Back To The Family Handyman
From 
Del.icio.us
Digg
Reddit
Facebook
StumbleUpon
TwitThis
About This Project
Taping drywall isn’t for everyone. It takes patience and a fair amount of skill to do a good job. But if you’re like me and enjoy the challenge, here’s a tool you’ve gotta try out. It’s called a banjo and it makes short work of covering drywall seams with paper tape. But speed isn’t the only advantage a banjo offers. It practically eliminates the common problem of loose or bubbling tape that plagues many beginning tapers.
In this article, we’ll show you how to use a banjo to apply the first coat of paper tape to drywall seams.
A banjo like the one we’re using costs $75 to $100, a big investment for the occasional taping job. Fortunately, most full-service rental stores and some home centers rent banjos for about $10 per day— plenty of time to get a coat of tape on one or two rooms.
Thinned Mud Is the Key to Success
You’ll find ready-mixed joint compound (called “mud” in drywall taping lingo) in plastic buckets or boxes at home centers, lumberyards and drywall suppliers. Buy all-purpose lightweight joint compound (one type is USG’s Plus-3) and use it for embedding the tape as well as covering the tape with the second and third coats. You’ll have to thin the mud with water, up to about 4 cups per
pail, before you pour it into the banjo. If you’re only taping one or two rooms, transfer a few gallons of joint compound to another bucket. Then you’ll still be able to use the remaining thicker mud for troweling on the second coat. First mix the joint compound with either a potato masher– type mixer like we’re using or a
mixing paddle and heavy-duty 1/2-in. electric drill (mashers or paddles are available for about $11 at home centers and drywall suppliers). Then mix in
water a little at a time until the joint compound drips in large blobs from the
mixer.
The true test of proper mud consistency is how well it works in the banjo. Too thick and you’ll struggle to pull out the tape. Too thin and the mud will leak from every nook and cranny. When you get it right, the tape will pull out smoothly, be evenly coated and flatten easily with your taping knife.
Adjust the Banjo to Let Out Just Enough Mud
Load the banjo with paper tape and thinned joint
compound. Then with the nose of the banjo angled toward the floor, pull out a few feet of tape and inspect the back. A properly adjusted banjo should leave an even 1/8-in. thick layer of joint compound. On most banjos, the width
of the slot where the tape comes out is adjustable by either turning a thumbscrew or loosening wing nuts and sliding the tape cutter up or down. Test the setup by applying strips of tape to a scrap of drywall and
flattening them with your taping knife. If very little joint compound oozes out from under the tape as you embed it, widen the gap to deposit more mud on the
back of the tape. If there’s so much joint compound that it’s difficult to embed the tape and a large amount of mud piles up under your
knife, reduce the size of the opening.
Advertisement 
