Question about drywalling: do you tape and bed in one pass or let the tape dry first?

I helped a buddy hang drywall in his garage last weekend and we got into it about this. He swears by putting the tape down with mud and then covering it right away all in one go. I learned from an old timer in Dallas who always said to let the tape set for a few hours first before putting the top coat on. Never had issues with bubbles or peeling that way. Which method do you guys use? Any real difference in the long run?

3 comments

3 Comments

nancycooper1mo ago

Old timer was right. Nothing worse than coming back the next day to a bunch of bubbled up tape cause you got impatient with that second coat.

martinez.kim1mo ago

@nancycooper that "bubbled up tape" line hit home. Once you rush that second coat you're just begging for trouble the next morning.

theagibson1mo ago

Man, tell me about it! My buddy Dave thought he could beat the system by laying on an extra thick second coat. He came back the next morning and it looked like his ceiling had a bad case of the chicken pox (all those bubbles popped overnight, leaving little craters everywhere). He spent the whole weekend sanding and patching instead of watching the game like he planned. That's the kind of thing you only learn once, I guess. Nothing teaches you patience like a weekend of fixing your own shortcuts.