# Air Bubbles in Easy Sand



## Pete Martin the Painter (Nov 8, 2012)

I am getting air bubbles when I use Easy Sand. When I first encountered this I did some research and found that a solution might be to put a few drops of dish detergent in the mud. That did not work. Also, ensuring that the area that the mud is going to be put on gets a really good sanding--if it is going over paint. The theory being that the paint acts as a barrier and the air in the mud has nowhere to go but the the surface. I do a rougher sand when I know that I am going to use easy sand. And, it seems to be working.

Last job that I used the stuff, the first coat when on great--no bubbles. But on the second and third coat there were bubbles. Waiting a few minute for the mud to dry and for bubbles appear and then doing one final pass with the knife seems to help a bit. But, not enough. I do not sand between coats, and thinking that maybe this will help.


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## paintball head (Mar 3, 2012)

It is the nature of that product. I've heard that dish soap thing before too but never tried it. I have seen additives that claim to eliminate the pinholes but never tried those either. Try doing a real tight final skim to fill, sometimes with spackle.


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## Toolnut (Nov 23, 2012)

Have used dish soap for years in pre mix but never have in EZ. Are you mixing it with a mixer or by hand ? If your using a drill maybe to high a speed this will add air to the mix. Also as stated it just happens with the product. 

I never use this as a finish coat as I have had problems with it flashing so I always finish with a skim of pre mix. Plus it's easier to sand and easier to feather out.


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## MikeCalifornia (Aug 26, 2012)

Use all purpose for your final coat, not a quick set. You should be able to pull a real tight finish with no bubbles.


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## Jmayspaint (Mar 26, 2013)

I've been working with a new drywall crew that has extreme problems with bubbles. With EZ sand and finish mud. Been trying to figure out what the problem is but so far it's eluding us. This was on a ceiling joint that got three coats of mud. Final coat was green lid.









Bubbles seem to be the bane of drywallers, but I have never seen them this bad before. They are always everywhere.


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## driftweed (May 26, 2013)

I gave up. Sand, prime, then fill with spackle. eff all that headaches. Was fighting it for a long time on my final coat, then decided to experiment. Get it as near perfect as you can with feathered edges and such, then paint it. After primer sets up do your normal thing of filling the craters with spackling. Works every time for me, no more headaches.


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## 6126 (May 9, 2010)

Dish soap. Finish with lightweight topping


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## Gymschu (Mar 11, 2011)

The most frustrating thing in dealing with bubbles is when you think you "got em all" and then you find a few dozen that you missed..........after you put the lid on your compound or spackle. UGH!


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## Pete Martin the Painter (Nov 8, 2012)

paintball head said:


> It is the nature of that product. I've heard that dish soap thing before too but never tried it. I have seen additives that claim to eliminate the pinholes but never tried those either. Try doing a real tight final skim to fill, sometimes with spackle.





driftweed said:


> I gave up. Sand, prime, then fill with spackle. eff all that headaches. Was fighting it for a long time on my final coat, then decided to experiment. Get it as near perfect as you can with feathered edges and such, then paint it. After primer sets up do your normal thing of filling the craters with spackling. Works every time for me, no more headaches.


I have been doing the spackle too, but it is so a PITA.


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## Pete Martin the Painter (Nov 8, 2012)

Toolnut said:


> Have used dish soap for years in pre mix but never have in EZ. Are you mixing it with a mixer or by hand ? If your using a drill maybe to high a speed this will add air to the mix. Also as stated it just happens with the product.
> 
> I never use this as a finish coat as I have had problems with it flashing so I always finish with a skim of pre mix. Plus it's easier to sand and easier to feather out.



I mix by hand. Tried once with a mixer but did not like it.


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## Epoxy Pro (Oct 7, 2012)

2 thing I noticed with this stuff and even compound. If it's put on to heavy it will bubble. Exterior walls or ceilings I have seen this, usually around this time of year I assume it's because the exterior wall is colder than the inside temp and slows drying and could cause bubbles.

Myself I would prefer to put a couple coats on thinner to eliminate the issues with bubbles.


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## straight_lines (Oct 17, 2007)

cdpainting said:


> 2 thing I noticed with this stuff and even compound. If it's put on to heavy it will bubble. Exterior walls or ceilings I have seen this, usually around this time of year I assume it's because the exterior wall is colder than the inside temp and slows drying and could cause bubbles.
> 
> Myself I would prefer to put a couple coats on thinner to eliminate the issues with bubbles.


I was going to post that is the best way I know to deal with bubbles. Build up with your bed and second coat with heavy body mud so your top coat can be pulled really tight.


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## driftweed (May 26, 2013)

I have 70 holes to patch over the next week. I am not looking forward to the bubbles. I will be using 20 minute mud hand mixed in the pan. I will try all these suggestions, here's hoping one of them works.


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## Jmayspaint (Mar 26, 2013)

straight_lines said:


> I was going to post that is the best way I know to deal with bubbles. Build up with your bed and second coat with heavy body mud so your top coat can be pulled really tight.



I'm not sure they don't telegraph through a tight skim on occasion. If mud doesn't get worked down into the craters in the previous coat, those air pockets are still there. 

I wondered if maybe that happened in the pic I posted earlier. I'm used to seeing them as indentions, "moon craters" I call them. But these were bubbled outward. Sanding the tops of the bubbles off revealed the usual craters. Is that normal to see them pooched out like that?


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## Brian C (Oct 8, 2011)

just pee into the mix and stir well. The ammonia in urine will dissipate the bubbles.


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## Epoxy Pro (Oct 7, 2012)

Jmayspaint said:


> I'm not sure they don't telegraph through a tight skim on occasion. If mud doesn't get worked down into the craters in the previous coat, those air pockets are still there.
> 
> I wondered if maybe that happened in the pic I posted earlier. I'm used to seeing them as indentions, "moon craters" I call them. But these were bubbled outward. Sanding the tops of the bubbles off revealed the usual craters. Is that normal to see them pooched out like that?


When I see bubbles in mud while it's wet they look like your picture, some times as the compound/ what ever your using dries some bubbles will shrink into little holes, some stay bubbles. Like you said sanding the bubbles leaves divots. Only way to fix those is to skim again. Light skim to seal the holes then if needed a full skim.

If you do a full skim coat with out pre filling the divots it will bubble again.


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## Epoxy Pro (Oct 7, 2012)

Brian C said:


> just pee into the mix and stir well. The ammonia in urine will dissipate the bubbles.


HAHA. Don't ask me how I know but it doesn't work. No it wasn't me who did that but another real pissed off painter who walked of a job.


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## Lambrecht (Feb 8, 2010)

Step 1- remove lid
Step 2- remove plastic sheet from top of bucket ( if applicable)
Step 3- fill the bucket with water until 1/4 inch from the rim
Step 4- mix with drill until thinned
Step 5- apply to wall board

No bubbles ever.


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## paintball head (Mar 3, 2012)

Lambrecht said:


> Step 1- remove lid
> Step 2- remove plastic sheet from top of bucket ( if applicable)
> Step 3- fill the bucket with water until 1/4 inch from the rim
> Step 4- mix with drill until thinned
> ...


That is the best solution when you don't need multiple coats in a short time frame and the area needs to be finished by tomorrow. Or if you don't want to return to that patch job every day to add another coat.


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## epretot (Dec 17, 2011)

Yep, if you're getting bubbles...the mud is too thick.


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## epretot (Dec 17, 2011)

paintball head said:


> That is the best solution when you don't need multiple coats in a short time frame and the area needs to be finished by tomorrow. Or if you don't want to return to that patch job every day to add another coat.


If you're doing multiple coats, the first bed coat doesn't have to look pretty. Get it on and put a fan to it. It will shrink because of the fan, but that doesn't matter. Larger repairs can be hit twice in a day if you have at least 6 hours. Nice thinned coat the next day without bubbles.


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## paintball head (Mar 3, 2012)

epretot said:


> If you're doing multiple coats, the first bed coat doesn't have to look pretty. Get it on and put a fan to it. It will shrink because of the fan, but that doesn't matter. Larger repairs can be hit twice in a day if you have at least 6 hours. Nice thinned coat the next day without bubbles.


Ya.... some will call that first coat a scratch coat as for the rest of your post, shinkage..fan, I guess so.

That is the slow way to repair a hole created by a plumber or electrician or whatever. Bring some 5 min quick dry, apply 3 or 4 coats top it off with some of the USG topping (light blue lid).You are now done with all of your knife work instead of waiting 6 hours to get a 2nd coat on your 1st coat.  

No sarcasm intended here, just another way to repair a hole in a wall.


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## epretot (Dec 17, 2011)

I'm not talking about a hole.

Is this thread seriously about air holes in tiny repairs? 

I filled in a door and removed all of the joints in a cathedral ceiling over the last two days. They were on separate jobs too.


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## epretot (Dec 17, 2011)

And who's putting 4 coats on a hole. Talk about slow.


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## paintball head (Mar 3, 2012)

epretot said:


> And who's putting 4 coats on a hole. Talk about slow.


Some holes, like an outlet being moved, patching the old outlet hole and a 4 ft by 3 in strip of rock being cut out so sparky can mess with conduit need to be treated as a butt joint and can require that many coats, especially when there is a wall sconce right there lighting up the wall. It's still quicker than waiting around on a fan.


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## epretot (Dec 17, 2011)

paintball head said:


> Some holes, like an outlet being moved, patching the old outlet hole and a 4 ft by 3 in strip of rock being cut out so sparky can mess with conduit need to be treated as a butt joint and can require that many coats, especially when there is a wall sconce right there lighting up the wall. It's still quicker than waiting around on a fan.


I got ya. I classify that as a repair. Which would require more work. I would be hitting that with some quick set as well on the bed coat. But only if I had to be done that day. I won't tape with that stuff though.


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## Pete Martin the Painter (Nov 8, 2012)

Used Easy Sand today, added more water than I usually do, no bubbles, and it was much easier to work with than I am used to in the past.


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## Toolnut (Nov 23, 2012)

One thing to be careful of Pete is adding too much water can make it really brittle when it dries.


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