Who Uses "hot Mud" For Entire Rooms?

steve-in-kville

I typically don't do more than one room at a time. After reading past threads regarding setting-type mud, I'm tempted to finish my next project exclusively with 45 or 90 minute mud.

I'm making some changes in my finishing techniques and want to do a better job, faster.

I know there's a few here that use hot mud all the time. Like to hear your opinions and comments.

steve

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cedy

I can't imagine using hot mud all the time. It sets up nice and quick but with a whole room it's really not necessary. Hot Mud also contains glues and such that make it harder to sand -- yea I know they all say easy sand on them. Your going to be spending so much time cleaning your pans and knives that any time saving by using hot mud will be easily wasted. Another thing that many people don't consider is that using different muds will create sanding problems, for example you went around the room with premix and set/imbed your tape. You come in the next day and put a second coat with a hot mud. When you go to sand any premix will sand right off before the hot will- You'll have lines that won't sand out- only getting worse and lots of other issues. So keep using the same type of mud. Keep the hot for patching and stuff and use the premix for your bigger projects. One other little thing , try using gold bond mud- it dries realy quick and smooth without the issues that hot mud has.

Mike Finley

I use only setting compounds (hot mud). For a whole house, I doubt I would, for a room, no problem. 90 min mud for the 1st coat and I use mesh for everything but the corners. Some people will tell you that you can't use mesh on the ceiling, but you can as long as you are using setting compounds because they dry harder then drying compounds. I don't know where the thoughts that setting compounds are harder to sand, they are just the opposite, they are easier to sand. Far easier.

For a whole room I mix in a 5 gallon bucket and transfer to a pan, you will have to discover how much to mix, but for me it is usually 1/3 of a 5 gallon bucket. After I go around the entire room with the first coat I set up my little blower in the middle of the room and come back 1 hr later to knock down any ridges (usually don't need to do any sanding on the first coat) Repeat the steps I did in for the 1st coat, set up the fan, 1 hr later come back and put on the 3rd coat. This coat I will sand.

Sheetrock26

Easysand is good for a couple of things....heavy fills and quick setting. Unless you texture everything, you are not going to tape, finish, and sand a room in one day without it looking like you did just that. If you're doing a whole house save yourself a huge headache, tape with all purpose and finish with lightweight compound. Keep the easysand for major prefills prior to taping if needed and your first beadcoat.

Mike Finley

I disagree, but what do I know, we do it all the time.

If it's good enough for Myron Ferguson, I assume it's good enough for me.

Robie

I just purchased Myron's video a few days ago to get some helpful hints, etc. In the video, he states he uses the hot mud only for the first coat (taping) and the pre-mix for the next two coats. He does a light sanding after the first coat.
I have to agree that the hot mud is tougher to sand.

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Greg Di

I have to disagree. I use hot mud all the time for bathrooms with usually have a bunch of angles. When you know how to tape and how to work with hot mud, it is easy to hang and completely tape a whole room in one day. In a bathroom, I get three coats on in one shot using setting for one and two and topping for the third. Remember...hot mud doesn't have to be dry to be recoated. If it's hard enough to not gouge, it's ready for another coat. It will even continue to set with ready-mix layered on top. I come back in the morning and hit it with a radius 360 sander quick and it's done.

I've done rehung dining room ceilings and banged them out in one day too. Gas is too expensive to NOT use hot mud making all those return trips.

Hot mud=good

TIP: If you use hotmud for the first time, don't mix too much, don't use anything less than 45, and mix it a tad wetter than the way you like your ready mix. It's OK to soap it too. Makes a big difference IMO. Once you get used to it, you start making your own 30 by mixing 20 and 45 or making 7 by using hot water with 20.

Mike Finley

I finally got one of those a few months ago. What a difference that thing makes, I love it!

Teetorbilt

I only use hot mud and boat tools like orbital and inline sanders. It's good to have dual purpose tools.

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Sheetrock26

Well sure, for small projects and patch work it's hot mud and finish coated with topping like Greg Di. I wouldn't dream of doing a whole house this way but for small jobs it wouldn't make sense to make 4 trips and spend $100 in gas for a $400 job.

steve-in-kville

I read his book and found it very informative. I have a few rooms of drywall coming up (hang - finish - paint) and I was gonna try using the 45 or 90 minute mud for the entire project. I have a few yound boys that like to use a power drill to mix stuff, so maybe we'll be able to keep a smooth operation going.

Thanks for the replies.... keep 'em coming!!

steve

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Mike Finley

Steve you can turn 90 minute mud into 45 minute mud by mixing it with warm water. A little tip there.

steve-in-kville

I read this somewhere... maybe here on the forums. Thanks for the info. I'm trying to locate some 90 minute mud in my area. I'm gonna use this on my next project. If I can't apply a pan full in 90 minutes, I better stay out of the drywall business!!

steve

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slickfin

my family has been in drywall for over 50 years. A lot has changed but it,s nothing unusaual for us to mesh tape and then bed with 45 min. The whole house. The trick is t6o skim with regular mud then it sands nice and easy.

Mike Finley

You might have to be twice as fast as you think. 90 minute mud for me has a workable time of under 30 minutes. Maybe it's the altitude?

Eric K

Home Depot around here carries 45 - 90min and Sherwin Williams has 5mins to 90 mins

steve-in-kville

The HD in my area has only 20 minute. I discovered that Lowes handles the 90. SW don't carry it at all anymore.

steve

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Frankawitz

I have perfected this since 1985, I use all 90 Durabond to do whole houses. I mix the mud up in 5 gallon buckets, I will mix a half a bag at a time and tape all joints and corners, we only use paper tape cause if the house exspands the cracks don't show up, were if you use mesh tape you'll end up with cracks with little checker board affect. I have used hot mud to make crown mouldings. When we do whole rooms we tape and mud then we mix up a bucket of 90 and start with the ceiling and pull it about 1/8" thick then work down the walls, we let it set up then shave the lines down with a 6" knief then we use topping compound and skimcoat let it sit over night and then set up our dust collector and sand it all out to a smooth finish, after we prime with block filler then spot out the room with M&H ready patch, then we sand the spackling then prime with Benjamin Moore's Freshstart. then we paint two finish coats of Benjamin Moore's top of their line of paints. I have used Durabond for 27 years doing basecoat and skimcoat. I have used it to restore historical Homes and Buildings cause I know this stuff will be there for over 100 years. you can take a bag of this stuff and throw it in a pool of water and wait it will get hard as a rock. I contacted USG about using it in place of Plaster and was told that it's harder and will not shrink so you don't have to worry about cracks if a house moves on you.
I have filled gaps in corners 3" wide you just have to learn what you can do with this stuff, just make sure you keep it off your hands, cause if you don't it will cause your finger tips to split like paper cuts and they are a bitch to heal. also make sure that you use a dust mask when mixing it cause if you don't you will taste it and it tastes like metal also it will mess with any fillings in your teeth. Good Luck and just think what your doing.

theworx

You can get rid of that metal taste in your mouth with a nice tall glass of latex primer, yum !!!

I'm a little confused (most of the time) but most of you are stating that setting compound when dry is hard as a rock and others like Mike stated they are easier to sand than premix lightweight compound. Personally, I find it quite hard to sand a rock.

I use setting compounds all the time. Usually patching, prefilling, and complete taping small rooms (bathrooms and bedrooms). I do find it a tougher sand, and as I've said on previous threads, even though the setting compounds harden fast they still have moisture in them. I'm guessing you guys who can finish tape a room in one day are using corner trowels (which coat both sides at once) because using a six inch knife to coat one side on first application and the other side on second application is not happening (because of the moisture still in the corner you just make a mess because the mud is still a little soft).

As far as using a combination of setting and drying muds, it's true, they don't sand the same and can also make a mess of your work. The key to it is to have a very smooth coat done before your final application of mud (and make sure you completely cover your previous coat with your final application). Might have to go a little heavier than usual but will help prevent sanding through the finish and into the setting compound which won't sand off at the same rate the finish coat does... It takes talent, so Kudos to you Mike for having the gentle touch to accomplish what you do in a day!!!

troubleseeker

None of the drywall contractors I know of will use hot mud for an entire job. They will bed with it, but always use regular mud on the finish coats. I know from personal experience that although the lightweight hot muds are "sandable" the don't sand anywhere as easily as regular mud, gumming up the sanding pad very quickly. Unless you are good with a mud knife, stay away from the old "Durabond" type mud. This stuff is like trying to sand plaster.