# How to get sharp corners?



## philcav7 (Jan 15, 2009)

Any tips for getting nice sharp lines on inside corners? What's your approach from taping to final coat? 

I usually sub jobs that are over 25-30 sheets because I am not the fastest taper or finisher, and corners always take me the most time. I'm going to hang/finish my current job since it's a easy one to teach one of my helpers how to hang & finish. 

Any suggestions you could offer would be great.


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## illbuildit.dd (Jan 7, 2015)

Mostly practice. But coating one side at a time is super simple. Prefill every corner before taping but dont overfill.


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## avenge (Sep 25, 2008)

How are you taping your corners? If they aren't sharp what exactly are they? How can you teach someone else if you don't how to do it yourself?


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## illbuildit.dd (Jan 7, 2015)

avenge said:


> How are you taping your corners? If they aren't sharp what exactly are they? How can you teach someone else if you don't how to do it yourself?


I was going to ask that but decided to go to sleep. Now I'm back


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## philcav7 (Jan 15, 2009)

I fill the corner, set the tape and hit it with a 4" knife. I only finish one side at a time and hit the opposing side when it's dry. That is the main thing that slows me down. 

I also have to be cautious when applying coats to keep lumps of excess mud out of the corner, so I don't load much mud on the knife to avoid this...this also slows me down. I use a 4" for taping and first coats, final with a 6".

Edit: sharps as in getting a good line from the start, keeping both sides clean, not having to sand excess mud.


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## illbuildit.dd (Jan 7, 2015)

philcav7 said:


> I fill the corner, set the tape and hit it with a 4" knife. I only finish one side at a time and hit the opposing side when it's dry. That is the main thing that slows me down.
> 
> I also have to be cautious when applying coats to keep lumps of excess mud out of the corner, so I don't load much mud on the knife to avoid this...this also slows me down. I use a 4" for taping and first coats, final with a 6".
> 
> Edit: sharps as in getting a good line from the start, keeping both sides clean, not having to sand excess mud.


Do both sides and hold the knife at different angles to see ehat works for you. I can coat both sides and sometimes its finished after being touched by only my knife. And you can move the knife in two directions (down and across ) to pull off excess mud as you go. And 95 percent of the time I use an 8 inch knife on taped corners. That will speed you up as well.


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## Metro M & L (Jun 3, 2009)

I do both sides at once. 3 inch to put the mud on, 6 inch flex to wipe. I tried the corner flushers but didnt care for them.


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## scottktmrider (Jun 24, 2012)

How I do it is when I am putting the tape on take your knife and push the tape tight in the corner


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## griz (Nov 26, 2009)

Start with a clean, tight corner.

Make certain there is no debris in the corner. Shred of paper, chunk of gypsum, bulging screw head....etc

Cut tape 1" short of floor. Fold it and crease it tight. 

Mud both sides with 3" knife.

Start at the top and with a long knife work the crease into the corner. Hold the long knife parallel with the corner using the edge to gently set the tape in the corner.

Wipe one side then the other with a 6" knife.

Sounds like a PITA, but it really goes very quickly and the corners are sharp.


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## Snobnd (Jul 1, 2008)

I coat all my corners one side at a time with a specially cut six inch knife... I check the the other side and pre fill any imperfections and slight skim on the tape Edg.

I do the same thing but in reverse on second pass on the corner


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## blacktop (Oct 28, 2012)

It's all in the blade.. :thumbsup:


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## blacktop (Oct 28, 2012)

It's a hard process to explain . Too much mud under the tape will leave a round angle ..If the tape coat is nice and square your off to good start. Mud has glue in it..It doesn't take a lot beneath the tape to make it stick .


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## blacktop (Oct 28, 2012)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYbBrP7bEIk


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## blacktop (Oct 28, 2012)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7S4wOLjQZNs


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## blacktop (Oct 28, 2012)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQ-XqzlKj8o


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## hdavis (Feb 14, 2012)

I think he's talking about the top coats, where he's putting on too much mud and then wiping and detailing. The mud buildup on his knife makes it squeeze past the edge, and make a mess on the opposing wall. If that's the case, the first thing to do would be to put less mud on, and wipe your knife more.

OTOH, without seeing how he's doing it, it's tough to make suggestions on how he can do it better / faster / easier.


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## hdavis (Feb 14, 2012)

I'll start with basics - it's easier to get a good bed coat with thinned mud. There is less of a tendency to get it too thick. 

For top coats, the thinner the better, but you need to be able to keep it on the knife long enough to get it on the wall.


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## blacktop (Oct 28, 2012)

hdavis said:


> I think he's talking about the top coats, where he's putting on too much mud and then wiping and detailing. The mud buildup on his knife makes it squeeze past the edge, and make a mess on the opposing wall. If that's the case, the first thing to do would be to put less mud on, and wipe your knife more.
> 
> OTOH, without seeing how he's doing it, it's tough to make suggestions on how he can do it better / faster / easier.


I see. It's hard to explain. Running angles by hand is not an easy task to just pick up overnight .. I do it day in and day out ..So it's second nature to me ..Different muds can act in different ways too. A tight angle has much to do with the knife . I run my angles with a 5''...I never could get the hang of the 4'' ..I've seen other finishers that run their angles with a 4'' and do clean work with It.. I guess it's all in how one is taught or if it ain't broke don't fix it .. I had an old finisher tell once That after you get a clean square tape coat on your angles all that's needed after that is to turn the tape white!! I didn't agree with that at the time ,but I could see his point. Myself ? I can't buy a new 5'' and start running angles with it.. I use for other things for awhile [break in time] Before it becomes an angle runner ..But then sometimes it never makes the cut . I can buy 4 brand new 5'' knives and out of those 4 only one will be my go to knife. 

I use a 500 watt halogen light when running angles . It's at my feet the entire time . When I'm on the stilts i use my stilt stick to carry it around. So on sand day there's not much I haven't caught already ..Course ..I'm going blind too ! So that don't help matters much!:laughing: Also I keep a pencil on me I put a small circle at the laps on the block coat . I keep a well filed 6'' in my back pocket To scrape em down while running the next coat . I mark any laps or anything i see that may need more attention While running my second pass. I know it sounds a bit much...But I Hate sanding! So I try to help myself out any way I can before that day comes!:whistling

Oh! And.. Even tho I run my angles by hand .. I still touch up all my 3ways on sand day..not quite like a machine finisher would .. But they still need attention . 

I'll make a vid on this subject the next chance I get .


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## illbuildit.dd (Jan 7, 2015)

Like i said, practice practice practice.


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## Inner10 (Mar 12, 2009)

So the answer is practice?

Isn't there a pill I can take instead?


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## cury (Jan 10, 2015)

*How To Get Sharp Corners?*

Bucket babies


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## mnld (Jun 4, 2013)

I picked up a hardware store knife last year. Off brand, ugly looking thing, 4.5", but man does it have a sweet spot for angles.
Will try to take a pic tomorrow.


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## blacktop (Oct 28, 2012)

Easy Gibson said:


> This feels like the part in the movie where the main character is revealed to be a complete psychopath but he had no idea what he was working on was just gibberish.
> 
> "Don't you see them!? Don't you see all the tools!?"
> 
> ...


That's funny!!! I see the tools Easy !!! I've tried them all! 


LOL!


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## mnld (Jun 4, 2013)

blacktop said:


> That's funny!!! I see the tools Easy !!! I've tried them all!
> 
> 
> LOL!


He even has a bazooka to try..... speaking of that, where's that video, rock star?????


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## blacktop (Oct 28, 2012)

mnld said:


> He even has a bazooka to try..... speaking of that, where's that video, rock star?????


I did a few takes with the zook Mike! Trust me...Nobody on youtube wants to see that!! :laughing::no:


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## hdavis (Feb 14, 2012)

I'll reiterate the importance of good light. I taped last evening using mesh and an acrylic fortified durabond. Didn't have my lights with me, but I've done it plenty of times, so it shouldn't be a problem.

Today, I had my lights and a 2" carbide scraper.:whistling


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## illbuildit.dd (Jan 7, 2015)

Inner10 said:


> So the answer is practice?
> 
> Isn't there a pill I can take instead?


well i know some guys I did drywall with years ago had practice AND took lots of pills, so maybe for some. The pills weren't for me so I relied on practice. 
One of the guys are dead and the other is in a chair slobbering.


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## Rio (Oct 13, 2009)

blacktop said:


> That's what it is! Walk into Lowe's ....Do they sell Hyde knives ?? No...they sell the corner spoon. A DIY tool. That's what it is !!


They have these magnificent tools at the local huge wholesale stucco, lath and plaster supply house proudly displayed. Spoon indeed! If you want a drywall spoon I suggest ya'll check out Madrina's you tube clips on the subject.......... talk about crisp corners....


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## philcav7 (Jan 15, 2009)

Thanks for posting the videos, blacktop. I will watch them over the weekend when I have a few minutes. 

I personally like the feel of flexible blades, would a stiffer knife be better? I have an assortment as well, but never really noticed a big improvement. 

I usually use hot mud for taping and base coats, and finish with green lid AP. I do run it a bit thin and always water down the AP a little bit. I wet/mist the paper tape as well. I tried fibrafuse on my last job and it worked great on the walls, but I quickly learned it wasn't a good choice for corners. 

I know it all comes down to technique and practice, but getting the right amount of mud, pressure, and blade angle for corners hasn't came to me yet. I really gotta watch my finishers closer. They can fly through corners. The just wipe it on and keep moving. 

Fortunately, this job has minimal corner and lots of tapered joints. More than anything, I want to show my helper how to use a trowel on flats.


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## blacktop (Oct 28, 2012)

illbuildit.dd said:


> the other is in a chair slobbering.


Lucky Bastard !! :whistling


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## VinylHanger (Jul 14, 2011)

hdavis said:


> I'll reiterate the importance of good light. I taped last evening using mesh and an acrylic fortified durabond. Didn't have my lights with me, but I've done it plenty of times, so it shouldn't be a problem.
> 
> Today, I had my lights and a 2" carbide scraper.:whistling


Yeah, that is always fun. Looks great in the dark. In the morning Ya just got to hang your head in shame. :laughing:


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## blacktop (Oct 28, 2012)

philcav7 said:


> Thanks for posting the videos, blacktop. I will watch them over the weekend when I have a few minutes.
> 
> I personally like the feel of flexible blades, would a stiffer knife be better? I have an assortment as well, but never really noticed a big improvement.
> 
> ...



Don't take any stock in what i'm sayin .. I''m just talking trash man!

Easy Gibson is the man you need to talk to ! He knows more about the drywall trade then I ever will!!


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## blacktop (Oct 28, 2012)

VinylHanger said:


> Yeah, that is always fun. Looks great in the dark. In the morning Ya just got to hang your head in shame. :laughing:


Drywall finishing can humble a man real quick when that light shines in just right!!!! :laughing:


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## mnld (Jun 4, 2013)

You need humility? Get one of these.


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## cedarboarder (Mar 30, 2015)

Rio said:


> It's been quite awhile since I've been involved in doing any mudding but this is what we used to use, seemed to work okay.


my supplier gave me one of these corner trowels and tried using it, cost me more time. Was not happy with the corners POS tool. I use it to scoop my mud out of the bucket and to clean my bucket, about all its good for. 
I like all the custom knifes blacktop you use a grinder to cut those up?


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## Rio (Oct 13, 2009)

cedarboarder said:


> my supplier gave me one of these corner trowels and tried using it, cost me more time. Was not happy with the corners POS tool. I use it to scoop my mud out of the bucket and to clean my bucket, about all its good for.
> I like all the custom knifes blacktop you use a grinder to cut those up?


Guess it's all in the wrist.................


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## mnld (Jun 4, 2013)

mnld said:


> I picked up a hardware store knife last year. Off brand, ugly looking thing, 4.5", but man does it have a sweet spot for angles.
> Will try to take a pic tomorrow.


As promised...


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## Easy Gibson (Dec 3, 2010)

blacktop said:


> Don't take any stock in what i'm sayin .. I''m just talking trash man!
> 
> Easy Gibson is the man you need to talk to !


OP, definitely do not talk to me about this. I'm probably only slightly faster than you.

The only thing that has helped me is trying to work faster. The more you do it, and the faster you can get at doing it, the better you'll get at it. Spending some time with somebody who knows what you're doing for 1 hour is worth 8 hours on your own "practicing" though. A good teacher will improve your skills exponentially by eliminating the bad form you're using.


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## mnld (Jun 4, 2013)

mnld said:


> As promised...


And lo and behold, it's a Hyde....


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## blacktop (Oct 28, 2012)

mnld said:


> You need humility? Get one of these.


  Turn that thing off!! Turn it OFF!! :laughing:


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