c/drywall-installers

Unpopular opinion: The 6-inch knife is a crutch for bad taping

I watched a new guy spend an hour on a 4-foot seam with a 6-inch blade, then I knocked out the same length in 15 minutes with my 12-inch trowel. The wider blade just lays it down flatter and faster with fewer ridges to sand later. Am I crazy for thinking the smaller knives just create more work?

I keep seeing guys in my area using the wrong mud for the first coat on fresh board.

Shoutout to the 12-inch taping knife, because after years with a 6-inch, finishing a 10-foot ceiling in my Denver reno went from a full day to just under 4 hours.

I always thought the smaller knife gave more control, but the bigger blade lays down way more mud in one pass and leaves fewer lines to sand, so which do you guys think is the real workhorse for finish coats?

Hot take: The obsession with 5/8 inch board for ceilings is overkill on most jobs

I keep seeing guys spec it for every single ceiling, even on a simple 12 foot span in a ranch house. I've been hanging 1/2 inch on ceilings like that for years, and I've never had a single callback for sagging or cracking. What's the real benefit that makes the extra cost and weight worth it?

My uncle told me to always pre-fill screw holes on a ceiling before taping

He said it would stop the mud from sagging, but I tried it on a job in Phoenix last week and it made the tape bubble up in spots. Had to scrape it all off and lost about 2 hours. Anyone got a better trick for keeping ceiling joints tight?

A plumber in Tacoma showed me his trick for cutting around a tight pipe

He uses a piece of cardboard to make a perfect template before he even touches the drywall. He traced the pipe, cut the shape out of the cardboard, and then traced that onto the board. The fit was so clean he barely needed any mud. What's your go-to method for tricky cutouts like that?

A quick note on that 'fast-dry' joint compound from the big box store

Used a bucket of the 'Pro-Set 45' on a small bathroom ceiling patch in my own house last week, thinking the quick set time would save me. It started to harden in the pan before I could even finish the second coat, leaving a gritty, un-sandable finish. Had to scrape it all off and start over with my usual stuff. Anyone have a reliable fast-set brand that actually stays workable for more than ten minutes?

Rant: I thought that new lightweight joint compound was just a gimmick

A guy on the crew kept pushing us to try it, said it saved his shoulder after a big job in Tacoma. I finally grabbed a bag of the stuff last week, used it on a whole basement ceiling. It went on smooth, but the real shock was the next day, my arms didn't feel like lead weights. Has anyone else switched and noticed a real difference with fatigue?

Why does nobody talk about the right way to handle inside corners on a high ceiling?

I keep seeing guys try to tape a 12 foot inside corner with a single piece of paper tape, and it always sags or wrinkles before it sets. On a big job in Denver last fall, I started cutting my tape into 4 foot sections and overlapping them by an inch. It takes a bit longer, but the finish is flat every time. Is this just a local thing, or do you all have a better method for those tall corners?

I swore off those quick set joint compounds for years, but a job in Tempe changed my mind.

Had a client who needed a patch finished in a single day for an inspection. My buddy forced a bag of USG Sheetrock 90 into my truck. It set up rock hard in under an hour and sanded smooth with almost no dust. Now I keep a bag on hand for small repairs. What's another product you guys were wrong about?

Update: I thought those magnetic corner trowels were a gimmick, but they saved a job in Phoenix.

On a big commercial job last month, we had to tape and float a series of tight, 8-foot high soffits. My partner brought out a magnetic corner trowel, which I always thought was just an overpriced toy. After watching him zip through the inside corners in half the time it usually takes, I had to try it. The magnet held the blade perfectly in place, letting me focus on the mud. Has anyone else made the switch, or do you still swear by the old-school method?

A chat with a painter in Boise changed how I think about corner bead

Honestly, I was talking to this painter, Mike, after a job last week and he said he can always spot a rushed tape job by how the light hits the corners at 3 PM. Ngl, he said he'd rather we spend an extra 20 minutes on the metal bead because his cut lines look way sharper. It made me slow down and actually check my outside corners with a flashlight before calling it done. What's your go-to method for making sure corners are truly straight before mud?

Tried a new mud consistency for skim coating my Denver bathroom and the finish came out smoother than my usual mix.

I thinned my all-purpose compound with a bit more water than normal, maybe 5%, and it went on like glass but took forever to dry, so now I'm wondering if the time saved sanding is worth the extra wait or if I should just stick to my old way.

Found a way to keep my mud pan cleaner on a big ceiling job

Started putting a strip of duct tape along the inside edge to catch the drips, and it saved me from constantly wiping it down. Anyone got other tricks for keeping things tidy when you're working overhead?

I finally bought a proper drywall lift after fighting with a helper for years

Spent about $350 on a basic model and it paid for itself on the first big ceiling job. My back doesn't ache at the end of the day anymore. What's the best brand you guys have used for heavy 5/8" board?

Remembering when we used to mix mud by hand in a bucket

Had a helper last week who'd never seen a drill paddle, just the pre-mixed boxes. Makes you think about how much quieter the job site is now, but I kind of miss the rhythm of it. Anyone still mixing from powder for certain jobs?

Tried a 14-inch knife on a weird angled ceiling and it actually worked

Had this vaulted ceiling job in a Portland remodel last week, all these tight angles where my 12-inch just felt clumsy. Grabbed my old 14-inch Marshalltown on a whim, and the extra length let me feather the joint compound way smoother in one pull. Learned that sometimes the bigger tool is better for control, not just for big flats. Anyone else find a weird spot where a bigger knife saved the day?

Shoutout to the old guy at the lumberyard in Tacoma who saved my Saturday

I was grabbing a few sheets and he saw me struggling, then told me 'kid, you're lifting with your back, not your legs.' Has anyone else had a random stranger give you a tip that stuck?

Remember when we used to mix joint compound by hand in a bucket? I saw a guy finish a whole ceiling in the time it took his helper to get one batch ready.

I finally saw what happens when you skip the primer on a bathroom ceiling

Did a repair for a buddy in Phoenix who insisted it wasn't needed, and after 4 months the new mud was a totally different color than the old. Anyone else had a client fight you on this basic step?

Unpopular opinion: I think the 6-inch taping knife is underrated after a job in a tight Phoenix bathroom.

I had to finish a small ceiling cove in a remodel last month and the 6-inch blade let me get a clean angle where my 12-inch just wouldn't fit, so what's your go-to tool for tight spots?

Serious question, I used to cut all my drywall sheets on the floor.

After a job in Austin where my back was killing me for three days, I built a simple cutting table with some 2x4s and a sheet of plywood. Now I stand up to cut, measure, and score everything, and it's way faster with less strain. What's your setup for cutting big sheets without wrecking your back?

Rant: I used to cut around every single outlet box with a jab saw, but after a job in Tampa where I had to do 47 of them, I bought a rotary tool.

Now I zip around them in seconds, and my only real question is, what's the best bit you guys have found for that, because mine keeps gumming up with joint compound dust?

Remember when you could just show up with a hawk and trowel?

I was cleaning out my old work van last month and found a bucket of premixed mud from a job in Spokane, must have been from 2010. It got me thinking about this one week in maybe 2008, a custom home out in the country. The boss had us doing all the taping and coating with just hand tools, no boxes of mud or pumps in sight. We mixed that powder in a big drum with a paddle, and you had to get the feel for it right. That week was tough, my arms were shot, but the finish was so smooth and clean. Now it's all about speed and the mud from the box just doesn't set up the same way, you know? Does anyone still mix their own mud for finish coats, or is that skill just gone now?

My uncle told me to use a 12-inch knife for taping and I finally get it now

For years I was using a 6-inch taping knife for everything, thinking the smaller size gave me more control. My uncle, who's been hanging board since the 80s, kept telling me to switch to a 12-inch for the second coat. I finally listened on a big ceiling job in a Phoenix condo last week. I mean, I was skeptical, but the way it flattens the mud and bridges small imperfections is just different. It cut my sanding time down by at least an hour on that one room. I still use the smaller knife for tight corners, but he was totally right about the big one for the main field. Has anyone else had a tool tip from an old-timer that seemed weird but actually worked?