Brief 

It’s exciting to get mud on the walls when you’re renovating an area of the home. Mudding is one of the final steps before painting can take place, but before you can do anything else, it has to dry thoroughly.

 

Insight

It’s exciting to get mud on the walls when you’re renovating an area of the home. Mudding is one of the final steps before painting can take place, but before you can do anything else, it has to dry thoroughly.

Trying to sand it before it’s dry could leave damage to the drywall. BuilderBaron states it generally takes about 24 hours after application for it to dry completely. However, that’s dependent on many factors, including how humid it is in the space, how many layers are added, and how well you scraped it down.

You’re impatient, though, and you just want to move the project forward and get through with hanging drywall. While it’s never OK to move on with the project if the mud isn’t dry, there may be a few steps you can take to help it dry out faster. Once it’s fully dry, you can sand, prime, and paint over the drywall. How can you help it along?

 

1. Put on less mud

The thinner the mud is when applied to the surface of the drywall, the less time it will take to dry out. It seems simple enough, but you have to ensure you’re still putting on enough of the mud, also known as joint compound, to provide the coverage needed.

The mud has to cover all of the uneven areas of the drywall, including all of the screw dimples and any joints where you’ve used tape to hold the drywall together, according to HGTV. You’re going for a smooth surface in every situation.

 

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