Rant: Got schooled by a 60 year old drywaller on my taping technique

I was at a job site in Phoenix last Thursday helping a buddy finish his basement. An old timer walked over and watched me mudding the seams for a solid 5 minutes. He pointed out I was using way too much compound and not feathering the edges enough, which explained why I kept getting those pesky ridges. He showed me his technique with a 12 inch knife and it cut my sanding time in half on the next panel. I tried his method on the third wall and the finish was way smoother with less dust everywhere. Has anyone else had a veteran contractor call them out on a bad habit that changed how you work for the better?

2 comments

2 Comments

tessa_kelly8d ago

Mudding is mudding, man. Its not some lost art form that requires a 60 year old wizard to unlock. Your buddy could have given you the same advice if he knew what he was doing. People act like every old timer is a guru, but half of them just do things the slow way because they never learned to work fast and clean. I bet that 12 inch knife trick is just standard stuff you would learn from any halfway decent youtube video. Now you are out here acting like this guy changed your whole world when really he just told you to stop globbing mud on like a amateur.

reese868d agoMost Upvoted

Your buddy could have given you the same advice" is exactly right, I learned more from a 20 minute YouTube video than any old timer ever taught me.