avoiding bubbles under the drywall paper tape for butt joints?

Question

I am finishing off the butt joints of drywall. If I put the base coat of compound fairly thick, pre cut the paper tape, lay it flat on the base coat, then embed the tape by holding the taping knife at a 45 degree angle will this remove the air from under the tape? or am I making a mistake by laying the pre-cut tape flat on the base coat? Is it better to hold the tape away from the base coat and embed the tape with the knife while starting at one end of the joint and working towards the other end?

Answer 1

Tape can be a bear to work with. Here is what I did when I first started to work with drywall. I first cut the tape to cover the joint. Next I put the cut tape in a bucket of water to make it more flexible. You do want to put a thin layer of compound on the joint. Take the tape out of the water, run the tape through your fingers to remove the excess water, and put the tape on the first layer of compound. Now run your taping knife down the tape to remove the air bubbles from under the tape. Finally put another layer of compound over the tape and smooth it with your knife.



This technique saved me from re-taping my office. Water will not weaken the tape but it may take a few more hours to dry, but it is worth the wait. Good luck!

Answer 2

Taping Butt Joints

Answer 3

I hate drywall! What I did was put a very thin layer of mud on the wall first, then gently placed my tape over the mud, and then another thin layer of mud on top. After that dried for a while, I put anothe thin coat on top of the tape and sanded.

Of course - if you have a huge gap in between the drywall, this will be a difficult task all together.

Good luck!