How to avoid getting waves when mudding my joints...

yummy mummy

How can I avoid getting the waves during mudding?
It doesn't happen all the time but sometimes I get these waves.

How do I get rid of them?


Thanks

BigJimmy

Move to the Midwest. No seriously, yummy, can you snap a picture of this? I've been doing my own mudding for several years and I'm not sure what you're talking about. Do you mean that, as you move say horizontally along a joint, that the mud looks like a boat was moving through it (i.e. the dried mud resembles the wake left by a moving boat)? If this was the case, I'd say that you're not applying enough pressure to the knife when you sweep it.

Obviously, sanding is the cure but you're probably wanting to know how to simply prevent it in the future.

Jimmy

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troubleseeker

IF it is a series of "ripples",they are the result of your knife being pulled over a rough surface, usually the ragged edge of a cut resulting from the rock being snapped off and the paper not cleanly backcut. You should eliminate this problem with a sanding before you pull another coat,or they will just keep transferring up each coat. If it is just an occassional wave in a long joint line, it is probably where you stop/start a new stroke. Touch up by sanding before next coat. This is one of those things a pro makes look easy (pulling a perfectly smooth long joint), but for the rest of us...thanks for sandpaper.

yummy mummy

Yes, you are exactly correct. It is the ripples that happen as I finish passing the knife over the seam. I did not sand before the next coat, and they just kept showing again. I thought they would disappear when the next coat went on.

By the way, this is happening on the ceiling, which I am applying a texture on so it really doesn't matter, but the reason I am asking is that soon I will be starting the walls and I want to know how to prevent it.

Thanks very much.

kgphoto

Actually it DOES matter. It will show through the texture. Wall must be flat before texture is applied.

If the edge of a knife hits a bump it will transfer that "lift" to the whole blade and cause a ripple. Either sand, cut out or avoid the bump. Or fill the area by pulling another way.

Once a wall is smooth, if you have slightly dry mud and pull without enough pressure, you will skip over the surface and the blade will chatter, leaving small ripples too.

AtlanticWBConst.

There is not much you can do, especially as a newbi. The experienced guys still have minor waves when coating. The trick is to finish off with as little of an angle on your knife as possible.
Later, before you do your next coat, scrape the wave line down by running your 6" knife across it.
We always scrape down certain areas prior to the next coat. As a newbi, you may have to do some minor sanding between coats (on specific areas).

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yummy mummy

Actually, I have started to do the texture, and it is a heavy duty texture that I am applying by hand, and the waves don't show, but I wanted to avoid them when I get to the walls.

yummy mummy

Thanks Atlantic. Yes, finishing off with as little of an angle as possible seems to help. I am getting better at it when I tried doing it tonight.

troubleseeker

Yummy, I know you won't be offended, as I have seen you post a couple of things with "racey" overtones, so ............ I'm glad to see you getting better at it when trying each night. Keep practicing, nothing brings a smile to a guy's face like a woman striving to do better.

Are you building a whole house as a DIY project, or just doing major renovations? Your questions seem to cover topics on most of the trades.

yummy mummy

You are funny and it takes a lot to offend me.

With all my questions you would think that I am building a whole subdivision.

I am just renovating my basement...... framing, insulation, drywall, taping, flooring, painting, etc. I have dabled pretty much into all aspects of building. The only thing I haven't done is building foundations and bricklaying.......that's my next project.

The funny thing now is that when I go and see anyones home that has recently been built or renovated, I look at how straight the walls are, if I see any screws not mudded properly, if the corners are coped properly.

If you look back at my posts, I have been around this forum almost longer than the administrator.

yummy mummy

...............troubleseeker, one of these nights, I hope to get it perfect........

troubleseeker

Like that positive attitude yummy Good luck with your projects.