How to Flatten Wet Dry Wall

Hold the handle of a 10-inch or 12-inch drywall taping knife after the compound's first application. Place the blade of the knife against the wet drywall at about a 45-degree angle.

Drag the taping knife sideways, or down, over the wet drywall after the drywall's first application. Scrape excess drywall compound off the blade, onto the edge of the bucket containing the compound, after each stroke.

Lift the tape when you are on the tape coat, if the tape exhibits wrinkles or bubbles through the wet compound. Apply additional compound to the drywall. Press the tape back down into the compound, and run the taping blade along it to flatten out the drywall compound.

Flatten the compound during the fill coat with strokes along either side of the joints, and one stroke down the joint center. Angle the taping blade higher in the middle and put more pressure on the outside. Run the taping knife down each side of the joint.

Apply steady, even pressure across the taping knife on the fill coat, and drag it down the middle of the joint. Remember that after you flatten the drywall compound, the tape underneath the compound should not be visible.

Use a 12-inch taping knife to flatten the drywall for the final, finish coat of drywall compound. Feather the joints out as smoothly as you can with the wider taping knife.

Use a 10-inch or 12-inch taping knife to flatten patches of drywall compound when you repair cracks or holes in the drywall. Feather the patch edges out smoothly with the taping blade, so that the edges blend in better with the rest of the drywall surface.

Allow the wet drywall compound a few moments to set after you apply it as knockdown texture onto a ceiling or wall. Angle the blade of a 12-inch taping knife against the compound, and drag it across the wet drywall texture, flattening out the texture's higher ridges.