How to Float and Finish Sheetrock

Examine all the surfaces of the room for any protruding nails or screws. Set them at surface level or slightly below, using a hammer or screwdriver.

Attach corner bead to all the outside corners in the room, using a staple gun. This helps to maintain a sharp edge.

Open the container of drywall mud and add approximately 1 cup of water. Mix the mud with a paddle mixer attached to your drill until the mud is the consistency of a milkshake. Add a little more water, if necessary.

Put some mud in a drywall pan. Smooth a thin bed of mud over a joint, using a 6-inch drywall knife. Extend the mud 4 to 6 inches on either side of the joint.

Lay drywall tape along a joint. Use the fold that runs down the center of the tape to center the tape over the joint. Use an 8-inch drywall knife to set the tape firmly into the mud on the Sheetrock. Work all air bubbles out from under the tape. There should be mud seeping out from underneath both sides of the entire length of the tape as you set it in place.

Continue taping all the joints on the wall as described in Step 5.

Fold some drywall tape in half lengthwise. Spread mud on either side of a corner. Set the tape into the mud in the corner. Work out any air bubbles, and smooth the tape into the mud as you did for the flat surfaces. Keep the tape fold on the corner as sharp as possible.

Add more drywall mud to all the taped areas. This step begins to even the surface, but there may still be some slight indentations along the taped line.

Float the mud over the Sheetrock surface one last time. This step should create a flat surface that is ready for you to finish with primer.

Sand any rough surfaces lightly with fine-grit sandpaper once the mud is completely dry.