For those not keeping track, I last posted about drywall on January 25. Pictures posted confirm that the last of the drywall was almost up and I had commenced taping. I’m not taping anymore, but I’m still mudding. Six. Months. Later.

The only good thing about sanding drywall is it means I’m almost done.

If you look closely, you can see where I’ve sanded (the edges look blurry) and where I need to sand (crisp looking edges).

These seams only have tape applied. If left this way, it would look terrible and the tape eventually would just fall off. These are areas I still need to mud. The space in which we are living has wallboard that was never taped, or if taped, never mu… — These seams only have tape applied. If left this way, it would look terrible and the tape eventually would just fall off. These are areas I still need to mud. The space in which we are living has wallboard that was never taped, or if taped, never mudded. I’m not complaining, as it will make renovating that area easier.

This is a first layer of mud. The bumps are from where the paper on the wallboard lumped up. Michael used many screws hanging the wallboard and didn’t use a screw set, which is supposed to minimize this problem.

This seam has a second layer of mud. Still can see lumps, but they are less noticeable.

I keep adding wider layers of mud to hide the dips of tapered joints and lumps of butt joints (and the really big jags where a butt joint meets a tapered joint) until it looks pretty smooth. Then I shine a shop light on it, and it looks terrible aga… — I keep adding wider layers of mud to hide the dips of tapered joints and lumps of butt joints (and the really big jags where a butt joint meets a tapered joint) until it looks pretty smooth. Then I shine a shop light on it, and it looks terrible again.

This is when I sand. If the light doesn’t cast shadows, my work is done (except for clean up).

Sometimes there are shadows from bubbles, nicks, or uneven places. I don’t want to live with these shadows. I mark these places with a pencil and go back over them with mud mixed with food coloring. I can see the area, sand only there, and THEN my j… — Sometimes there are shadows from bubbles, nicks, or uneven places. I don’t want to live with these shadows. I mark these places with a pencil and go back over them with mud mixed with food coloring. I can see the area, sand only there, and THEN my job is done…as long as nothing gouges or nicks the mud before we paint and stabilize it. Living in the same space in which you doing construction makes for interesting problems.

I would feel more badly about not having the mudding done, but for realizing how many other things we’ve been doing in the past 6 months. This particular part of our construction project doesn’t have a true deadline. I’d like to get it to the painting stage so I can move on to making cabinets, helping Michael cut a hole in the wall to join the addition to the original house, and then help him get the flooring in. At that point Irene can get a door on her bathroom! We are hoping to have her bathroom finished before she turns 99.

Happy to be sharing projects with this guy, father of my children, Boopa to the Grand Girl (who just turned 3!), and gardener extraordinaire.