Monday, May 21, 2018

Smoothing Things Out With A Drywall Mud Dispenser

By Sarah Gibson


Walls are erected to separate things, to create a divide, to create borders between spaces. They are very good at what they do. But building them can take some time and effort, it can take a little bit of sweating. But having a drywall mud dispenser around can make it a little bit easier.

Drywall is constituted from gypsum. They are widely available in rectangular boards. They were developed early in the twentieth century, between 1910 and 1933. But their widespread use is only fairly recent. Earlier construction used the lath and plaster technique, which slowly lost popularity with builders thanks to advent of a simpler method.

There are many names for the material, with drywall simply being the most prominent. Other names include gypsum plaster or boards, plaster boards, and sheet rock. Whatever the name, the material is used in the building of interior walls and ceilings. If a building was built in the last two or so decades, there is a good chance that it makes heavy use of gypsum.

Mud and tape are used in the process for a number of reasons. The mud to be used it not actual mud, but a specialized joint compound made from mixing water with powdered gypsum. Many people will use a mesh variant of the tape, but the paper kind is also okay. They are both used because the boards come in premade, uniform sizes, but the walls in houses and buildings do not. As such, multiple boards are often used. But using multiple boards can leave a seam, a tiny gap in the space between two boards. Those gaps must be filled to make the whole thing look like one giant piece instead of multiple smaller pieces stitched together.

The tools to finish off a wall are simple and straightforward. First up is the dispenser, to both hold and dispense the paper tape. Next is a bucket to contain the joint compound. Then there is the trowel, to hold the compound. Then there is the taping knife, a versatile tool that can be used to apply the compound, cut the tape, and smooth out an uneven surface.

The application of compound and tape is a simple enough task. First, secure the boards and then apply the mud. Then tape over the mud. Then run the knife along the length of the seam to smooth out the surface. They key in such a task is evenness, too little compound results in dry spots, too much results in parts of a wall being thicker than others.

Now, the tools and materials are easily acquired through a number of retail outlets. Any hardware store worth its salt is going to have all the materials needed. If not, online retailers can provide products that brick and mortar stores cannot.

Like anything else in construction, safety precautions should be taken. The compound is not corrosive, but it should definitely not be ingested in any way, shape, or form. When working on ceilings on high walls, be sure to secure the position to prevent falling over.

People want pretty things and pretty homes. But homes do not start out pretty. They must be made so. But the right tools can make doing that easier.




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