taping mud pump free sample

What"s equally as important as your automatic taping and finishing tools? You need a reliable mud pump. The drywall compound pump, or mud pump, is necessary to quickly fill your automatic tools such as a flat box or automatic taping tool, and keep the job moving with minimal delay. Without a reliable pump, you’ll be spending more time fiddling with a pump that is difficult to clean, or worse, resorting to hand-filling your tools, which is time consuming, and counter productive.

No pump = no tools, so you need a workhorse that will withstand a lot, and get through your workday, every time. TheLevel5 Drywall Compound Pumpis constructed of billet aluminum, making it much stronger, and more durable than your typical cast aluminum construction.

Another important quality is resistance to corrosion. Tools built of poor quality and materials are prone to rust and corrosion. The anodization on the Level5 Drywall compound pump makes it highly resistant to corrosion, as well as wear and tear!

A good seal is important too! Typically for compound pumps, a rubber seal is used, but the problem with rubber is that it will slowly deteriorate, and before you know it, you’re leaking all over the place. The Level5 Drywall Compound Pump uses a composite urethane cup seal, which provides much longer wear life vs. the traditional rubber seals.

Working with mud can be messy, and when you’re on the job, it"s important to be able to easily clean and maintain your compound pump. You should not be spending any extra time fiddling with small screws or components to clean your pump, or to switch valves.

That’s why the Level5 Compound pump has easy clean features, like grenade pins and easy-release latches on its tube and handle. It also comes with a wrench, and a built-in wrench mount so that you are always prepared to switch from gooseneck to box-filler valve, or make a quick adjustment with ease.

Theoretically, yes you can, but it"s a slow process, and at which point you may be better off hand finishing, as you will impede the speed of the work. The combination of your automatic tools and your mud pump will pay for itself fairly quickly by the speed and quality job that you can achieve.

We think the Level5 Drywall Compound Pump is the best drywall mud pump on the market, and truly the underestimated workhorse in the arsenal of any professional drywall finisher. LEVEL5’s drywall compound pump has been made to meet finisher’s demand for reliability, affordability and workability. This beast of a taping tool is built to withstand years of heavy use. In fact, the Level5 compound pump has been tested for over 250,000 cycles without the need or repair, or replacement parts.

If you’re interested in purchasing a compound pump, you can find more information here. And as always, feel free to email, or give us a call and we’d be happy to provide more information!

The LEVEL5 Quick Release Compound Pump is made from lightweight anodized aluminum with a corrosion-resistant red finish to withstand more than 250,000 cycles without maintenance or repair. Used to fill automatic taping and finishing tools, this compound pump is designed to be an essential part of the drywall finishing arsenal with its quick-release latches and pins for easy assembly/disassembly when cleaning.

Design features include a composite urethane cup seal which lasts 50% longer than traditional rubber seals. It also comes with a FREE Box Filler Valve which is extra-long and compatible with mud pumps by other leading brands.

“Mudding,” the process of applying multiple thin coats of drywall compound to the joints and screw indentations in newly hung drywall, sounds messy, and it is. When done correctly, the result is a wall so flat that you cannot spot the seams.

While professional drywall tapers make mudding look easy, do-it-yourselfers find that it takes practice, skill, and—of course—the right gear (in this case, the mud itself and the tape that prevents cracks from appearing in the seams). This guide to how to mud drywall outlines the materials required for the job, and walks DIYers through the process step by step.

There are two main types of drywall mud: premixed and powdered. There are variations on each type, too, which can make it tough to choose the right product for your job. Here’s the lowdown on the types of drywall mud you might find at the home improvement store:

Premixed joint compound is just that: The mud has already been mixed with water to a smooth consistency and is ready to be applied. Within this category, you’ll find all-purpose mud, topping mud, and lightweight all-purpose mud.All-purpose mud goes on smoothly and usually begins to harden in a couple of hours, depending on the temperature and humidity in the room. It’s suitable for all mudding applications, and is the best drywall mud for beginners.

Topping mudis used as a final top coating. It dries to a bright white and is easy to sand, making it a good choice for walls that will be painted a light color. Topping mud has fewer adhesion properties than all-purpose mud, so it’s not suitable for first and second coats.

Lightweight all-purpose mud also dries to a lighter hue, which makes it suitable for walls that will be painted a light color. Some pros use all-purpose mud for the first mudding application and then switch to lightweight all-purpose mud for the second and third applications.

Powdered drywall mud, also called “setting mud” or “hot mud,” contains chemicals that hasten hardening time when water is added to the powder. This type of mud tends to shrink less than all-purpose premixed mud, but it hardens very quickly. Quick-setting mud works well for pre-filling large gaps in walls, or smoothing over crushed drywall corners before starting the actual mudding process.Timed drywall mud: Setting mud is labeled by the maximum amount of time you have to work with it before it hardens. You can choose from 5-minute mud, 20-minute mud, or longer-hardening times, depending on your needs. If you use setting mud, mix only as much as you need, and wash your tools frequently as you work.

Easy-to-sand setting mud: The chemicals in some types of hot mud harden into rock-like ridges on your walls, and you can spend hours trying to sand them smooth. Avoid this by choosing an easy-to-sand variety.

During the mudding process, tape acts as a bond to keep the finished wall from developing cracks along the drywall seams. The different types of tape are paper, mesh, and preformed—and all three have their pros and cons.Paper tapeis used almost exclusively by the pros because it’s very thin, which helps create imperceptibly smooth drywall joints. Paper tape comes with a crease down the center that allows you to bend it along the crease to form sharp wall corners. It takes practice, however, to correctly bed paper tape in the first coating of wet mud without creating bubbles underneath.

Mesh tapeis made from fiberglass threads in an open-weave pattern and comes with adhesive on the backside. While it’s fairly simple to position mesh tape over a dry joint and then apply your first coat of mud on top, mesh tape is thicker than paper tape and can result in more noticeable joints when the wall is painted.

Primed with an understanding of mudding materials, it’s time to familiarize yourself with the process as outlined here. Because paper tape offers the most professional results, we’ll detail how to mud sheetrock using paper tape. If you’re using mesh tape, you’ll find some tips below that will help you use it correctly.

Cover the floor with a canvas drop cloth (plastic drop cloths can become dangerously slick) and don goggles and old clothing. Mudding is a messy process, and splatters can sting if they get in your eyes.

Remove the lid from the bucket of premixed mud. If using powdered setting mud, mix as recommended by the manufacturer, beating until smooth with a heavy duty drill fitted with a paddle bit.

Drywall panels come with slight bevels on both of their long sides. When the bevels are fitted together, they form a small indentation, about 2 inches wide, along the joints. Use the 6-inch taping knife to smooth and work the mud evenly into the joint, filling the entire indentation and wiping away excess mud.

Cut and fit a piece of paper tape over the joint while the mud is still wet for a process called “bedding.” Use the 6-inch taping knife to gently smooth the paper onto the wet mud, working out bubbles as you go. Wipe away excess mud with the knife.

With the 6-inch knife, apply a thin coat of mud to both sides of an inside corner, making sure to work it all the way into the center. Cut, fold, and fit a strip of pre-creased paper tape in the corner over the wet mud. Smooth the paper tape carefully in the wet mud, using either a 6-inch taping knife or an inside-corner taping tool that features a preformed 90-degree shape for easy bedding. Use light stroking movements to bed the tape without dislodging it from the corner. Wipe excess mud from the walls.

If using preformed tape corners, attach them as recommended by the manufacturer, and then smooth mud over the corners, using long vertical strokes on both sides to form a sharp, uniform corner.

You can avoid butt joints, which occur when un-tapered ends of a drywall panel are fitted together, by using sheets of drywall that span the entire room. But if dealing with ends that have no beveled indentations, it’s more challenging to get a smooth finish. Mud them as you did the beveled joints, taking care to use only as much mud as necessary to fill the joint and bed the tape.

Let all the mud dry before applying the next coat. Apply a second coat of mud to the screw indentations, beveled joints, and inside and outside corners in the same order as the first coat—only this time, use only mud. No need to add more tape! Just apply a thin layer of mud and wipe off all excess.

To do a second coat for butt joints, take the 10-inch taping knife, apply two swaths of mud, approximately 8 inches wide, along both sides of the first joint coat, but not on top of the original joint. This imperceptibly builds up the wall depth over a wider area to reduce the appearance of a bulky butt-joint seam. Feather out the edges of the swaths well with the knife for a smooth look.

Apply a third very thin coat of mud after the second coat dries. Use the 10-inch knife for all screw indentations, seams, and corners. The wider knife allows you to feather out the edges of the mud to a razor-thin application. Follow the same procedure for beveled joints and corners as before. On butt joints, apply a thin coat of mud over the previous swaths and the original mud joint. It’s not unusual for the mud swath on butt joints to be 2 feet wide or wider.

When the mud dries, apply one last thin coat only over the butt joints. Feather out the edges very well and let the mud dry. Before moving onto the final step, an important question to ask is, “How long does drywall mud take to dry?” Approximately 24 hours is the answer for most types of drywall mud, but refer to your product’s label for specifics on drying time.

Unlike paper tape that requires bedding in wet mud, self-adhesive mesh tape is applied over seams and then, when mud is applied, an adequate amount seeps through the mesh into the seam beneath. The order of taping is the same: Do screw indentations and beveled joints first, inside and outside corners next, and butt joints last. If you use mesh tape on flat joints, note that it’s not suitable for corners. Use pre-creased paper tape for inside corners and preformed tape for outside corners.

Pre-fill every drywall joint is very important for preventing cracks. But the problem is it’s time consuming. I couldn’t compete with guys using automatic taper and no pre-fill. I thought even if 100% of the cracked joints I have ever repaired without pre-fill, it doesn’t mean that 100% of the joints without pre-fill are going to crack. And you can not tell that I did pre-fill or not, the joints were covered by tape. I knew clearly that pre-fill is essential, but the challenge is to do the right thing while no body is watching and no body is going to know. So I finally decided quit pre-fill and bought a banjo box to apply paper tape to the joints directly. It was much faster and my quotes were competitive. But Chris was very disappointed. he said: “never tell anybody that you learned drywall taping from me!”

Automatic Taping Tools are more powerful and efficient than traditional hand tools. Whether you"re a drywall professional, remodeler, or DIY, automatic taping tools achieve better results in half the time. Drywall Loading Pumps (mud pumps) are compound pumps that use Gooseneck and Box Fillers Adaptors to fill drywall taping and finishing tools. All-Wall offers the largest selection of Loading Pumps from top brands such as TapeTech, Columbia, Asgard, Graco, and Drywall Master.

The Level 5 Tools Compound Pump is made of high quality, corrosion-resistant, anodized aluminum to insure long wear life and ease of clean. The pump has an urethane cup seal which lasts longer than traditional rubber seals found in competitive pumps. The precision molded flapper valve and seal assembly minimizes pump priming and is compatible with most competitive pump designs. Composite top handle bushing virtually eliminates bearing wear seen on competitive pumps that use soft brass. Our seal and bushing assembly has been lab tested to more than 250,000 cycles without need for replacement parts or repair.