TIL an old plasterer showed me a trick that saves me every time

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?

2 comments

2 Comments

jamiekim1mo ago

Heard a guy say wetting the mud gives it stickier grip like a suction cup.

harper_owens1mo ago

i used to think dry mud was the way to go for grip, but that "suction cup" thing actually makes total sense. wet mud definitely gets tackier once you pack it in, so yeah, i’m changing my mind on that.