The week I had to tape a 20 foot cathedral ceiling by myself

Last month in a big old house in Tacoma, the crew lead got sick and I was left alone to finish a master bedroom with a huge sloped ceiling. I had to set up my stilts on a floor that wasn't totally level, and my mud pan kept tipping over. Mixing a full 5 gallon bucket of compound by hand for the first coat nearly killed my shoulder. The worst part was trying to get a smooth finish on the long seams while looking straight up, my neck was sore for days. I almost called it quits when I dropped my 6 inch knife from the top of the stilts and it stuck in the subfloor like a dart. Somehow I got it done, but it took me three full days instead of one. Has anyone else had to solo a job that big and have a better way to handle the mud up high?

3 comments

3 Comments

lucasjackson28d ago

Man, that sounds like a special kind of misery.

reese_nelson25d ago

Remember the time I tried to patch a ceiling with one of those pre-mixed buckets? Stuff was like trying to spread cold oatmeal, and it still found a way to drip right into my ear. Makes you wonder who designs these products, right? You end up inventing more fixes for the mess than for the actual job.

the_julia28d ago

Honestly, what finally helped me was using a hawk instead of a pan for the overhead work. Tbh, I'd pre-load it with a thicker mix so it wouldn't sag as much. I also taped a small sponge to the handle of my knife to catch the drips before they ran down my arm.