Being you have to ask, which is better than not asking. I'd say stay away from the hot mud. These are ones which chemically set and have to be mixed. Normally not a good idea for a beginner. But are my choice whenever I do have any patching, taping etc.

You probably want to check out YouTube for tips. And get pre-mixed. The All-Purpose is hard to sand, but usually applied for first coat. Follow up with a topping compound which is easily sanded. These types will take a while to cure/dry, and sometimes take a couple of days to complete using a 3 step process.

Of course there are probably new products out there, which I'm not familiar with.

I use the premixed - available at any big box store.

Use paper tape. It is better to take your time and apply successive very thin coats (three or four) than it is to apply thicker coats that require a lot of sanding.

The quick-setting site-mixed compound (hot mud in contractor slang) is labeled by the minutes normally required for it to chemically harden (5, 20, 45, 90 or more). Its more work and requires more skill but it doesn't shrink like the pre-mixed compound so its great for patching.

But the easiest to use are the pre-mixed patching compounds. I like DryDex Spackling that goes on pink and turns white when its time to sand it.

Personally, I like the mesh tape but there is a great debate about which is easier to use. I think most (all?) pros use the paper tape but that doesn't necessarily mean it's the best choice for a beginner (or even a reasonably experienced DIYer like me).

The hot mud is also better for the first coat. Although as people have already said, it's a little more difficult to work with but you have to start somewhere. If you think this is the only patch you'll ever have to do, then just use the pre-mix. But if you'd like to learn how to do it properly, I'd suggest the hot mud and just make sure that you don't over apply it. It's better to have to add another coat than to sand off excessive mud. I hate sanding!

In the long run, learning how to use the hot mud will make your life easier.

lou: what all these guy's are telling you is BS. The Hot Mud is BS. Spackling is BS. Learning to use hot mud is BS. Buy some simple premixed joint compound at Home Depot. I've used this to remodel several homes, over the past 20 years.

What repair are you doing? Even a picture would help.

"just because your opinion is different is no reason to get so hostile. "

Many times logic suffers. Guy asks a simple question. Next people are telling him to mix hot mud and learn how to do it. Then people 'beat' the answer to death.

Who's to say that he doesn't enjoy learning about the whole process and everyone's different opinions and why they think that way?

Not everyone likes just a simple answer with no explanations. If you don't want to participate in a discussion, then just don't. If you'd like to explain why you think your answer is the 'best' then explain why you think that way. Don't start swearing at people because they don't agree with you.

Plus, who's to say that this guy doesn't have some experience already and is wondering if there's a better way to do things? We're all assuming he's never done it before. Maybe he's had years of experience with the premix and just heard someone mention that there are better options out there, so he wrote a brief question to see what they might be. Listing the pros and cons of each method might help him. Or anyone else that stumbles upon this thread.

Swearing at people helps no one.

Guy asks a simple question. Next people are telling him to mix hot mud and learn how to do it. Then people 'beat' the answer to death.

Actually I think I'm the only one that has actually suggested that he try the hot mud. So if anyone is beating an answer to death, it's the people are are telling him to just use the premix. ;) (That is being said with my tongue firmly planted in my cheek)

If you've got nothing but time, premix is fine, but I need my mud patches to set right away. I can't come back every day for three days.

The most important recommendation for learning to finish drywall - use as little mud as you possibly can for each layer. Its always easy to go back and add more, but sanding off high points and ridges takes time and creates a lot of dust. When you are new to this work its always tempting to just add a little more mud - resist that until it sets and you do some quick sanding to even out that layer.

I prefer pre-mix for small patch jobs, but setting time is usually quite long. For a larger job I prefer about 60-90 minutes of working time so I can work my way through several panels before coming back. If I was better at mudding seams I could use an even shorter setting time.

Paper tape works well for regular seams, and you need it for inside and outside corners because you want to get a good edge. I have used the mesh for repairs, but quit using it for larger jobs since I always need paper tape anyway.

Bruce

He asked about drywall repair. Taping compound would take forever and probably fail.