Drywall Corner Bead Applying Your First Coat

Your first coat on your flat drywall seams should be done,but before we start to first coat your corner bead

remember to double check your seams to make sure you have them all first coated. Many times myself included have missed the smaller seems like joints above doors or small seems in the bulk heads and so on. I don't want to keep beating this dead horse,but it is important to make sure each step is completed before you move on.

Now when the flats are checked and done take your hand sander and lightly skim over all your corner bead to take off any small bits of drywall compound so that it is clean and ready for your first coat. Once again mix your mud with your drill nice and smooth,then scoop compound into your drywall box. Taking your 12" drywall knife take some mud and starting at one end of your bead apply mud vertically onto your bead always apply it about 7 or 8 inches wide dragging down to the edge of the bead,do this until you have applied about three feet of mud.

Now take your knife from the start of where you applied the compound and horizontally draw your knife down the bead,scaping off the excess mud until it is all off except the area you are filling{Do Not Leave any build up of mud}now there will be a ridge of mud on the edge of the corner bead just take your drywall knife and on a 45 degree angle using the edge of the blade skim off the excess mud from the edge of the corner bead. Repeat this process until you have done one side of your bead then copy what you have done on the other side until you have one bead completely coated.

Continue this process for all your bead and make sure you do not leave any build up of mud on your corner bead you are just doing some filling here even though it should start looking a lot better. The problem many people can make is they try to make the first coat perfect or they try to cover everything in this first coat and this leaves them sanding their hearts out. You what to see a nice clean coat with no excess mud so you can prep quickly for your next coat and you will start see the logic in all this very soon.

Once your are done coating all your corner bead you need to again let it dry well,and in our second coat things will start to move quicker and easier for you but first you are going to take a break from this for now so we can coat your corners which I will discuss in the next post. so that's how you first coat your corner bead.