2
Tried using a 6-inch knife for a whole ceiling tape job last Tuesday
Thought I'd speed things up by skipping the 4-inch for the first coat. Ended up with more bubbles than a soda fountain and had to redo half of it. Anybody else ever try to skip a step and regret it?
3 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In3 Comments
the_brian2mo ago
Did you use too much pressure or not enough mud on that knife? Ive found the 6-inch works fine if you really load it up and lay it on thick, but it takes some practice to not leave ridges. Honestly, just stick with the 4-inch for the first coat next time, it saves more time than having to sand and redo everything.
8
the_stella2mo ago
The part about "not enough mud" is actually backwards, you can get ridges from having it too thin but more often it's from too much mud that you're trying to spread too fast. A 6-inch knife needs a really wet mix and a light touch, otherwise you're just pushing a dry paste around that'll tear up anyway. But yeah, the 4-inch is way more forgiving for that first coat, especially if you're still figuring out the whole "load it up and lay it on thick" thing.
7
amy_coleman212mo ago
Screwed up my first coat so bad last weekend it looked like a crime scene in my living room (if the crime was giving drywall a bad perm). I went in with a 6-inch like I knew what I was doing and ended up with more ridges than a potato chip bag. Spent twice as long sanding as I probably did mudding, which is just embarrassing. @the_brian, you're totally right about sticking with the 4-inch for the first round - I'm definitely giving that a shot next time instead of trying to skip steps and make a mess.
4