There are only five steps to sheetrock/plaster repair. These steps will always be the same whether you are repairing a small crack in the living room wall or finishing an entire new house. These steps will always be done in order and the time allotted between steps(drying time) cannot be shortened.
| Since the surface preparation was already explained on the previous(How to get started on a room) page we will dispense with any further discussion of that subject. |
Apply mud with the 4" knife to the area you are trying to repair. Make sure that you apply a liberal amount of mud about 3" in all directions from the crack. Center the tape over the crack being carefull to extend the tape at least 1" past the ends of the crack. If the crack is irregular then each change in direction must be dealt with as an individual crack(cannot bend the tape around a corner). Hold the knife at a steep angle and wipe the tape out from the center of the repair in both directions. Make sure you apply sufficiant pressure to force the tape down into the mud and to wipe off all the excess mud. Make sure you do not leave any excess mud on the repair(the repair should appear to be quite smooth at this time although you will still see the tape very clearly. The only thing left to do now is to wait for the mud to dry completely. Do not under any circumstances attempt to sand this repair at this time.
| APPLY MUD | APPLY TAPE | REMOVE EXCESS |
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Now that your mud is dry it is time to apply the bed coat. You will use either the 8" or the 10" knife for this depending on which feels more comfortable to you. You need to apply enough mud to make sure that the tape is completly bedded in(covered with mud) but at the same time you do not want to have it mounded up. The way to avoid this is to feather the thickness of the mud out in all directions from the actual repair. Be sure to wipe the mud down with your wide knife until it appears to be very smooth and the tape is covered(bedded in). You will notice that the repair gets wider each time you work with it(this is normal). Once again it is time to wait while the mud dries completely. Do not sand.
Now it is time to apply the third and final coat to your repair. The most important thing to pay attention to now is to make sure that this final coat is gradually feathered out to nothing as you work away from the crack. It is not unusual to have a 20 inch or more wide repair for a hairline crack. Now that you have applied your final coat and have it very smooth, it is time to wait for your repair to competely dry.
Now that your repair is completely dry, and relatively smooth, you can lightly sand it with 120 grit sandpaper to take away any imperfections. Take special care not to sand down to the tape. If this happens then you should reapply the skim coat. Now you should be ready to paint. We hope you achieved the desired result.
Check back tomorrow.
Or better yet, go check out The Garden
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