Finished patching my own drywall for the first time and hit 0 visible seams on the 5th try

I see people online all the time saying you need to use a wide 12 inch knife and do 3 thin coats to get a good drywall repair. I tried that and the first 4 patches I did had ridges and little bumps I couldn't sand out flat. So I went against what everyone said and used a 6 inch knife with one thicker coat of hot mud instead. On my 5th patch it was completely flush with the wall. No sanding needed and the texture blends right in. It saved me about 2 hours of work per patch. Has anyone else found that the common advice just doesn't work for your specific wall situation?

2 comments

2 Comments

john_johnson7526d ago

Tried almost the exact same thing in my bathroom. The "thin coat rule" left me with feathering edges that stuck out like crazy under the light. Switched to a 6 inch knife with 90 minute mud and did one thicker pass. That patch is still holding up 2 years later with zero cracking or visible lines. The key for me was letting the mud get a tiny bit stiff before smoothing the final pass. Made a world of difference.

taylor17426d ago

Yeah the "letting the mud get a tiny bit stiff" part is huge. I used to rush and try to smooth it out right away, but it just left these ridges that wouldn't sand flat no matter what. Now I wait until the mud feels like soft butter almost, then do one quick pass with a 10 inch knife. That thicker coat really does work better for the final pass compared to the thin coat method everyone talks about. Also found that if you dampen the knife blade just slightly before that last smooth, it helps eliminate those drag marks. I've been doing my patches this way for about three years now and haven't had a single one show up under light again.