# Excessive Shrinkage



## ell (Jan 24, 2009)

Maybe its just me but using USG green top Ive noticed what I think to be excessive Shrinkage. Hand tape,heat on,3 days in a row from start to finish.Mostly on clg Flats.Mix cans no water except for third coat.ck flats they seem to be flat but in a month or two Ive noticed they seam hollow. Everything looks and feels dry between coats.


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## icerock drywall (Nov 13, 2010)

ell said:


> <P>Maybe its just me but using USG green top Ive noticed what I think to be excessive Shrinkage. Hand tape,heat on,3 days in a row from start to finish.Mostly on clg Flats.Mix cans no water except for third coat.ck flats they seem to be flat but in a month or two Ive noticed they seam hollow. Everything looks and feels dry between coats.</P>


I use usg green or black top for tape coat only


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## eazyrizla (Jul 29, 2010)

it all shrinks back. all the time and energy we put into making walls nice and flat. is for money.


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## thefinisher (Sep 2, 2011)

Very common problem... Some muds are more prone to shrinking than others. It all starts with the tape coat. It needs to be cured if your using all purpose or taping mud. The tape may feel dry the next day but if you peeled it off the mud in the joint will still be damp. Once you coat over it, the mud will take longer and longer to cure out. Hence the reason why it is taking so long to dry out completely thus leaving a bit of a hollow. If you want to remedy the problem, pick up some 210 minute quickset. Use that to tape and first coat. It too will cure in time but it will be set in place and wont shrink back like a ready mixed mud will.


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## gazman (Apr 29, 2011)

Fiba-Fuse. When it looks dry it is dry.:thumbsup:


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## Kiwiman (Jun 14, 2008)

gazman said:


> Fiba-Fuse. When it looks dry it is dry.:thumbsup:


:thumbup: Exactly


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## icerock drywall (Nov 13, 2010)

Kiwiman said:


> :thumbup: Exactly


fast too


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## endo_alley (Nov 2, 2013)

Prefill everything that has a joint or gap with durabond prior to taping.


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## jantzenmoore (Sep 25, 2014)

Maybe try a dehumidifier to get those babies bone dry.


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## Wimpy65 (Dec 17, 2013)

endo_alley said:


> Prefill everything that has a joint or gap with durabond prior to taping.


I started doing this last year & it's been great! Well worth the extra time!  Of course, I don't really do production work anymore, I'm more into remodeling/renovations. But, I still do this approach when I do the occasional house. :thumbup:


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## moore (Dec 2, 2010)

endo_alley said:


> Prefill everything that has a joint or gap with durabond prior to taping.


With the way the boards are these days It's almost a must .


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## endo_alley (Nov 2, 2013)

Wimpy65 said:


> I started doing this last year & it's been great! Well worth the extra time!  Of course, I don't really do production work anymore, I'm more into remodeling/renovations. But, I still do this approach when I do the occasional house. :thumbup:


It seems like a pain to do that much prefilling. But after all bad rock has been cut out and the butts lightly "V" ed, it really doesn't take that much to prefill everything. And the the first coat of flat boxing goes better because you can get an extra 10 feet or so of flats out of each fill up. I also find a few delaminations in the sheetrock paper showing up during prefill that would have otherwise been taped over.


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## eazyrizla (Jul 29, 2010)

I like confill mud for my first coat on my bead. neat stuff!


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## fr8train (Jan 20, 2008)

Never seen confill around here.


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## moore (Dec 2, 2010)

eazyrizla said:


> I like confill mud for my first coat on my bead. neat stuff!


Is It like dura bond?


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## fr8train (Jan 20, 2008)

From this vid, I'm assuming it's just another name for hot mud. But I've heard talk of it in the past, thought it had fiberglass or something in it. 

Drywall Taping Lessons. Lesson 3 Using Confil to …: http://youtu.be/OQqZ93x95aw


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## fr8train (Jan 20, 2008)

Learn to Tape Drywall. Lesson 1: Prefilling: http://youtu.be/tSmzixnM01E


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## moore (Dec 2, 2010)

fr8train said:


> Learn to Tape Drywall. Lesson 1: Prefilling: http://youtu.be/tSmzixnM01E


eh .... ? I'm a pre-fill man myself ..


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## Justa Hick (Nov 23, 2008)

if by green mud you mean all purpose for anything other than taping, than that's why. use lite weight for second and third coat (Gold Bond Lite or USG Plus Three). they shrink little. All purpose mud shrinks like crazy. only person i ever heard using it for everything used four coats. waist of labor. Pre fill any deep recesses in joints. if you doing any thing getting paint shinier than flat, than go to four coat, then level five. Level five does not replace an extra wide hand coat every where.


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## ell (Jan 24, 2009)

*re: excessive shrinkage*

Every one who responded makes all good points.Im old school a can of mud should be able to complete a job from start to finish.Now you got to carry reg/lite/ hot mud which I find my self doing as much as I hate to. and unless the gaps are crazy I don't prefill only if I have to cut out.
their is not enough $ to prefill,bow trowel butt seams,and whatever else they expect you to do.I do what I believe to be a good job and I do look back but when is enough enough, sorry for the rant tough week


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## moore (Dec 2, 2010)

ell said:


> Every one who responded makes all good points.Im old school a can of mud should be able to complete a job from start to finish.Now you got to carry reg/lite/ hot mud which I find my self doing as much as I hate to. and unless the gaps are crazy I don't prefill only if I have to cut out.
> their is not enough $ to prefill,bow trowel butt seams,and whatever else they expect you to do.I do what I believe to be a good job and I do look back but when is enough enough, sorry for the rant tough week


Your right ! 1 joint compound should do It all!!


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## endo_alley (Nov 2, 2013)

ell said:


> Every one who responded makes all good points.Im old school a can of mud should be able to complete a job from start to finish.Now you got to carry reg/lite/ hot mud which I find my self doing as much as I hate to. and unless the gaps are crazy I don't prefill only if I have to cut out.
> their is not enough $ to prefill,bow trowel butt seams,and whatever else they expect you to do.I do what I believe to be a good job and I do look back but when is enough enough, sorry for the rant tough week


Once the cutting is done, which is the time consuming part, prefilling everything doesn't take that much more time. And it does save a little time on the fill coat.


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