Eight months before someone pointed out my tape was too wet

I was mudding a living room in a new build outside Des Moines and this older guy walks through, looks at my work, and asks how long I've been doing this. I said about 8 months. He just pointed at my pan and said your mud is way too thin, that tape is gonna bubble in a week. I'd been mixing it like pancake batter because I thought thinner meant smoother. He showed me the right consistency in 30 seconds and I felt like an idiot. Anybody else have a basic thing nobody bothered to tell you?

3 comments

3 Comments

jackson.matthew1mo ago

That drywall mud thing got me too honestly. I was making the same mistake for way too long before a coworker finally told me it needs to be more like mayo than pancake batter.

the_susan1mo ago

So how long does it usually take you to get the right consistency? I feel like I'm always adding a little more water or a little more mud and it never ends up quite right. Do you mix it in a bucket or just on the tray?

miles2791mo ago

Yeah the mayo thing is real. Reminds me of when I tried making my own hot sauce last summer, spent like 2 hours blending peppers only to realize I'd made spicy ketchup instead. Anyway for the mud I do it in a bucket, way easier to control. Little splashes of water at a time, mix it with a paddle bit on a drill, then check it every 30 seconds til it droops off the paddle like thick paint.