Say hello to my friend, Hot Mud - how to speed up drywall repairs
Drywall work can be slow.
Really slow. Turtle slow. Slower than watching paint dry.
And it’s not the tradesperson fault.
If you use what I call ‘bucket mud’, then it’s a 24 hour wait between each coat. You’ll here this called ‘All Purpose Mud’ or ‘lightweight mud’. The reason I call it by it’s name, is it usually comes in a bucket. Though you can buy refill amounts in boxes.
You will run into trades people that have a week of working time to sometimes patch an area with these muds. While there are multiple types of compounds to use, they are fairly easy to work with. The downside being you have a long dry time.
But there is a secret weapon. Something you only see experienced trades people use.
That’s ‘Hot Mud’.
This mud comes in water sealed bags, and will go by ‘Durabond’ or ‘Easy Sand’. Though that is a fooling name, as it is anything but easy to sand.
What makes this mud special, is that it has a ‘set time’ which is usually labeled on the bag. In the bags is a gypsum powder, that once mixed with water will set up in either 5, 20, 45, or 90 minutes. Once set, you can follow up with additional coats of hot mud til you reach the desired coverage needed for the project.
So if it’s a secret weapon, why doesn’t everyone use it?
Because it’s very easy to mess up.
Each finisher has different consistencies of mud thickness for the different applications. Because the mud comes in a powder form, it can be difficult to mix a good batch in the shorter lengths.
For example, a typical patch job for myself is generally done in 5 and 20 minute muds. Once the water touches the powder, the clock starts. I would love to say that there is a science, but it really comes down to experience and feel to mix a preferable batch. And what I prefer, may not be what someone else prefers. And the longer you spend mixing, the less time you have to work with it.
Speaking of work time, focus needs to be sharp once the clock starts. A seasoned finisher, can generally gauge the amount and which mix to best use their time and complete the project. I mentioned my general useage, but there are moments where I’ll use 20 and 45 minute, as was the case in this project shown. The reason is because I had mutiple patches in other rooms, with more ceiling work than normal. In the past, I have watched unexperienced people dump an entire bag of 20 minute in a 5 gallon bucket, only for them to talk the entire time mixing, and then have the entire bag set up without ever touching a wall. If you can figure out how to work with this product, it is possible to constantly be at work, as by the time your pan and tools are cleaned from the previous coat, everything will have set up and be ready for the next.
What about the ‘Easy Sand’ part? It’s really incorrect marketing, as far as mud goes, this may be the hardest mud to sand. With a standard bucket mud, you can at best give a quick sand between coats to keep a smooth finish. Because hot mud ‘sets’ (which does not mean dry/cured), sanding between coats is like sanding playdoh. And once it is cured, it is closer to sanding a softer concrete. Where getting a smooth finish on a bucket mud is to keep sanding down, a smooth finish with hot mud helps with the sanding overall.
I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this as someone’s first attempt at drywall finishing. When things go sideway, they go sideways quick.
But here are a few tips I can give:
Set an alarm -
For the longer set times, I will set an alarm at 5-10 minutes less than the recommended setup time. This way I can make sure to be reminded to finish up what I’m working on, and clean my pan and knife before setup. You do not want to have this stuff dry on your tools, cause removing becomes difficult.
Clean when the mud is still wet -
Again, it’s easier to clean your tools when the hot mud hasn’t set. If it does set up, using your knife to scrape the mud out is the first step, followed with a small wire brush. You don’t want to leave the harden mud in your pan, as it will just add ‘junk’ to your next coats
Cold water slows set time. Hot water speeds set time -
A good thing to know if you need to increase or decrease set times.
5 gallon buckets are great for storage -
It’s very rare, that I will use an entire bag. To store open bags, I will put them in 5 gallon buckets with a lid. You do not want to leave bags out in the open, as the moisture in the air can activate the set up time.
Make everyone aware -
If you are with a crew or family members, I make sure to let everyone know I’m going to be busy and won’t be able to stop. Remember, once water touches the powder, the clock has started for the set time.
Start with longer times in the beginning -
When I first started, I used 20 minute mud for everything with 45 minute mud for taping. As I progressed in skill, I was able to move to 5 minute mud for everything and 20 minute mud for taping. As you get better, you will be able to gauge what you need. Just know, ceilings will take longer cause of the overhead and height, and taping is the longest part of the process.
Sanding -
This stuff dries as hard as concrete. You really benefit from getting your finish as smooth as possible. I have in the past used a finish mud for my final coat. Finish mud is the easiest to sand and leaves a great finish. But if you have hot mud as your final, you will need to put some elbow grease into getting it looking smooth. One thing is to use an orbital sander or drywall sander to help. Just give quick passes with it and pay attention, as you can quickly burn through the finish. Once you get to a good spot, then you can follow up with hand sanding for a final touch.
Set time is not dried time -
The hot mud sets up to allow additional coats, but that does not mean it is dry. You will still need to wait 24-48 hours (depending on how thick you apply it) before you can sand, prime, and paint. One thing to help speed the process up is to add a fan on the work. You can increase the heat in the house or room as well but I prefer air movement. What you do not want to do, is use a heat gun. The intense heat will cause the finish to crack.
