USG Joint Treatment Selection Guide

With over a century of commitment to making our customers successful and celebrating the craft that is drywall finishing, we know that settling for “good enough” is never an option. That’s why USG created an unrivaled product portfolio that delivers everything necessary to finish any job perfectly.

USG finishing products have been specifically designed to meet the needs of our customers and our portfolio is filled with unique and adaptable solutions for a variety of environments. Choosing the right joint compound for a specific job is influenced by several factors: jobsite conditions, shop practices, applicator’s preferences, types of available joint systems, characteristics of products considered, and recommended product combinations.

Taping, Topping, & All Purpose

Joint compound products are usually named according to function, such as taping, topping, and all purpose.

Taping typically performs as the highest shrinking, strongest bonding, and hardest sanding of the three compounds and is used for embedding tape. Topping compounds are usually the lowest-shrinking, easiest to apply & sand, and are used in second and third coats or in hand-applied textures. Taping and topping are generally designed as companion products to give the highest quality finish.

All purpose acts as a single product solution for both taping and topping coats and can also be used in simple hand-applied textures. Lightweight all purpose joint compound has the same performance, but is lighter in weight, shrinks less, and sands easier than a conventional weight all purpose.

USG Sheetrock® Brand All Purpose Joint Compound

The original, most-trusted conventional weight all purpose joint compound for all phases of drywall finishing. USG Sheetrock® Brand All Purpose Joint Compound is a best-in-class solution for embedding tape with superior filling and finishing qualities and is an excellent choice for skim coating.

USG Sheetrock® Brand Plus 3® Joint Compound

A superior fill and finish joint compound with 25% less weight than conventional joint compounds makes USG Sheetrock® Brand Plus 3® Joint Compound a great choice for any project. This finishing product has less shrinkage and achieved GREENGUARD Gold Certification, qualifying it as a low-VOC emitting material. It is also easy to apply and sand while minimizing the number of coats over fasteners and bead.

USG Sheetrock® Brand Dust Control Joint Compound

Ideal for new construction, repair, and remodel, USG Sheetrock® Brand Dust Control Joint Compound is a lightweight all purpose joint compound featuring patented technology to reduce airborne dust. This unique formula agglomerates fine residue during sanding to form heavier particles that tend to fall to the floor instead of clouding the air. Each job finishes more quickly and cleans up faster with less nuisance from airborne sanding

In addition to its quick clean-up and less respiratory nuisance, this lightweight compound only requires two coats over bead and fasteners. It also bonds like a taping product for a tough, tight bond for most job conditions.

USG Sheetrock® Brand Ultralightweight Joint Compound

The first ultralightweight all purpose joint compound proven to deliver conventional weight performance. Sheetrock® Brand Ultralightweight Joint Compound is USG’s lightest joint compound, weighing up to 40% less than conventional-weight compounds. This joint compound’s superior workability makes it ideal for embedding tape and for filling, leveling, and finishing over gypsum panel joints, fasteners, bead, and trim.

USG Sheetrock® Brand Easy Sand™ Joint Compound

For use with mesh tape, laminating drywall, and patching plaster surfaces, choose USG Sheetrock® Brand Easy Sand™ Joint Compound. This lightweight, setting-type compound allows for one-day patching and joint finishing and next-day decoration while weighing up to 25% less than conventional setting-type compounds. Available in 5, 20, 45, 90, and 210-minute working times.

The USG Solution

USG helps our customers find their unrivaled edge. From specialty compounds like Sheetrock® Brand Cover Coat Compound for skim coats to regional-specific formulas like Beadex® Brand Joint Compounds, our range of finishing solutions offer professional-grade performance with extensive technical support and expertise to back it up to get the job done right the first time.

Whether you’re starting from scratch or making finishing touches, USG has you covered—learn more about how you can find your unrivaled edge here.