I was working a basement job in St. Louis last spring and this guy in his 70s walked over from the next house, watching me struggle with a corner bead that kept popping off. He just grabbed a spray bottle with water, wet the drywall compound a little before pressing it on, and said 'let the mud grab it, don't fight it.' Has anyone else used water to help corner beads stick faster?
I used to just tape and mud everything in one go, thinking it saved time. But a foreman on a big hotel job in Austin last spring pulled me aside and told me I was creating air pockets that'd show up after the third coat. He showed me how he runs a quick pass with a 6 inch knife to fill every screw dimple before he even touches the tape. I tried it on the next 20 rooms and holy cow, the finish was way flatter with way less sanding. It adds maybe 10 minutes per board but saves an hour of fixing later. Anyone else do this or am I just slow to catch on?
I was hanging board in this old Victorian and the homeowner kept watching me work. Around 3 PM she pointed at a corner I was mudding and said "that's the cleanest drywall work I've seen in 40 years here." It caught me off guard because I thought she was gonna critique it or something. She told me her dad was a taper back in the 80s and he always said a tight corner tells you everything about a guy's skill. I just thanked her and kept going but that compliment stuck with me the rest of the day. Has anyone else had a homeowner say something that actually made you proud of your work?
Picked up a no-name drywall tape gun off Amazon last month thinking I was saving cash. First job with it in an attic in Austin and the wheel seized up after 20 feet of tape. Spent more time fighting it than actually taping joints. Had to drive 30 mins to buy a real TapeTech mid-job anyway. Anyone else learn this lesson the hard way or just me?
I keep seeing guys in my area near Columbus arguing that flat taping with a bazooka is the only way to do a ceiling. But I timed myself on a 2,000 sq ft job last month and my hand finish only took 20 minutes longer. Why are people so into machines when a good knife and a steady hand still get it done? Anyone else think the hype is overblown or am I missing something?
Last month I was working a basement job in my buddy's house and thought I could just mud the corners without metal bead. It looked okay at first but after the second coat I noticed the corner was all wavy and uneven. Ended up having to sand it all down and start over with the bead anyway. Anyone else ever try to skip a step and just end up making more work for yourself?
Spent almost 4 hours yesterday fighting with mud that kept skimming over before I could finish a 12 foot seam. Turns out the box of hot mud I grabbed was 20 minute set instead of 90 minute. Has anyone else grabbed the wrong bag and paid for it in frustration?
I figured it'd make the flat joints go faster but the mud kept drying out before I could feather it out, so now I'm wondering if I need to thin my compound differently for a bigger blade or just stick with my 6-inch.
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?
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?
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?
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?
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?
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?
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?
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?
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?
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?
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?
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?
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?
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?
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?
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?