How thick should the mud be for drywall?

Question

Amara129 · Answer

Sheetrock is available in 1/4″, 3/8″, 1/2″, and 5/8″. It comes in 8′, 10′ and 12′ sheets.  My personal standard is 5/8″, but there are plenty of contractors who use 1/2″.

Eden · Answer

Depends on the framing and drywall hanging workmanship and the joint being coated. Bad framing will negatively affect the drywall and make the taper apply more mud and have to fine tune all the errors or deficiencies. Butt joints require more mud in width above the surface than angles or recesses.
In pro quality framing & drywall with flat, solidly anchored drywall surfaces, the tape coat (when using real bonding compound) is wiped flat and allowed to dry over all joints. Most tapers corner cut with all-purpose mud and double hit the tape coat to achieve a tape and 1st coat in one. All bonding compound, in excess of that required to bond the tape, is flushed out, leaving the tape flat as can be in the middle of a 4″-6″ wide grayish seam.
The first top coat, with regular light compound, starting with the butts, will go flush to the tape thickness, about 8 mils. The mud is built up on either side of the tape. The 1st butt top coat will be much wider than the recesses and angles, but all will be the same 8 mils thickness. The mud is pulled tight to the tape on the 1st top coat for fastest drying. If the mud is hammered on, forming a hump, it’ll result in piles of time sanding for nothing.
The 2nd coat conceals the tape, again about 8 mils, with the butt and recess widths widened out and edges feathered. If done right, the tape should be undetectable. The second coat feathered left and right side, then finessed down the middle on the skim down to hide the tape. Pull too tight and the tape will reappear. Just enough finesse wipe down to cover.
The angles can be finished in two top coats with a 6″ knife with prep in between to scrape away any high spots.
The 3rd top coat is a skim coat, filling in any valleys, fish eyes, pulled tight, to get a perfectly flat surface that one’s hand feeling across the dried compound can’t detect any abnormalities. It should be dead flat, just like the drywall sheets.
Final sanded recess joint width, the factory beveled edge, is about 12″. Butts, on good construction to begin, are 24″. Wider if framing is bad. The total depth of all finish sanded coats on butt and recesses is surprisingly small. 1/32nd” or half a saw blade breadth, and has to be or unsightly humps will be visible, especially on ceilings.
Short answer: as thin as possible tape and top coats to uniformly cover and no more.

Eliza · Answer

Drywall mud doesn't have a specific “proper thickness,” it is dependent on the type of joint you are dealing with.  Properly applied, a drywall joint has three coats, bed or tape coat, fill coat, and finish coat. This will provide what is called a level 4 finish and is what is necessary for non-textured semi-gloss paint. A level 5 finish can also be achieved by skim coating the entire surface with drywall compound.  A drywall joint is not perfectly flat, it bulges in the middle then gradually tapers outward from the joint. The goal is to deceive the eye into thinking that it is completely flat while in reality it is not. The thickness will vary depending on whether you are doing a tapered joint or a butt joint. A tapered joint is designed to (the paper wrapped long edges of the drywall) leave a void for the tape and the first coat of mud. A butt joint (no taper, same level as the drywall) does not have this void so the very first coat with tape applied actually stands proud of the field. A butt joint typically requires a wider joint in order to achieve the eye deceiving taper because of the thicker mud in the middle.  Patches on drywall essentially work the same way. Big patch or small, you have to create the perception of “flat”. The glossier the paint the more careful you have to be for this to work as glossy paint magnifies imperfections.

Aubrey · Answer

If you want a smooth finish, then you would want it to be as thin as possible to embed the tape over the joint and not have a bump between panels. The panels are designed with a tapered edge which provides room for the mud.
If you desire to have a textured finish, then the thickness will vary depending on the type and amount of texture you want. …

Lana · Answer

For residential you should call your local building official. Most of the areas I work 5/8″ drywall is becoming standard. In commercial construction 5/8 Fire Code drywall is the norm.

Camila · Answer

With due respect to all of the other answers, I don’t think that they have answered your question.  How thick should drywall mud be?   First of all, I always like buying mud in drums. There are two reasons for this: 1) it is easier to mix in a drum and 2) when finished you can reseal the drum and save the remainder for a long time. The proper thickness is like sour cream. Not so thin that it runs but just thick enough that it will stick to your knife or spreader.  Mixing, as I said should be done in the drum, is best accomplished with a heavy duty drill (1/2″ or bigger) with a long specialized mixer. Keep water to the side and keep adding as required to get to that sour cream like texture. When you are done using what you need just pour enough water over the top of the remaining material to cover the entire surface by about 1/4″and hammer down the plastic lid. The next time you need to use the mud, just get out your drill and mixer and do it all over again.  Oh, another reason for buying mud in drums is that the drums make great pails and tool carriers.

Emery · Answer

The standard is 1/2' in most cases, 5/8' in fire-rated and commercial construction.

Iris · Answer

There is no “standard” thickness.
Drywall is available in 1/4″, 3/8″, 1/2″ and 5/8″.
Most / much residential construction uses 1/2″ for walls and ceilings.
Better quality (and somewhat more expensive) builders use 1/2″ for walls and 5/8″ for ceilings – especially ceilings on 24″ centers (required? not sure, have always done it this way as a “best practice”).
There are some areas which require 5/8″ drywall for fire code provisions – the walls between an attached garage and living space, utility rooms containing heaters, etc.
1/4″ and 3/8″ are used primarily over an existing wall surface such as plaster to provide a smooth wall surface for painting — repair use, not a stand alone wall installed over studs.
Then there is a drywall cousin which is called “Shaftliner” which is a special 1″ thick drywall which is water entrained. Installed in a 2 layer build up between duplexes and town homes. 2′ wide, set into metal tracks. 2″ thickness provides a 3 hour fire rating.

Faith · Answer

it varies, there is 1/4 of an inch 1/2 and 5/8, the most commonly used is 1/2, but 5/8 is normally used for its fire resistance capabilities,

Ava138 · Answer

You want it to be as thin as possible. Along the long edges/joints you’ll want it flush with the face of the drywall. Over the screw heads and butt joints thinner is better but the tape or mesh needs covered also. Most novices use too much and get it too thick. This can be fixed by sanding it flush. Sanding sucks, it makes a mess. If you have the time do more thin coats for a smooth finish.

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Ivy · Answer

Drywall mud is applied in thin layers. You shouldn’t just lay on a thick layer, it will crack. If you’re patching a wall, skim a thin coat over the patch, let it dry, then go back and add more until you cover. Remember, in most cases for larger patches, you will be spraying on texture over it all so it will match the adjoining wall.

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Isabella · Answer

About like cake batter. Too thick and it won’t squeeze out from behind the tape. Too thin, and it will all squeeze out and the tape will not agree properly. If done properly, no sanding need be done between coat, but after the third. I have done a fourth sometimes when I want a smooth finish over all with no texture. The entire wall is “skimmed in the third and fourth coats and very little siding is needed.

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Raelynn · Answer

1/2 inch is typical in residential work. 5/8 inch more typical in commercial work. 1/4 inch is used in multiple layers for curves and 1 inch is typical shaft wall board.

Claire · Answer

Drywall, also commonly referred to as sheetrock or wall board, is a lightweight cost efficient product for use on interior walls or ceiling panels in new construction, renovation and repair work. In residential construction the most commonly used sizes are 4 x 8 foot x ½ inch.

How thick should the mud be for drywall?

For Example:-
If you can find a stud, take straight pin with a pair of pliers and push the pin in until it hits the stud. You should be able to determine the thickness that way and the small hole the pin makes is nearly invisible.
Test in a couple of places, like a closet or behind a door if you are concerned about the hole showing. Multiple tests will also increase the accuracy of your test.

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Mary · Answer

Like heavy but smooth mashed potatoes. When I open a new box and dump it into the bucket I almost always have to add about a cup of water.

Allison · Answer

100mm when boarded and skimmed is fairly standard so that it matches the thickness of the door frame and allows the architrave to sit flush against the wall and frame.
Check doorframe thickness prior to starting.

Athena · Answer

It depends on there drywall sheet is going to be hung. There are 3 different sizes that are common in my area though 1/4', 1/2', and 5/8'

Ayla · Answer

Not sure in the states but generally it's 10mm in the metric system elsewhere. Ceiling sheets are generally 12mm and the fire rated or Accoustic rated board is 16mm. Good luck with your project mate.

How thick should the mud be for drywall?

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