Blue V. Green Joint Compound

G.P.

In what applications is the blue light-weight joint compound prefferable to the green?

Mudd Dogg

It's good for bedding in. Drys quicker, less shrinkage. Some use it for skim coat but I prefer not to, too many pock marks.

Greg Di

If you want a gooding bed compound, ditch the bucket and mix up Easy Sand 90 setting compound from a bag.

Much harder. Much stronger. Much faster to dry.

Tom R

Far as I know, - - it dries somewhat faster, but also 'softer', - - and it's easier to sand.

Usually when I see it used, - - it's mixed 50/50 with the 'green'.

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Mike Finley

Yep, I don't use any pre-mixed drywall compounds anymore. I use the 25 minute & 45 minute setting compounds. No shrinkage, drys super fast, super easy to sand or wet sponge. This stuff changed my life man!

plazaman

Wouldnt it cost more and take more time to use this stuff if you were to do a large room?

kenvest

Mike, how long does it take for the "you mixems" to dry enough to sand....my life needs a little change!

Mike Finley

Well, you have to think that if you can do 3 coats in a day and be done then you can see the possibilities of figuring out where the money is going to be saved, versus how long it takes to put on 3 coats with non setting compound.

Also you have to realize that the majority of my work is repairing, not sheet rocking a room that is only studs. A tear out of 100 square feet of drywall would be big for me. But I might have to touch the walls in 100 square feet over 15 different independent places.

Mike Finley

The 25 minute stuff you can sand in well... about 25 minutes. Definitly no longer than an hour.

But if you are doing it right you should not need to sand that first coat right?

The first coat is going to go over mesh tape, if you do it right you can apply your second coat without any sanding, and hopefully your third over the 2nd with little to no sanding also. Hopefully all you are sanding is your final and since I am always applying a knock down texture over it all, I don't need a level 5 finish.

Things that I do to help move it along, is use mesh tape, use 25 minute setting compound for the first coat, then either 25 or 45 for the second and 45 for the last. If you are doing anything big the 25 minute stuff will set up in your pan before you can use it all, so I would use the 45 in that case, but for doing a repair the 25 works great. I also have a little blower fan that I set up and blow against the wall. Even though setting compound drys chemically that air flow about halfs the drying time. I also use a sponge as much as possible and only try to have to sand the final coat.

kenvest

I'm a little challenged when it comes to technique but i'm learning quickly. This will make drywall work a little more appealing to say the least. i assume i buy this stuff at any drywall supply??

Thanks mike!

Mike Finley

I get it at Home Depot. SheetRock brand.

You will have a little learning curve, but I doubt you will be sorry after you get the hang of it. For me there is no way I could do what I do without it.

kenvest

thanks for your time mike!

JustaFramer

heres another tip don't mix up the whole bag 20 min hot mud unless you can use it in 20 minutes.

Mike Finley

Yeah, and don't mix it up, leave the mixer in it and go answer a phone call!

Greg Di

You need a "system" to use the setting compounds. When you start using the 20 minute, your heart will start racing and you'll feel rushed the first couple of times. This is because you are literally racing against the clock.

Whenever I mix the setting compounds, I have two other buckets set up BEFORE I mix. One has clean water and a scrub brush and the other one, just clean water. Also, don't mix in bucket unless you need a lot. For repairs work, I just mix it right in the pan with a knife.

After I mix, the paddle from the drill gets tossed into the bucket with the brush to be cleaned right after I'm done with the 20 minute mud. I will also clean the mud pan and knife in that bucket with the scrub brush too. After scrubbing, they get rinsed in the other bucket. Then, I delicately dump the water out bucket #1 into some out of the way place leaving the schmutz behind. That sludge goes into a garbage bag. I use the cleaner water to quickly rinse the little sludge out into the garbage bag.

This works for thinset and grout too.

The first time you have mud "hit in the bucket", you'll know why I just detailed this process for you.

IHI

LOL, my full timne drywall buddies laugh at me since all I have is bags of 5, 20, and 45 minute in the truck, 5 and 20 minute get used 90% of the time. Thing i learned with hot mud, DONT use luke warm or hot water-it'll set up hard while your mixing (i also mix in a pan with a puddy knife) and once this stuff sets up, it's hard as a rock.

I found I can completely tape/mud/ AND TEXTURE with hot mud which makes for a complete roon INCLUDING paint in one afternoon. Sure i get tired of the many trips mixing up individual pans, cleaning the pan, then starting over again, but when you loook at what you can get done speed wise, it's well worth it. On larger scale projects whereI have to come back I'll use bucket mud just to waste time, otherwise it's nothing but hot mud for me...any mud takes finese, I did mine the hard way for years till a buddy showed me the way with a knife, now only sanding is minimal blend in on feathered edges...we redid a Hardee's ceiling that dropped out due to leakey roof, told me crew I could have it all ready for paint 2hr before we were scheduled to clean up and open lobby doors, only 6 sheets of 4x12, but we had it painted- done 30 min. before the 2hr lobby clean up deadline...even got to teach the way of the knife to the helpers I used to hate mudding, now starting to enjoy it somewhat to see how little sanding I can do. Hot mud is the sheeot

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Mike Finley

Yeah, and don't use your bucket of sponge water to mix up your mud in your tray!!!!! That turns 20 minute mud into 3 minute mud!

kenvest

Mike...used the 45 minute u-mix-it yesterday and while it may not be life changing as of yet, it is by far a vast improvement over the pre mixed....

sense i needed only a small amount and i was working a house with no power, i hand mixed enough to get-r-done. even though it was al ittle messy, it worked very well!

Thanks!

IHI

Once you get the knack, you'll wonder why you did'nt switch sooner

Another thing to keep in mind during the summer, the bagged quick treat is prone to clumping with high moisure levels. During the summer I'll just keep one bag of each around since if I go awhile without using it, I get the clumps no matter how well I mix..just a quirk to keep in mind for next summer-dont store directly on basement floor in humid basements

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kenvest

Thanks for the tip. i noticed that it's taken noticably longer than 45 minutes to set up but still no longer than an hour or so.....