I've finally installed my drywall and just finished caulking.

If I'm going to install GOM what is the reason for mudding and taping? Is it really necessary?

Just curious...I'm planning on doing it anyway for my "practice" for the rest of the basement.

not looking forward to it though.....the caulking was a chore in itself.

I think it's a good idea to tape and mud now for a variety of reasons:

1.) It will help keep drafts from coming in through the seams.
2.) It will help keep sound from leaking out of the room into adjoining spaces.
3.) It's easier to tape/mud/sand it now while the room is still yet unfinished. If down the road you decide to take down the GOM panels you will still have to finish the drywall. To do that in a space that now has carpet, been painted, has furniture in it, electronics lying around, etc will teach you a whole new bank of swear words.

My $0.02. :D

if you just do one layer of mud and tape to ensure that the seams are sealed and air tight you should be good to go... doesnt have to be pretty since your covering it anyway.

I think it's a good idea to tape and mud now for a variety of reasons:


3.) It's easier to tape/mud/sand it now while the room is still yet unfinished. If down the road you decide to take down the GOM panels you will still have to finish the drywall. To do that in a space that now has carpet, been painted, has furniture in it, electronics lying around, etc will teach you a whole new bank of swear words.

My $0.02. :D


Good point.....I don't need any more swear words.
Already used too many on the drywall install!:)

I've finally installed my drywall and just finished caulking.

If I'm going to install GOM what is the reason for mudding and taping? Is it really necessary?

Just curious...I'm planning on doing it anyway for my "practice" for the rest of the basement.

not looking forward to it though.....the caulking was a chore in itself.

Taping is also code. If you're doing room-w/in-a-room, and if the original room was rocked, taped and mudded, then you could skip it as far as code is concerned I would assume.

I've just finished drywall and am currently working to paint the entire basement.

In the theater, I did one coat of mud and tape. I did not do corner bead in the areas that will be covered by GOM panels. I did the first coat so that I could get through inspection before I put the GOM up. That's the only reason. If the future owner needs to remove the panels and convert the room back to something else, they'll need to do a significant amount of drywall work to patch the holes from panel attachment screws anyhow...

My advice...do the first coat of mud and tape and move on.

CJ

Taping is also code. If you're doing room-w/in-a-room, and if the original room was rocked, taped and mudded, then you could skip it as far as code is concerned I would assume.

Did not realize that it was code.

When I first moved in my house one of the basement rooms was rocked but not finished.

Guess since it wasn't a "living space" it passed.

Makes sense due to the fire codes.

My advice...do the first coat of mud and tape and move on.

CJ


Thanks.

That's the plan now. I'm going to use it as my practice area since I'm also doing the whole basement.

carboranadum,
BTW....those Grabber screws did the trick. Thanks for the info.

Thanks.

That's the plan now. I'm going to use it as my practice area since I'm also doing the whole basement.

carboranadum,
BTW....those Grabber screws did the trick. Thanks for the info.

Excellent. Glad the Grabbers worked out. I got the tip from BigMouthInDC among others.

I did the same thing in my basement. I was OK covering the screwholes throughout the entire basement, but I used the theater as a practice area for joints and seams. Two tips...www.drywallschool.com is a great place for techniques and tips. Also...be sure to check out the videos ( http://www.drywallschool.com/videos.htm ) I can't recommend Myron Ferguson's book "Drywall: Professional Techniques for Great Results" enough. It's published by Taunton Press and is the definitative resource for all things drywall. http://www.amazon.com/Drywall-Professional-Techniques-Great-Results/dp/1561585297/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1222526399&sr=8-1

I also went ahead and put primer up in the theater even though the walls will be covered by treatments. This is because I'm going to get a final inspection before I do the riser, stage, and treatments.

Good luck and remember...thin your mud (pudding, not peanut butter)

CJ

GC asked whether he should prime the walls since the GOM is going over it. I'd be inclined to say yes but only because I'm not doing the work. Any thoughts?

I did primer (reason above).

If I weren't getting an inspection done before the treatements, I would not have primered. It was not a big deal (two coats took about 1.5 gallons and about 15 minutes to spray them on).

CJ

I primed. Approximately half of my sloped ceiling will be wallpapered (faux ceiling tile texture) so I wanted to make sure the wallpaper could be repositioned and/or removed if I needed to. Then, since I had to make sure those parts of the drywall were smooth, I decided to mud/tape/sand the rest of the room, too. Having sanded the drywall, and not wanting to clean the walls, I primed over the drywall dust so the dust would get caught in the primer. I've heard of some benefits therein.

I would also prime as it helps seal the drywall....unless your taping job/mudding is terrible then painting over it will make it a big hassle for later if you should ever want the drywall exposed.

Drywall must be primed to pass code in Los Angeles county. I was going to leave mine unfinished and do the HT buildout after final inspection. Didn't want to go through inspection with wall fabric, stages, speaker baffels, soffits, etc! So it was permitted as a "recreation room" But the inspector required at least primer to sign off.

Reason:
Drywall and joint compound dust is considered a health hazard in California. Un-primed or un-painted drywall is not allowed in habited spaces. In a garage it would be OK.

Thanks for all the input. Did not realize it was to code nor the keeping dust at bay issue. Will definitely have my GC prime the HT before the GOM goes up.

Thanks for all the input. Did not realize it was to code nor the keeping dust at bay issue. Will definitely have my GC prime the HT before the GOM goes up.

It's code in Los Angeles county and most likely in other California cities. It may not be required elsewhere in the USA. Nevertheless I agree it's a good idea anyway.