c/drywall-installers

Watched a guy try to mud his own garage in Phoenix last weekend - took him 6 hours to do one sheet

Visited a new build site in Phoenix last week and the mud work was spotless

I was down in Phoenix helping a buddy on a custom house job last Thursday. The house is a 4,200 square footer with vaulted ceilings in the living room. What caught my eye was the finish on the corner beads. Every single one was crisp with no nail pops or bulges. The taper must have used a level on every single bead before mudding. I asked the GC who did it and he said a crew out of Mesa that only does taping and finishing. They charge $1.20 a square foot which is steep but you can see why. I'm thinking about hiring them for my next big project if the homeowner wants premium work. Anyone else seen crews that only do one thing and do it that well?

Overheard someone at the supply house say something that got me thinking

I was picking up some 54 inch board at the supplier yesterday and this older guy was telling the counter kid that his crew switched over to all mesh tape for inside corners and stopped using paper. Said they cut their corner repair callbacks by half in 6 months. That got me wondering if I'm stuck in my ways. I've been using paper tape for 12 years and never had a big issue but maybe I'm missing something. Anyone else made that switch and seen a real difference?

Was doing corner bead all wrong for 5 years until a job in Portland

I always used paper faced metal corner bead because everyone said it was faster. But on a big commercial job in Portland last fall, the GC made me switch to vinyl bead with a nose. I fought him on it but 50 feet into the first hallway I realized my inside corners were way cleaner and I wasn't spending 20 minutes per corner taping and mudding the face. Anyone else have a moment where they switched products and felt stupid for not doing it sooner?

That Thursday last month when everything just clicked

I was finishing up a 2,500 square foot basement job in Wichita and my trowel was running smooth as butter. The mud was the perfect consistency right out of the bucket, no lumps, and the tape laid down flat without any bubbles. Every joint I finished looked clean on the first pass, no sanding needed later. It was just one of those days where nothing fought back and I was done two hours early. You ever have a day like that where the work just flows and you can't explain why?

Taping knives under 10 bucks are fine, I don't care what the old timers say

I was at the Drywall Supply in Concord last month and watched a guy spend 45 minutes picking out a $45 taping knife. I've been using the same 6 inch Stanley I got for 8 dollars at Home Depot for 3 years and my flat joints look just as good. Why are we convinced spending more money makes the mud go on smoother? Has anyone else noticed the guys with expensive tools aren't actually doing better work?

Watched an older guy tape a whole room in 20 minutes and it changed my mind about using prefill

I used to think prefill was just extra work and you could get away with taping over gaps if they were small enough. Then last month I was on a job in Cleveland and this guy in his 60s showed up to fix a mess I left. He mixed up some hot mud and filled every gap and butt joint before even cutting tape. I stood there thinking he was wasting time until I saw how flat his finish came out after one coat. Meanwhile my walls still had that wavy look on the butt joints even after three coats. He told me prefill is the difference between looking like a pro and looking like a handyman hack. Has anyone else been stubborn about prefill and then realized it actually saves time in the long run?

Vent: The old timer at L&L Supply who saw me struggling with a corner bead and just said 'stop fighting it, let the mud do the work'

He didn't say another word, just walked away, and after 12 years in this trade that 5-second comment made me realize I've been overthinking corners this whole time, anyone else get a tip from a stranger that stuck with you?

Hit 100 boards hung in a single day for the first time last Tuesday

I've been doing drywall install for about 8 years now and I've always heard guys talk about hitting the century mark on boards in a day. Last Tuesday I was working a big basement job over on Maple Avenue and just got into a real good rhythm. By the end of the shift I counted up and I had hung exactly 103 boards myself with no help. It wasn't anything special about the job, just steady work and good music. Has anyone else found a certain trick or pace that helps them break through that number?

Old timer told me to pre-fill corners before hanging board.. he was dead right

Been doing drywall for about 4 years now. Always just hung boards tight and mudded over the gaps. Last month I had a job over near Springfield, 12 foot ceilings in a basement. This guy Bob who's been hanging since the 80s watched me for 5 minutes and said 'kid you gotta pre-fill those inside corners or you'll be back in 6 months.' I shrugged it off. Finished the job, came back yesterday for a touch up and there it was. Cracks running down every inside corner I didn't pre-fill. Had to rip tape off and redo three corners. Cost me 4 extra hours on a job I already bid too low. Now I keep a bucket of hot mud and a 3 inch knife with me just for corners. Has anyone else found out the hard way that skipping prep on corners is a bad move?

Fought with a warped stud for 2 hours before I finally cut it out

On a bathroom remodel last month, I spent way too long trying to shim and screw drywall onto a stud that was twisted maybe half an inch off plane. I figured I could muscle it with extra shims and angle the screws just right, but every piece came out wavy and the corners wouldn't line up. After about 15 tries and a lot of cussing, I pulled the cutoff saw and hacked that stud out in 5 minutes, then sistered a straight one next to it. Cost me maybe $8 in lumber and a half hour of lost time versus the 2 hours I wasted fighting it. Is it better to just replace a bad stud right away or do you guys have a trick for pulling them straight without demolishing everything?

Just hit 10,000 square feet of drywall hung in a single week - I think the old-timers are wrong about speed

Everyone says slow and steady wins the race but I pushed hard with a crew of three on a warehouse job outside Spokane and we blew past the 8,000 foot mark by Thursday afternoon. Has anyone else found that going fast actually reduces mudding headaches down the line?

Took me 5 years to figure out I was overmudding my joints

I used to pile on the mud thick, thinking more meant fewer coats. Then a guy I subbed for in Denver watched me tape a room and said "you're making twice the work for yourself." He showed me how a thin, even pass with the 6-inch knife actually fills the tape way better. I cut my drying time by almost 40 percent after that. Anyone else have that "lightbulb" moment where a small change saved you hours?

Old guy on a crew in Denver taught me about mud consistency

Tbh I was mixing my joint compound way too thin for years. Guy named Frank on a job in Denver grabbed my pan and said 'it should hold a peak, not run off the knife.' He showed me how to add a little powder back in and stir it slower. Has anyone else had an old timer call them out on something basic like that?

Old tape dispenser finally gave out on me mid-job yesterday

I've had this metal tape dispenser for maybe 12 years, got it from a guy retiring. Yesterday I'm running a long ceiling tape and the blade just snapped clean off. No warning. Had to finish the run with a utility knife. Thing was getting rusty anyway, but I wasn't ready for it to quit like that. Anyone else get attached to a tool and then panic when it breaks?

Debate: Taping mud consistency changes everything or am I overthinking?

I been doing drywall for about 12 years now and I swear the mud consistency I used 5 years ago vs now is night and day different. Back then I ran it thick like peanut butter and got more bubbles and cracking especially on butts. Lately I thin it out a bit more like a thick milkshake and my joints lay down way smoother with less sanding. But my old foreman swears thick mud holds better on ceilings and gives stronger joints over time. What's your take - do you think thinner mud is better for finish or is thick the way to go for long term strength?

That expensive automatic taper was a scam until I saw one work on a real job site

I spent 6 months telling anyone who would listen that automatic taping tools were for hacks. Then last month I was working a basement finish in Denver with a guy who had a Tapetech. He ran 60 feet of ceiling tape in like 3 minutes flat. I ate my words right there. The finish was smooth too no bubbles or folds. I still hand tape corners but for long runs I'm considering one now. Anyone else get converted after being dead set against something?

Vent: Heard a guy at the supply house say his boss still uses a chalk line for every seam

I overheard this older drywaller telling his apprentice that a laser level is for "TV installers, not real finishers." But I started using a laser on my last two jobs and it cut my butt-joint work by about 20 minutes per room. Has anyone else made the switch or am I overthinking it?

Hanging board on ceilings... what's your take on the deadlift method vs. using a lift?

I was at a job site in Portland last week and watched two crews tackle the same ceiling install completely different ways. One guy deadlifted every 12-foot sheet by himself (total beast, but looked risky), and the other crew used a panel lift and took twice as long. Which way do you all lean for speed vs. safety?

Old timer told me to wet my mud, I thought he was nuts

Back in '08 I was working with a guy named Chuck who must have been 60. He told me to spray a light mist on my compound before taping, said it would help it flow better. I figured he was just being old school and ignored him for like a year. Finally tried it on a big ceiling job in Portland and he was dead right, the mud spreads way smoother and you get less bubbles. Any of you guys still do that or is it just a boomer thing?

Lost a whole ceiling panel today because my drywall lift slipped

Was hanging a 12-foot board in a basement job down off Route 9 and the lift's release lever just gave out mid-lift. Panel cracked in half when it hit the concrete floor, cost me $45 and an extra hour to cut a replacement. Has anyone else had their lift fail like that or am I just unlucky?

Took a tip from an old timer about wetting my paper tape

Old guy on a crew in Denver told me to dip my paper tape in water before applying it to inside corners. Has anyone else found this helps with bubbles or am I just doing something weird?

Pro tip: stop using a 6-inch knife for corner taping

I thought the guy at the supply house was full of it when he said to switch to a 4-inch for inside corners, but after fighting with mud globs on my last three jobs in Austin I finally tried it and the difference was night and day. Anybody else make that switch or are you still stubborn like I was?

Shoutout to the foreman who watched me hang 20 sheets before saying anything

I was on a job in Charlotte last summer, green as grass, and I kept putting my screws way too deep on every sheet. The foreman just watched me for three hours, then finally walked over and said "Son, you're making moon craters, not fasteners." He showed me how to set the depth stop on my Milwaukee gun right there, and I never went back. Do you guys prefer doing a quick check on the first few sheets or just letting new guys work it out themselves?

Remember when we all used to tape and bed by hand?

I was on a job down in Nashville back in 2018 and this old timer showed up with a banjo and a bazooka taped whole rooms in half the time. Now I can't even find anyone who still keeps a hawk and trowel in their truck, does anyone else feel like the trade lost something along the way?