the finish knives are concave. If not you can make it. I believe on the mac daddy one you have is a soft metal that holds the blade straight and onto the handle. It is flexible. Turn your knife with blade facing you kind of hiding the handle and look to see if it is in fact concave. If it is you can use this to your advantage. Hump out for butt joints and hump in for corners.” 

But you’re definitely going to need to sand, no matter how expertly smooth you were able to make your lines.

From experience, I say you definitely want your lines to look more like this pre-sanding …

 … than this.

I know it doesn’t seem like much, but trust me, the drywall sander in your life with thank you and love you forever.

As for the actual sanding, I really think that’s all a personal preference. The end game is smooth, flat finishes all around, so you’re going to need to end up with a really fine grit, about 220. But I do start with 150 and even 100 in spots (that look more like the picture directly above and need more work), and I’m even known to whip out the palm sander. But a contractor friend of mine uses a long pole and doesn’t even get up close to sand. Personal preference it is, you just don’t want to sand off the drywall paper.

And there you have it, how to get your room paint ready in 1400 words or less.

Now, did someone say paint ready? Oh yes, we’re ready for some paint around here For Sure!

If you missed the part about hanging the drywall it’s right here, and if you have existing drywall that’s in need of repair the guide on that is right here.

Update #3:  I go into more detail about drywalling over a wonky wall, spackling outside corners and cutting around window openings here.