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drywall speed increase ideas needed

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creativecarpent

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
I am wondering what I can do to speed up my process. I just did a basement room roughly 600 sq ft, includes enclosed ductwork. it was already rocked, i just had to mud, prime and texture it. they wanted smooth walls. It took me 5 days. day one, did all the joints nails and half the corners. day 2, did rest of the corners and started second coating. day 3, final coat, day four sand and prime, day five, texture (hand applied plastic bag approach for the texture, not sure what the proper name for it is.) I use 90 minute mud for first coat on seams and 45 minute mud on corners for first and second. plus three for final coat. and only sand once. all is applied by hand, no machines. the corners, i use straitflex. and I use an airless sprayer for the primer. I had to wait 3 days for the mud to dry in the corners before I could prime because it just wasn't drying, although we did have humid weather, and the house was only 3 months old. so actually, it was 8 days because of that. I even used fans! well, you can let me know how slow i am as long as you also tell me how to speed up the process! I know the inside corners are killing me on time just because it takes longer to put the mud in there. i use a corner trowel for that. any thoughts would be great.
 
#3 ·
I don't know what the specifics of the texture you were trying to achieve were, but the more texture the less you need to finish the walls. You don't need a level 5 finish for walls going to be textured.

I would use faster setting compound for the first tape coat (20 min mud) same for the 2nd and if you are good you might not need a 3rd depending on the texture.

Use a fan in the room to more than half/ the drying time. But also realize that with setting compound the drying is not the same, it isn't a moisture removal process as with normal all purpose mud, it is chemical.

Use a automatic screw gun, a Senco is only $99 and will cut your labor at least in 1/2 or better in getting the sheet rock up.

If the texture is at least knock down, you should need minimal sanding of the final mud coat. A wet sponge for sanding would quickly speed up the process.
 
Discussion starter · #6 ·
specifics on texture

I do mix my mud, 90 min setting compound for the first coat on all, which works great because I don't have to mix and clean nearly as much. I also need the extra time to put the mud in the corners with the corner trowel. then I use the corne trowel to set the straitflex tape in. after that I usually use 45 minute, on this job i stuck with 90 just to save a trip to the store. with straitflex, the second coat is done the first with the first coat. the customer wanted smooth walls, so I wasn't lucky enough to leave it at that. I only sand on the final coat. then prime and an patch if necessary.
i'm not sure what the texture on the ceiling that i applied is called. I used a clear poly attached to a board and pressed it into the thinned mud. It was to match what was on the stairwell ceiling. that took me a 5 hours. took a brush, applied a thin coat of mud, and then used the poly/board thing. I knew setting compound dried chemically, but my final coat was the "plus 3" mud, and it took a almost 2 days longer to dry than usual. not sure why that happened.

I'm not sure, I could maybe use some advice on texturing. also, i've used a sponge before and it doesn't seem to work out for me. it seems to take me longer. what type of sponge do you use?
 
#7 ·
Yuck, thankfully every thing here is knock down, which has got to be the easiest, most forgiving and best cover up there is. Don't use a sponge for texture, just a compressor, a texture gun and a special knock down plastic knife and texture compound not watered down drywall compound. In 5 hours - I could probably do an entire house with knock down.

I still don't see the need for such long lasting mud for corners. They should be going quickly, you just have to mix less since it has less open time, but the drying savings will make up for the extra mixing times. I would mix enough for two corners if it takes you too long and then do another two corners then just go back to all the rest which I imagine you can do quicker.
 
Discussion starter · #8 ·
sponge

sorry, i was replying to using a sponge for sanding. i've only used a sponge for sanding a couple of times. didn't like it.

Mike, i agree with you on the texture gun, it is definately faster. on this job i had to match it up with the connected ceiling in the stairwell. the only thing i could do was brush it on the ceiling and stamp it with a board covered with plastic to get the same effect. I am sure the previous mudders used a quicker method, but I couldn't figure it out, other than brushing up some mud and stamping it.

why do you think it is better to use the topping compound rather than thinned mud? the main reason I use the "plus 3" mud for texturing the ceiling is so I can use up what's left from the final coat on the walls and I just have to stock one type of premixed mud, the rest of my stock is bags of setting compound.

and does the topping compound dry a different color of white? I have had repair jobs texturing the ceiling, and have found my mud "plus 3" always wants to dry as a brighter white than the existing. I just chalked it up to aging or dust on the old ceiling.
 
#9 ·
I don't know what to tell you in regard to using a sponge, I know no respectable drywaller would use them, but what can I say, I'm not a drywaller. But I have great success in regard to speed and cleanliness with a sponge for sanding when I use it. The more I have used it over time the better the return on speed and cleanliness I get.

I didn't say use topping mud for texture, I said use texture compound for texture. It is no different then using any specific product that is made for a specific purpose. You should be making gains in speed and quality that out-weigh the increase in cost or PITA of lugging yet another extra product to the job site. I would only use topping compound for what it was made for which is the final coat.

I have never noticed any variations in color, but since all the surfaces I deal with have to be primed and painted I have never been concerned with it.
 
#10 ·
I don't see what the gripe is with sanding sponges. Then again, I don't usually take on large sheetrock jobs either. However, the sponges work out good for me because they can be used wet to minimize dust, I usually only do patching, and they last quite a while. Not only that, but there's nothing better when you're looking at a couple thousand linear feet of trim to sand!

I know a pole sander is better for large areas, hands down...but am I missing something else about sanding sponges that make them undesirable?
 
#11 ·
Quick mud

Even though you use quick mud...it doesn't mean that the total drying time will be faster...only the outer surface...the humidity is everything...and smooth walls are not easy...it is hard to get a total consistency...The Drywall Finishing Council lists recommendations for levels of drywall finishes and application requirements website: www.dwfc.org ...now I have more experience with automatic finishing tools then by hand...but in this circumstance...I think with the humidity...you did what you could...

Thank you for the posting...good luck in the future...
 
#13 ·
don't feel bad. i did a kitchen addition last summer with about the same amount of drywall matching up to smooth existing plaster. with the local rain and humidity, the blasted thing took 21/2 weeks!! if the area you're working in has AC, it does dry faster.
 
#14 ·
Somehow this thread got by me.

Bob's buying lipstick in May and has now graduated to fuzzy bunny slippers. Anybody else see a pattern here?
 
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#16 ·
Bob, one of these days I'm going to make an excuse to come up there.

The sponge technique was taught to me by a guy from upstate NY. A valuable tool in the box. No dust!
 
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#18 ·
Best sanding technique I have found and use is the Porter Cable drywall vac with the Loveless drywall vacuum. I have absolutely no dust and the speed at which I can sand is phenomenal. But the draw backs to that is $$$$$$ The sander will cost you about $420 and the drywall vac will cost about another $250. Definitely worth the money when sanding whole houses and cutting down on doctor bills from black lung lol
 
#19 ·
Hey Glass, We always just mark the center of the box with an X and hang the board with a few screws (away from box). Then run the Rotozip around the box perimeter. Rotozip makes bits for this with a smooth lead so not to cut plastic boxes. You can't sit in one spot too long or it will burn through the box. Run it counterclockwise and its a breeze. Works great on can lights also.
 
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