[jbrah]

First time finishing drywall, so please forgive the newbish questions. I used USG Easy Sand 90 to do some gap filling.

1. What's the right consistency? I know you want it creamy without any lumps. But how 'wet' should it be? Like soft serve ice cream? Fall off the hawk if you flip it upside down for a couple of seconds?

2. When it starts getting firmer on the hawk/pan, can I add a little water to give me more working time, or does that not apply here since this compound cures chemically and not by drying?

3. Cleaning tools was easy enough, but cleaning the bucket was a real pain. I cleaned it only after I was done with the gap filling. Should I have poured some water into the bucket after I scooped out the mud onto the hawk?

4. Now that gaps are filled, should I switch to all-purpose pre-mixed for taping, screw dimple fill, etc.? Or would it be better to use Easy Sand 90 on the first pass on screw dimples since it won't shrink back as much as pre-mixed compound?

 

[stick\shift]

What's your reason for using setting compound? Unless you're bedding mesh tape, I would use regular joint compound.

 

[Marson]

The bigger the hole the stiffer you want it. I would say peanut butter consistency.

It says on the instructions not to add water to extend working time. Doesn’t work really anyway. Once it starts going off, you’re done.

I fill my bucket with water and drop any tools in there while I’m using the batch. That helps with clean up.

Whether you finish with hot mud or bucket mud depends on how much of a hurry you are in. With bucket mud, you are limited to one coat a day. But it’s much easier to deal with. Especially for a beginner.

Either mud is fine for spotting screws.

 

[jbrah]

The bigger the hole the stiffer you want it. I would say peanut butter consistency.

It says on the instructions not to add water to extend working time. Doesn’t work really anyway. Once it starts going off, you’re done.

I fill my bucket with water and drop any tools in there while I’m using the batch. That helps with clean up.

Whether you finish with hot mud or bucket mud depends on how much of a hurry you are in. With bucket mud, you are limited to one coat a day. But it’s much easier to deal with. Especially for a beginner.

Either mud is fine for spotting screws.

Thanks. Definitely going to switch to all-purpose for tape and finish. Just wanted to fill the big gaps as well as areas where I goofed when cutting out electrical boxes with hot mud.

 

[jbrah]

What's your reason for using setting compound? Unless you're bedding mesh tape, I would use regular joint compound.

Apparently it dries harder than premix, so it's better for large gaps/holes. Also it cures faster. If you fill a large gap with premix, it takes a long time to dry. Also, it shrinks less, so with a large gap, you can fill it in one shot with setting type.

 

[mark sr]

What consistency to mix it depends a lot on what you are doing. You want thicker for filling gaps, thinner if using it to cover tape.