Drywall foreman told me I was pressing too hard with the knife - fixed my whole finish

I used to dig into the mud trying to get it smooth, but this guy on a job in Denver said to just glide it on light. Tried it on a bedroom ceiling last week and barely had to sand. Anyone else get a tip that simple that changed their whole approach?

3 comments

3 Comments

rubys8025d ago

Yeah I read a pro taper say once that mud is cheaper than sandpaper and it finally clicked for me.

laura_allen17d ago

Hold on, I gotta gently push back on that a little @stellaa69. Mud is definitely not cheaper than sandpaper time-wise. The materials might be, but the labor to apply, sand, and clean up mud is way higher than just sanding bare wood. I think what that pro taper meant was that mud hides imperfections so you don't have to spend forever sanding wood, which actually saves you time in the long run. But if you're comparing dollar for dollar, a bucket of mud plus the dry time plus your own labor, sandpaper usually wins for a quick fix. Just my two cents from trying both ways!

stellaa6925d ago

Yeah I heard that from a painter too. Makes total sense.