If your mud is too thick, it won't flow through the taper and could cause dry patching when applying tape to drywall joints. The ideal mud consistency is like cake batter. Your
Drywall compound shrinks as it dries, so if applied thick or if it has too much water it will crack. A few cracks on the first coat are ok since later coats will fill the cracks.
Wait for it to completely dry and sand it down. Then apply a thin finish coat. Best practice for mid on thicker areas is to do 2-3 coats rather than trying to get it all at once. Quick setting mud is good but will also not set quickly when applied too thick.
Unfortunately, drywall mud can sometimes crack, which can be a pain to cover.
It should be about the thickness of like mayonnaise; you should be able to apply it and have it stay in place but you should still be able to scrape it easily. If it isn't getting very flat or you're having a hard time making it smooth then that could mean the mud is too thick.
Your mud should still be relatively thick for this process to ensure a proper bonding between drywall, tape, and joint compound. Similar to taping by hand, your mud should be thick like frozen yogurt with high resistance when stirring.
Pre-mixed or “wet” mud is ready to use. Use water to thin the mud to the right consistency when applying it to the drywall. All-purpose joint compound or mud has bonding agents that cause the drywall tape to hold better.
The mix should come out stiff enough to hold its form but not so stiff that you can't smooth it over. Avoid over mixing and adding more compound than needed for use in that specific time.
Cracking often occurs when the mud on the surface dries faster than the mud underneath.
To repair with sanding only, remove the excess compound from bulges and finish with touch-up paint. For full drywall repair, cut a square around the damaged area, remove the drywall, measure and cut a new piece to fit the hole, secure it, and finish with joint compound, sanding, and spray texture primer and paint.
On the other hand, you want to be careful to avoid adding too much water, as the compound can fail—that is, crack and flake off—when it's too thin. You may also have to apply multiple coats that you wouldn't otherwise need to do. We want to be right in the middle with the consistency—not too thick and not too thin.
You should do a little bit of sanding between adding coats of mud. Knock down any ridges or significantly imperfect areas through sanding, which should help you apply the next coat of mud smoothly. If your first coat of mud is pretty smooth after it dries, a quick sanding is all you'll need.
To directly answer the question: you simply put a handful of powder in a Tupperware container and add a touch of water bit by bit (about a cap full) while mixing until you get a consistency along the lines of mashed potatoes. If it gets a bit runny because you added too much water, sprinkle a bit more powder into it.
Taping over holes with “runny” mud, or wiping your tape too close can cause the mud to shrivel and crack. Depending on the thickness of the compound from the start, add roughly 16-32 ounces of water for a full box of drywall compound. Add one ounce of water at a time to see how your mud responds to adding water.
Spackle compound for drywall is made of gypsum powder and binders. It is thicker than joint compound (drywall mud), similar to the consistency of toothpaste. Spackle is sold in a premixed tub container. It is also available in several different grades designed for specific applications.
If you've applied too much, wait for the compound to dry, then sand down the excess until the surface is smooth and even. When applying joint compound, spread a thin, even layer with a taping knife. Make sure to feather the edges to ensure that the compound blends in with the surrounding drywall.
Assuming they are using setting type compound (dry mix that hardens in fixed time after adding water, not drying-type joint compound that comes premixed in a bucket) it should be fine even an inch thick - it's essentially plaster or a closely allied substance.
1 to fill the joint. 1 to finish it smooth. You can use all-purpose compound for all three coats, but if you're doing a bigger job; using taping compound for the first 2 coats, and finishing compound for the last, will make everything go smoother.
Mud consistency is always key for auto or semi-automatic taping tools. Get the mud fairly thin using a mud mixing paddle. It should almost look like pancake batter.
Spread the thinset and tile an area that you can complete within 10 to 15 minutes. Prime the drywall before tiling to prevent cracked tiles. If the drywall is painted, scrape off the paint before tiling. Scrub away any grease to allow the mortar to adhere to the drywall and have a strong grip on the tiles.
Joint compound (also known as drywall compound, drywall mud, joint cement or mastic) is a white powder of primarily gypsum dust mixed with water to form a paste the consistency of cake frosting, which is spread onto drywall and sanded when dry to create a seamless base for paint on walls and ceilings.