While finishing drywall may look easy, it does require lots of practice to do correctly. The joints must be taped and topped properly, the nails must be “spotted” appropriately and you must decide which type of finish to use for the walls. The textured finishes take less time to do then a hand-applied smooth finish which are considered by many harder to do. The pros charge more for “smooth wall” because it requires more working hours to do properly. By the way, not all drywall tapers are equal. Some are better at one type of drywall finishing technique then the other.

Common taping knives sizes are 6", 8", 10", and 12".