On Jan 21, 5:55*pm, wrote:
You recommend hiring just a taper, or someone to tape and mud (and
sand, etc)?

Unless you have watched a pro do it before, or have done it yourself
at least once, hire a pro for the entire tape/mud process. If he is
good, there should be very little or no sanding involved. Just
watching one for 15 minutes is an education. The books can give you
'what to do' but they do _not_ tell you 'how", i.e., the technique of
laying and smoothing mud.

Harry K

I guess I should have clarified - I have patched holes, taped and
mudded, and even fixed half-panels on a vaulted ceiling after water
damage - all with relatively good results. Not professional, but
quite good and up to my standards. However, I want these seams to
look as good as possible, and was just looking for opinions
(professional or otherwise) on how to deal with these gaps in seams,
since I know my limitations and thought I could benefit from other
people's experiences. I'm thinking I'll pre-fill the gaps with
compound, let it dry, then beginning my taping and mudding process,
unless I hear otherwise that someone has a better way. Any ideas?

On Jan 22, 1:50*pm, Mike Dobony wrote:
Harry K wrote:
On Jan 21, 5:55 pm, wrote:
You recommend hiring just a taper, or someone to tape and mud (and
sand, etc)?

Unless you have watched a pro do it before, or have done it yourself
at least once, hire a pro for the entire tape/mud process. *If he is
good, there should be very little or no sanding involved. *Just
watching one for 15 minutes is an education. *The books can give you
'what to do' but they do _not_ tell you 'how", i.e., the technique of
laying and smoothing mud.

Harry K

They also use a flat box to apply the mud to the joints. *They can tape
a room in only a few minutes and cover in in about 10 minutes. *This box
is just run along the joint and it applies and smooths the mud in one
single, easy step.

http://www.tapepro.com/products/fb/

Don't forget the pump to fill it.

http://www.tapepro.com/products/lp/

Then check out the other toys the pros play with!

Otherwise, just prefill the gaps and start taping! *1/4 is pushing the
limit without filling with slivers of drywall.

Mike D.

Man, Mike, those toys look cool. Almost makes me want to change
professions! Anyway, so would you recommend filling with slivers of
drywall then, or just prefilling with mud? If you do think slivers of
drywall would be best, do I just wedge them in and let friction take
hold or how would I get them to stay (since 1/4" slivers won't take a
screw without crumbling). Thanks for the links!