Playing in Mud -- How to Mix Drywall Joint Compound

Today, boys and girls, we're going to play in mud. Drywall mud, that is. Mud is more fun to say than pre-mixed drywall joint compound, so I'll go with it.

Mud is usually a mixture of pulverized limestone, water and other additives. It is used to tape and finish seams between drywall panels, repair dings and holes, and smooth out wall irregularities. Many folks would scream at the idea, but I have used hot-mix mud to repair plaster with impressive results. But we're not talking about hot-mix today.

Sheetrock is one of several mud brands that I have used. 

Some folks think the words "ready-mixed" or "pre-mixed" mean the mud is ready to use straight out of the tub. Not so. Well, you can, but not if you want good results. Pre-mixed mud has been blended with water, but it's not smooth. If you want smooth, even walls, not to mention a lot fewer headaches, you have to mix pre-mixed mud.

When buying pre-mixed mud, opt for the heavier container. I know, I know. It weighs a lot more than lightweight joint compound. Lightweight mud is basically mud plus air. Do you really want to pay for air?

I thought not.

If the bucket is too heavy, the nice guys at Lowe's and Home Depot will load it into your buggy. They'll usually load it into your vehicle as well. At home, you're on your own.

A brand new bucket of mud comes out lumpy. Lumpy mud is hard to work with. Even the smallest lumps leave ridges across the wall when you spread it with a mud knife. You'll chase the lumps, work out ridges, get really tired, switch hands with the mud knife before carpal tunnel sets in, possibly say some bad words, introduce more lumps and ultimately cause… more ridges.

This is why we mix.

Unless you have arms like Paul Bunyan and are a glutton for hard labor, you need a mud- or paint-mixing tool.

The one I use looks like this.

Shiny!

Fasten the top of the rod to a power drill, and voila!  You've got a mud mixer. You can also use it to mix paint.

In addition to a mixing tool and a drill, you'll also need a clean, empty bucket with a secure lid.

Scoop out about half the mud from the new container, put it into the clean bucket and seal the bucket. Mud is very stiff at first, so use a sturdy scoop. I use a large dog food scooper. Many folks scoop out mud with a mud knife, but that is a bit difficult for me. Plus, a plastic scooper is easy to rinse out and can't rust. Rusty mud knives are a pain in the rear.

Don't use it to scoop pet food after using it with mud.

When you open a new bucket of mud, there's a little plastic film covering the top. Save it.

Pour about a cup of water into the open bucket and get ready to mix.

This is the fun part.

Brace the bucket between your feet, and hold on tight. If you can't do that, ask someone to hold the bucket while you mix. Turn on the drill and slowly push the mixer into the mud a little at a time. If you push the mixer into the mud before you turn on the drill, you won't be happy. The bucket might spin, the drill might fly out of your hands or you may just dislocate your shoulder. If the planets are properly aligned, you might even accomplish all three at once!

That's not a good thing.

Well-mixed mud is the consistency of cake frosting. It should not drip off the mixer. If it's too thin, add some unmixed mud from the other bucket.

Use low speed and high torque at first. Raise and lower the mixer through the mud, scrape the sides of the bucket and blend it until all the lumps are worked out. Increase the speed of the drill as the mud gets smoother. If it's still too thick, mix in a little more water. When it's fully blended, raise the mixer out of the mud and spin off the excess inside the bucket.

If you're like me, you'll set the mixer on the floor and let it dry before cleaning off the mud. You should rinse it off while it's still wet, but I am always too anxious to get on with the mudding part.

You can use the mud right away or close up the bucket and save it. Scrape off the excess mud on the sides of the bucket, put the plastic film on top of the mud and seal the bucket.

If you leave mixed mud too long, you'll need to add a little more water and blend it again.

And that's how you mix pre-mixed mud. It's scary how much fun DIY home improvement can be.

Or maybe I just need therapy.

**Drywall joint compound is not the same as spackle. Spackle performs very well for filling and patching tiny nail holes, but you'll hate yourself in the morning if you try to use it on a large area. It dries exceptionally hard and is difficult to sand, it won't hold seam tape properly, and it's fluffy and filled with trillions of air bubbles.


XOXO
 

Sad Buried Treasure in a Victorian Bedroom

People like me, who live for restoring and cautiously updating old houses, also live for the hidden treasure. Treasure found inside old houses is usually devoid of any monetary value, but the sentimental value can be off the charts. Recently, while uncovering an old, hidden closet in my bedroom, Mr. Vagabond and I discovered something we truly didn't expect.


But lets begin at the beginning.


My bedroom was once covered in 70s paneling. Ugh. The original plaster walls were assaulted by furring strips which were used to hold the paneling nails. In my mind, repairing the plaster is much easier than installing paneling, but what do I know? The result of the odious paneling was this:

Don't get me started on that ceiling.

While Mr. Vagabond was out of town for a couple weeks, I took it upon my self to rip out the paneling. That was fun, especially the part where I opened the bedroom window and slid the panels down the old metal roof over the kitchen and into the backyard. When Mr. Vagabond returned home, he was not amused. You see, in his mind paneling was at least a finished wall. In my mind, it was offensive and had to go. 


For the next two years, we lived with really ugly plaster walls that were in serious disrepair. So maybe he was right about having finished walls. He can be right one time. Pfft. 


Because the bedroom isn't a place where we invite our neighbors, it's also low in terms of critical finishing needs. Several months ago, we decided to finally uncover the old closet that was boarded up and convert it into a book case. The things inside would blow your mind. These people actually walled over medicine bottles, shoes and a pair of little boys underwear (WORN!). Ahhh, the treasure in an old house. I do not have photographic proof. You'll have to take my word for it. 

So anyway, on we went with gutting the closet. 

We stuck foam board against the exterior wall until we put insulation inside. Also, why is one of my baseboards and a bed frame in there? The world may never know. 

In the wall to the right of the closet, we succumbed to the pressure of drywall. I know, I know. But desperate times called for desperate measures. In other words, the plaster on that wall had fairly turned to sand. It was bad. Really bad. I can repair most any plaster that is still somewhat sound, but I was not prepared to tackle replastering a whole wall in the middle of March.


One very interesting thing I noticed after unboarding the closet was the 2-by-4 they installed as a brace. I guess measuring tapes were too much to deal with since it was approximately 1 inch too long for the space. It bowed out and curved to the right. :facepalm:  At least the header was in no danger of falling! 


I'm getting to the treasure part. 


The day we worked on this closet, the whole room was filled with old soot from the fireplace that was long since removed and what seemed like 100 years of dust, dirt and old crumbling wallpaper. While sweeping up, I looked down at my feet and saw something strange. It was a small book. I asked Mr. Vagabond if he'd noticed it before, but he hadn't. 


This book seemingly materialized dead center in the pile of dust, dirt and wallpaper. 

Initially, the book was almost black. I carefully dusted it off to read the cover.

Scholar's Monthly Reports. Neato!


I remember those things from back in the long ago before today's report cards. I quickly opened it. 

Ella Whittier!  We have a name! 1925. Amazing.

The remaining pages showed me that little Ella was perhaps more focused on other things besides silly old schooling.

Sewell Whittier must have been little Ella's father

Alas, little Ella was retained in the fifth grade.

Finding this book sparked my curiosity, of course. I've got mad research skills, so I put them to work and turned up some interesting facts.


The first bit of information is difficult and sad. 


I lifted this from the October 7, 1926 edition of the Rockwood Times:


_____________

October 7, 1926

THIRTEEN BODIES REMOVED FROM MINE

SEWELL WHITTIER FOUND BEHIND PILE OF COAL ------------------- Many Funerals Yesterday and Today 14 Bodies Remain in Entry Fire Not Encountered --------------------

The body of S.P. Whittier was found this morning about 10:00 o'clock by helmet men behind a pile of coal in his room off Rodgers entry and was brought to the surface at 2:00 this afternoon. A search of Whittier's place last night failed to disclose the body, which was entirely concealed and which was finally traced from its odor. It is said that the body was not badly torn or mangled. --------------------

_____________




Chills ran through me, as they do again while I write this. Little Ella's father was killed in a mine explosion only months after he signed her Scholar Report for the last time. 


More research revealed that Mr. Whittier left behind a wife and six children. 


But the sun does come out, even on sad revelations. Even more research (I told you I am a research whiz) uncovered more information about Miss Ella. 


I found this at a local mortuary:
________________


Mrs. Ola “Punkin” Rowley, age 68 of Walnut Street, Spring City passed away Wednesday, July 8, 2009 at Baptist West Hospital in Knoxville.  Mrs. Rowley, who was of the Baptist faith, was born April 21, 1941 in Rockwood to Arnold Franklin & Ella Katherine Whittier Gibson.  Besides her parents she was preceded in death by a sister, Ruby Sexton Gaylardo; and a brother, Jack J. Gibson. 
______________




Miss Ella went on to apparently have a very full life. She was married to Arnold Franklin, had seven children (according to Ola's funeral notice), and several grandchildren. I haven't dug any more to learn about other relatives.


Reading Ola's funeral notice really put the time thing into perspective. Ella's school report was dated 1925, and she was in fifth grade. Her daughter died in 2009 at the age of 68.


Each time I hear some strange noise in the house, I wonder if Sewell is rustling about. He was clearly gone before his time. Lots of folks talk about disrupting or unsettling spirits when an old house is undergoing renovations. If that is true, and if Sewell does stop by occasionally, I can only think that he's happy with what we're doing. 


Who knows what will turn up in the rest of the house. I did find a little hidden floor panel / trap door in one of the bedrooms...