I watched a weekend warrior spend an entire Saturday trying to tape the seams in his finished basement, getting more joint compound on himself than on the walls. By Sunday evening, his tape was bubbling, the seams were visible, and his wife had banned him from any more home improvement projects. Drywall taping looks simple when you watch someone who knows what they're doing, but there's a rhythm and technique that takes years to master.

We've fixed countless DIY taping jobs around Jersey City where homeowners tried to save money and ended up with worse-looking walls than when they started. The key is using the right amount of compound, keeping consistent pressure, and knowing how to feather the edges so the seam disappears completely when it's painted.