Tape Drywall with Easy Sand? 5, 20, 45, 90, 210 [Compared]

Applying a first layer setting compound is a very important and primary step to tape drywall. There is no option to ignore the part.

Now the question, should I go with Easy Sand for tape drywall joints?

Easy Sand is a popular and well-known setting compound product in the USA. It has 5, 20, 45, 90, and 210 minute dry versions. All do petty good job for tapping. The majority of home painters use this product and recommend it. So going with Easy Sand for tapping will be a good decision.

In this article, I will explain the Easy Sand product. 

Easy Sand 5 vs. 20 vs. 45 vs. 90 vs. 210: key points 

Easy Sand each product version is used for different perspectives like dry time, sand ability, coverage, clean-up, etc.

However, the products used the same surface and purpose to fix joints or damaged areas.

Here are some common key points which will help you understand this product.

	Easy Sand 5	Easy Sand 20	Easy Sand 45	Easy Sand 90	Easy Sand 210
Difficulty	Very Hard, not for beginners	Hard, not for beginners	Moderate, intermediate level	Easy, beginner friendly but need some practice	Easy, beginner friendly but need some practice
Water mixing ratio	1:2	1:2	1:2	1:2	1:2
Clean-up	Very hard to clean	Hard to clean	Medium	Easy	Easy
Sand	Impossible to sand	Almost impossible to sand	Medium	Easy to send	Easy to sand
Primary Uses	Only for tapping base coat, very quick tapping project	Only for tapping base coat, quick Tapping project	Tapping base coat, filler coat, medium tapping project	Tapping base coat, filler coat, easy sandable tapping project	Slow dry project, tapping base coat, filler coat, easy sandable tapping project
Working time after mixing with water	5 minute	20 minute	45 minute	90 minute	170 minute
Setting and dry time	10–14 minute	25–35 minute	50–65 minute	95–120 minute	170–270 minute
Durability	Good	Good	Good	Good	Good
Adhesion	Stick very hard	Stick hard but less than Easy Sand 5	Stick hard but less than Easy Sand 20	Stick hard but less than Easy Sand 45	Stick hard but less than Easy Sand 95
Water protection	Water resistance	Water resistance	Water resistance	Water resistance	Water resistance
Average coverage	52lb or 23.58KG /1,000 sq. ft.	52lb or 23.58KG /1,000 sq. ft.	52lb or 23.58KG /1,000 sq. ft.	52lb or 23.58KG /1,000 sq. ft.	52lb or 23.58KG /1,000 sq. ft.
Average shelf life	12 month	12 month	12 month	12 month	12 month
Odor	Low to no odor	Low to no odor	Low to no odor	Low to no odor	Low to no odor
Color	White, Natural	White, Natural	White, Natural	White, Natural	White, Natural
Availability	Amazon, Lower, Homedepot, etc	Amazon, Lower, Homedepot, etc	Amazon, Lower, Homedepot, etc	Amazon, Lower, Homedepot, etc	Amazon, Lower, Homedepot, etc
Cost	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate

What is Easy Sand 5?

Easy Sand 5 is a setting-type joint compound. It is used under the joint tape for tapping coat. It dries quite fast and rock hard. 

The joint compound can not sand. So if the mud is uneven, there is no option for smoothness. 

This compound should not be used on the tape. It is a very good choice for tape base coat.

What is Easy Sand 20?

Easy Sand 20 is manufactured by USG. It is also a setting type of joint compound. It features almost the same as Easy Sand 5. 

However, it takes more time to dry, like 25-30 minutes. It is a little sandable. This compound is good for under tape.

What is Easy Sand 45?

Easy Sand 45 is a moderate-level joint compound. This compound is used under the tape as well as filler tape. The compound takes 50-65 minutes to dry. 

This compound is sandable. For experience parson, it is recommended compound.

What is Easy Sand 90?

Easy Sand 90 is easy to apply and provides a good time limit to finish the project. This compound setting time is 95 to 120 minutes.

This setting compound can be used under and over the tape. This compound is easy to clean up after finished the project.

What is Easy Sand 210?

Easy Sand 210 provides a good time to finish the project. It takes 170 to 210 minutes to dry. This mud is beginner friendly, and it provides extra flexibility for work.

After dry compound, it is easy to sand. Cleaning up is easy compared with other versions of mud. 

This setting compound is suitable for under and over the tape. But you should not use any Easy Sand compound as a final coat.

Why Easy Sand is not good as a final coat, I explain in this article.

What is the difference between Easy Sand 5 vs. 20 vs. 45 vs. 90 vs. 210?

All Easy Sand are used for the same purpose. However, those product features make it different. 

Below, we look at the differences between the Easy Sand.

Primary Uses

Setting compound Easy Sand is mainly for the base coat of tapping. But 45, 90, and 210 can be used over the tape as a filler coat. 

5, 20 not stable for filler coats. Because it dries fast and rock hard, it can not be sanded to make the surface smooth.

However, 5 and 20 are very good as a tapping coat. 45, 90, and 210 can be used as tapping and filler mud. 

Dry time and work limit time

It is the primary feature that makes Easy Sand compound different versions. This joint compound has specific work limit time and dry time.

However, the dry time depends on the weather. In winter, it is dry fast and humid, summer, wet weather takes extra time to dry. You should consider this mud can take 1 or 2 days to completely dry. Although the manufacturer provided an average time guideline and it worked properly.

You can check this article, the best trick for dry mud faster.

You should finish apply Easy Sand 5 within 5 minutes after mixing the water. And it sets and dries within 10-14 minutes. 

Easy Sand 20 workable time 20 minutes after mixing water. And it dries within 25-34 minutes.

Easy Sand 45 working time within 45 minutes after blending with water. And it is set within 50-65 minutes.

Easy Sand 90 work time 90 minutes and its setting time 95-120 minutes.

Easy Sand 210 work time is 170 minutes, and it sets and dries within 170-270 minutes.

Note: Easy Sand mud can take 1-2 days to completely dry in different weather conditions.

Difficulty

Easy Sand setting compound applies difficulty is harder than other types of premixed or all-purpose joint compounds project.

However, these 5 versions of products have different difficulties of use. Easy Sand 5 difficulty is hard and continuously 210 easier to use. 

Easy Sand 5 is very difficult to use. It dries in a very short time. Dry hard, and after dry, you can not clean it. This product can not sand. So this product is only for professionals.

Easy Sand 20 also uses hard but less than ES 5. It dries fast, stick rock hard, not sandable, hard to clean up. This product is not beginner friendly. Only recommended for professionals.

Easy Sand 45 difficulty level moderate. It gives some time to apply compound, finish projects, and clean tools. It also provides a little sandable feature. This compound is good for intermediate people.

Easy Sand 90 difficulty level easy. It gives good time for finishing projects and cleaning up. The mud surface is sandable, so easy to fix any issue and uneven area.

Easy Sand 210 difficulty is very easy compared with other product versions. It gives enough time before setting. Beginner-friendly product.

Durability

Durability is one of the important features of Easy Sand. 

Easy Sand 5 is the hardest compound after dry compared with other versions. And it is impossible to sand. So it has less erosion. 

On the other hand, Easy Sand 210 is less hard than other ES products. It is easy to sand, and its erosion is higher than other compounds. 

Durability will be higher to lower continuously between Easy Sand 5, 20,45, 90, and 210. 

However, Easy Sand products’ durability is right for setting-type projects. 

Coverage

Easy Sand products are used as thicker layers on the applying surface. Compared with paint, it needs more quantity of mud.

Coverage depends on the project and applying methods; however, average 1000 square feet need 23.58 KG joint compound.

Shelf life

Easy Sand is built with natural chemicals. Moisture or humidity take a good impact during storage.

However, with proper storage in the right environment, its shelf life is 12 months.

What can happen if you do not properly store joint compound? for answer you should check this article.

Conclusion 

Easy Sand is a good setting product. For tape drywall choosing Easy Sand is a clever idea. 

I have already compared different Easy Sand products. I hope it will help you to choose the right one.

If you think this article is helpful, please share it with your friends and family.