Joint Compound/dry Wall Vs White Cement Which Is Stronger

Joint compound/dry wall vs white cement: which is stronger?

geez...not many contractors answering this q. plaster is mortar mix which contains cement, Portland to be exact, so your white cement of course will be a lot stronger than joint compound. hope this helps.

Is it ok to use joint compound as texture on cement walls?

Thank you Shawn...

I too do many faux finishes, and while MUD is usually used as a patch and seal, it's properties, once dry, arent hugely different from plaster.
Obviously the more bonding/strengthening; agents in whatever medium you use, will probably assure more durability, but My suggestion would be,,,if your choice is MUD,,, find a premix, that is infused with polymers,,,or better yet, purchase fiberglass infused stucco mix. I have it on a house built in 1992 and it's still doing what it was intended to.

The issue with usual joint compound is in it's durability to distress, IE: Plaster and mortar, or Stucco mix, get hard enough to withstand more abuses than MUD will. The problem with mortar might be in removal should you change your mind.

Steven Wolf

Drywall question. thinset vs drywall compound?

I have just gutted my bathroom and have now put up moisture resistant drywall for the ceiling. My question is, Is it better to use thinset between the joints or should i just use regular drywall compound?

any help would be greatly appreciated. thanks

Can drywall joint compound be used to fill small gaps when installing self stick tiles over linoleum?

With all due respect in Q&A I so often see the word "CAN"

My typical answer is..."Certainly"...usually followed by. "BUT you may not be satisfied after the fact."

The "gaps" in the old flooring? Are they at seams? from damage? Are they LIFTING?. Obviously any floor should be extremely clean for self stick, and the holes or whatever in the current flooring might be as shallow as 1/16th inch.

There are a couple options I'd try; short of ripping up the old flooring and proceeding.

Some type of patch that will harden, can be applied smoothly, will not be affected by moisture, and will allow a surface, "flush" with the current flooring. Even Liquid nails would be better at serving you than MUD.

Consider too, taking this extra, but valuable step.

Self stick,,,in my opinion, has a poor reputation. I refuse to install it. If so moved however I use a water based contact cement, Du Pont might be a manufacturer? What I buy is a nice Aqua color. It can be rolled or brushed on the old floor and the back of each self stick piece. It cleans up with water, as well as becomes as effective as the lacquer based contact cement. It also has less odor, and probably toxicity, as well as NOT being flammable.

Once dry however you won't be moving it once you've set a piece,,,so any notion of OOOPS should be taken into consideration.

Steven Wolf

Wallboard joint compound or Spackle which is better?

Spackle is not creamy enough and will drag when installed. I suggest lightweight joint cement with a small amount of water added and whipped/mixed to a creamy smooth mixture. You need to cut the hole square, install a piece of backer wood, install drywall and tape and finish.

We have a cool alternate method that we use sometimes that eliminates the need for a wood backer.Cut the hole to a uniform size like 3" X 3".
Then take a new piece of sheet rock / drywall and cut it to 9" X 9". Turn the drywall over and measure in 3" from all sides and cut the back of the sheet rock back on all sides.Peal the hard part of the drywall off and leave the front paper in tact. When you are done you will have a 3" X 3" piece of drywall with a 9" piece of paper on it. You can then apply joint cement to the paper around the 3" patch and press this against the wall and wipe the access from the center of the patch out toward the edges. With this method you don't need tape.

When using tape to conceal joints in dry wall construction, the first operation is?

Depends on the tape. If you are using mesh, I apply that to the joints dry, then apply the first coat of mud. If using paper tape, I check the butt joints to make sure the paper is flush to or slightly below the surface of the paper. If the gap is too big, I fill with Durabond 45. After that dries, I run a bead of mud down the joint, then roll out the tape and embed it with a 6" knife. When I can get it from my neighbor, I use a banjo to mud and tape at one time. Always use All-purpose mud for the embedding coat, rather than lightweight. It has more adhesive, and will give better results. Hope this helps.

Drywall with cement over top in entire house!? whats the purpose?

I have a house built in the late 50 or 60s. Every room on the first floor is built with drywall with a 1/4 inch layer of cement over top and a skim coat of compound over top the cement.
What is the purpose of this? I figure the kitchen cause it would be good for tiling but was never tiled, only had formica walls.
I disccovered this in another room when I was hanging a tv, was nearly impossible to drill and hammer into. The walls in all the rooms are like this. Its annoying since it ruins all by drill bits and makes it near impossible for a stud finder to work properly.
Second floor is a converted attic done in the 70s and has standard 1/2 drywall.
Granted you can punch the walls and break your fist and the wall just laughs, but I am afraid to hang anything in fear of failure of the wall I've already put around 30 holes trying to find a stud for my tv.