11 Drywall Mudding Tips to Help You Finish Walls Like a Pro

Finishing drywall is an art, and many homeowners find the task difficult without extensive training and experience. However, there are plenty of tricks you can use to make the process go more smoothly and complete the job like the pros do. This guide offers 11 drywall mudding tips for your next renovation project.

1. Feather Your Edges

Feathering is a technique for getting rid of hard lines in drywall mud and creating a smooth surface that doesn't require as much sanding. Feathering is more difficult when using a large trowel, a square edge, or a dull knife, so get the right tools before you start.

Place more pressure on one side of your drywall knife than the other. Spread quickly, because the longer your mud sits, the harder it is to create a smooth edge, which results in more sanding.

2. Less Mud Creates Less Work

Apply three to four coats of drywall in thin layers. The thinner and smoother your coats, the less time you’ll spend sanding drywall.

3. Only Sand Once

Never sand between coats of drywall. Instead, use your drywall knife to shave down high spots before applying a new coat. When feathering your edges, you’ll likely leave only a small area in the middle to sand.

Sanding should be your final step, and is only necessary to smooth out the wall, blend edges, and remove protruding ridges.

4. Use a Setting-Type Compound for Large Holes and Deep Gaps

A setting compound is best for large holes, deep gaps between drywall panels, and the first coat over a corner bead. Unlike regular drywall mud, a setting compound hardens rapidly and doesn't shrink. Before it hardens, thoroughly clean your mud pan and knife to remove all setting compound. Dump your leftovers in a bucket rather than a sink to prevent clogs.

5. Shave Off Setting Compound Flush to the Surface of the Wall

Once your setting compound is as firm as bar soap, use a taping knife to shave off any lumps or sags. Setting compound is even harder to sand than regular drywall mud, and shaving here will make it easier to sand later. When it hardens completely, you can apply a coat of regular drywall mud over it.

6. Fill In Gaps Around Electrical Boxes

If you notice gaps larger than 1/8 inch around electrical boxes for outlets and switches, fill them with a setting compound. 

Be sure to shut off electrical power at your breaker box before pulling out switches or outlets, and always test the neutral and hot wires with a voltage tester. This will help you avoid electrical shock and damage to your metal tools or equipment.

7. Find and Fix Under-Driven Screws and Nails

Slide a drywall knife over the surface of any fasteners on your drywall. If you hear a metallic click, you'll know that a screw or nail is protruding above the face of the drywall. For screws, simply twist them in with a screwdriver. For nails, use a drywall hammer to drive in a shallow dimple, which you can then fill with drywall mud.

Use the same approach when removing nails from drywall, making a dent you can fill rather than just filling the nail hole.

8. Fill Rows of Holes With a Single Swipe of Mud

If you have a line of several screw holes to patch, do so with one broad stripe of joint compound. This is faster and disguises holes better than filling each hole individually.

9. Trim and Prime Loose or Torn Paper

If there are areas where the drywall paper is torn or crushed, use a utility knife to cut it away. Leaving these sections as-is will likely lead to bubbles in your finish. Once trimmed, use a spray-on stain-blocking primer to seal the tears before patching.

10. Prevent Butt Joints

When drywall joints are necessary, creating them with beveled edges facing each other is ideal, since the bevels can be taped and smoothed over with mud.

Butt joints occur where two non-tapered ends of drywall sheets meet. It's difficult to hide butt joints since drywall tape applied over top protrudes above the surface of the wall. Instead, install longer drywall sheets that cover walls corner-to-corner, or hang sheets vertically in rooms with long walls.

11. Work With a Pro

Hanging drywall isn’t easy. It can take a lot of time, and improper mudding can create very noticeable results. You can avoid the hassle by hiring drywall installers near you. These pros have the experience to finish even large rooms in just a few hours, and the cost to install drywall may be worth the time and effort saved on your part.