# Finishing a DIY'er owner's house



## DDay (Mar 11, 2014)

I've been finishing a house for a guy that framed and rocked everthing in it (renovations) and some joints are a sheet meeting old-time plaster, and those are obviously uneven. 

I prefilled every gaps with durabond, but I'm wondering how I can easily straighten those uneven joints. They are kind of peaking, not only uneven. they feel like a freaking huge butt (trowel is rocking maybe 1/4" each side of the tape, maybe more). 

Should I treat those joints as butts but make them wider or coating it thicker? I've been doing mostly new houses in the last year, and I'm not that experienced in renovations (especially with crappy ones).


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## Mr.Brightstar (Dec 2, 2011)

DDay said:


> I've been finishing a house for a guy that framed and rocked everthing in it (renovations) and some joints are a sheet meeting old-time plaster, and those are obviously uneven.
> 
> I prefilled every gaps with durabond, but I'm wondering how I can easily straighten those uneven joints. They are kind of peaking, not only uneven. they feel like a freaking huge butt (trowel is rocking maybe 1/4" each side of the tape, maybe more).
> 
> Should I treat those joints as butts but make them wider or coating it thicker? I've been doing mostly new houses in the last year, and I'm not that experienced in renovations (especially with crappy ones).


Wider and thicker. One side or the other is usually going to eat up a lot of mud. Fill 'er up with Durabond, and pull with a Darby. Let mud set up, then skim over the arera wit another coat of durabond. With topping coat float over cross hatch, and pinch the ends. 

The trick is to know when to leave it for next coat. I hope this helps.


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## Magic (Feb 20, 2014)

Keep busting it out like a butt. On bad ones like the one you describe I do it by hand. I bust out the bad side with a ten or twelve. Move over and make a hump next to the bad side. It may take a few times with durabond to get it where you can apply the topcoat.
Aren't remodels fun!


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## moore (Dec 2, 2010)

Bust em out Boo!! 

:thumbsup:


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## DDay (Mar 11, 2014)

thanks for the quick replies guys!

Just wondering, how many coats should it takes? I feel like it needs 3-4 coats plus topping


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## Mr.Brightstar (Dec 2, 2011)

It takes,what it takes, is what I always say.


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## boco (Oct 29, 2010)

Advance makes a great 20" multi purpose knife great for busting out high spots and blowouts. Never really used anything other then a 14 till last summer when I got into doing marriage lines on modulars. Some actually take 5 coats to get it right. It kinda sucks at first but is kinda rewarding after knife checking and its flat. Then seeing results after finish paint. Another trick is get a 4 or 6 foot level on it to guage how wide you will need to bust out to get it flat. Anything over 3/4 inch removing sheetrock and adding shims is a good option.


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## thefinisher (Sep 2, 2011)

Sounds like the perfect job for 3' wide fibafuse :yes:. I'm assuming the plaster is a 1/4" higher than the new rock which is common. I would pack a bucket full of durabond on the low side and just enough on the high side to make the fibafuse stick. I would overlap the joint a foot on the high side and let the other 2 feet cover the massive amount of durabond on the low side. Then, wipe the fibafuse in tight. this will leave it pretty flat at the joint. You will still need to float out the edges a bit but it will be easier this way and come out better/stronger.


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## boco (Oct 29, 2010)

thefinisher said:


> Sounds like the perfect job for 3' wide fibafuse :yes:. I'm assuming the plaster is a 1/4" higher than the new rock which is common. I would pack a bucket full of durabond on the low side and just enough on the high side to make the fibafuse stick. I would overlap the joint a foot on the high side and let the other 2 feet cover the massive amount of durabond on the low side. Then, wipe the fibafuse in tight. this will leave it pretty flat at the joint. You will still need to float out the edges a bit but it will be easier this way and come out better/stronger.


 That would be a good fix for sure. The wide rolls of fuse come in handy.


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## McCallum and Sons (Nov 3, 2013)

I just discovered the 3' Fibafuse a few weeks ago and decided to try it. I really like it a lot! I had a multi-floor renovation in an old high-rise recently and the existing core walls were old plaster walls and had a ton of hairline fractures but they were solid for the most part. We layered over them with fibafuse, skim two coats and it was good as new. I ordered more to try on an old plaster house in the same shape rather than skin with quarter inch.


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