c/drywall-installers

A guy in a Tacoma hardware store told me something that saved my hands

I was grabbing some mud in Tacoma last year, and this older installer saw me buying the cheap paper tape. He stopped me and said, 'Son, that stuff will tear up your fingers after a few hundred feet.' He showed me his hands, which were cracked and rough. He said he switched to fibafuse tape 15 years ago and never looked back. I tried it on my next big job, a whole house in Puyallup, and my hands felt way better after day three. What other small changes have you guys made that had a big impact on your body?

Spent $80 on a laser level for a Reno job and it was a total game changer

Had to hang board on a sloped ceiling in an old house. My old chalk line was a nightmare. Bought a DeWalt cross-line laser. Set it up in five minutes and had perfect lines across the whole room. What's the best tool purchase you've made under a hundred bucks?

A homeowner in Everett watched me mud a seam and asked why I didn't just use more tape

I was finishing a basement rec room, running a 6-inch knife over a butt joint. The guy stood there for five minutes, then said, 'Wouldn't it be faster if you just slapped a whole bunch of tape on there first?' I had to explain that too much tape creates a ridge you can't sand out, and the right amount of mud underneath is what makes it disappear. He just shrugged and walked off, but it stuck with me how little people know about the basics. Anyone ever have a client question your most routine move like that?

Tried a weird trick for a curved ceiling and it actually worked

Got stuck on a kitchen remodel in Phoenix with a 12-foot curved soffit. My normal mud and tape method kept cracking after a day. Out of ideas, I soaked the paper tape in warm water for about 30 seconds before applying it. Let it dry overnight, then did two thin coats. Zero cracks after a week. Has anyone else tried wetting tape for a tight radius like that?

Just heard a wild stat about drywall dust at a safety meeting

Our site manager brought in a guy from the local union hall for a talk yesterday. He said the average drywall installer breathes in about 4 pounds of dust a year if they don't wear a proper mask. I always knew it was bad, but that number really hit me. He had a little jar with that much flour in it to show us. What kind of respirator do you guys actually wear all day that doesn't get in the way?

Talking to my buddy's kid made me see this job differently

My friend's son, Jake, is 15 and came to help me on a big patch job in his basement last weekend. He asked why I always sand by hand in tight corners instead of using the power sander, and I told him it's just how I was taught. He said 'But your way takes three times longer, and the dust gets everywhere.' I've been thinking about that all week... maybe I'm too stuck in my habits. How do you guys handle corners on a repair, especially with a tight deadline?

Showerthought: I was wasting so much time on my inside corners

For years, I was taught to prefill my inside corners with mud and let it dry before taping. Did it on a big apartment job in Tempe last month, and the foreman just looked at me and said, 'Why are you making extra work? The tape IS the filler.' He showed me his method: just a thin coat of mud in the corner, bed the tape, and smooth it out. No prefilling, no extra dry time. I tried it on the next unit and cut my corner time by at least 30%. It sounds small, but over a whole house, that's hours saved. The joint is just as strong and way faster. I feel like an idiot for not seeing it sooner. Anyone else have a 'wow, I was overcomplicating that' moment with a basic task?

I thought the whole 'mudding with a sponge' trick was a joke until last week

A guy on a job in Phoenix swore by using a damp car wash sponge to smooth out his final coat. I tried it on a small patch in a closet and it worked way better than my knife for getting rid of those tiny lines. It felt weird, but the finish was glassy. Anyone else ever use something totally weird that actually worked?

Switched to a 12-inch taping knife for a whole ceiling and my shoulders thanked me

Used it on a 2,000 sq ft job in Omaha last month and the wider spread cut my mudding time by like a third. Anyone else made a simple tool swap that actually paid off big?

Unpopular opinion: I think taping a curved archway is way harder than everyone says

Just finished a job in a new house in Tempe, they wanted a smooth arch between the living room and kitchen. Everyone online makes it sound like a few extra cuts and you're done. I spent almost 3 full hours just on the tape and mud for that one arch, when the rest of the room's seams took maybe 45 minutes. The curve kept wanting to buckle the paper tape, and getting the corner bead to sit right was a nightmare. I had to redo the first coat twice. Has anyone found a better way to handle these curved drywall seams without losing a whole morning?

I finally got why that old guy at the supply house was so picky about his mud knives

I was grabbing a 12 inch taping knife at the place on 5th Street last week, and this retired installer, maybe 70, was there. He saw my cart and said, 'Kid, you're buying the wrong flex. The blade's too stiff, it'll leave ridges.' He handed me a different one, a Marshalltown, and told me to feel the difference. I tried his way on a ceiling patch the next day and the finish was way smoother. Anyone have a favorite brand for finishing knives they swear by?

Update on that weird ceiling crack in a 1920s house

I had a hairline crack come back three times over a year in an old plaster ceiling I was patching. The last time, I cut out a bigger section and found the original wood lath had a broken key behind it. I sistered a new piece of lath to the old one with construction adhesive and screws before the new drywall patch. That was six months ago and the repair is still perfect. Anyone else run into moving lath causing callbacks?

My 10-foot straightedge snapped clean in half on a Friday job in Tacoma

Everyone says to buy the heavy aluminum ones, but mine failed right when I needed it most. What's a more reliable brand that won't bend or break under pressure?

Serious question, had a client in Tacoma who insisted on a specific texture for a vaulted ceiling.

The height made it tough to keep the mud from sagging before it set. I tried adding a bit of plaster of Paris to my joint compound, just a small scoop per bucket. It set up faster and held the peaks perfectly without cracking. Has anyone else mixed in a hardener for high or tricky texture work?

That time I cut a huge hole in the wrong wall

I was on a job in a new build in Springfield, the kind where all the rooms look the same. The plans called for a chase to be cut in the laundry room wall for plumbing. I measured twice, marked it up, and went at it with my rotozip. About three minutes in, I realized the sound was wrong, way too hollow. I'd cut a perfect 4x2 foot rectangle into the wall of the master bedroom closet next door. My heart just sank. I had to stop, go find the foreman, and admit I messed up. We had to patch that closet wall from scratch, reframe the opening, and redo the drywall, which set us back half a day. I learned to always knock on the wall and listen before cutting, and to triple-check which side of the stud bay I'm on. Has anyone else ever cut into a completely wrong room?

Had to choose between a 4x8 and a 4x10 sheet for a tricky ceiling patch

I was fixing a water stain on a vaulted ceiling in a house over in Bellingham. The hole was long and narrow, and I had to decide between cutting a 4x8 sheet and having a seam or hauling up a heavier 4x10 to try for a single piece. I went with the 4x10 to avoid taping, but getting it up the stairs and holding it in place solo was a real fight. What's your go-to when the patch shape is awkward?

Warning: That new lightweight mud I tried in a Phoenix attic last week was a mess

I was taping a ceiling in a 120 degree attic and grabbed a bucket of this stuff called 'FeatherFinish' thinking it would be easier. I mixed it a bit thin, maybe added an extra cup of water. It went on fine but then it started cracking everywhere after about 20 minutes, like a spiderweb. I had to scrape it all off and start over with my usual mud. Has anyone else had a problem with the lightweight stuff in super hot, dry places? What's your go-to mix for that kind of job?

Working on a 12-foot cathedral ceiling in Portland last month and my neck is still killing me

Got a job finishing a big living room remodel out in the West Hills. The homeowner wanted smooth walls all the way up this steep vaulted ceiling. I was up on a baker scaffold for three days straight, mudding and sanding overhead. By the second day, my shoulders felt like rocks and I had a headache from looking up so much. I tried using a pole sander but getting the right pressure for a Level 5 finish was nearly impossible with it. Ended up doing most of the final coat by hand, which was brutal. The check was good, but I'm honestly dreading the next call for a high ceiling. What's your go-to method for overhead work that doesn't wreck your body? I've heard some guys use different stilts or even rig up special platforms.

Found a city building code that makes no sense for fire-rated walls

I was looking up rules for a job in Phoenix last week and saw they require a full 5/8 inch board on both sides of a metal stud wall for a one-hour rating. Everywhere else I've worked, you can get that with 1/2 inch on one side and 5/8 on the other. It's right there in their 2021 code addendum PDF. That extra board adds cost and weight for no real safety gain, doesn't it? Has anyone else run into this and just had to eat the extra material cost?

Appreciation post: I used to think mixing mud in a 5-gallon bucket with a drill was fine, but a job in Boise last month changed my mind.

Finally got my mud consistency right on a vaulted ceiling in Boise

Last month, I was fighting a 16-foot section and my mix was either too thin or drying too fast. This week, I added the water slower and it laid down smooth on the first coat. What's your go-to trick for high work?

Pro tip: A bent putty knife saved me on a weird corner patch

Had to fix a busted corner in a 1920s house where the plaster was totally gone. I bent an old 6-inch knife about 30 degrees with a hammer to match the angle, and it made feathering the mud way easier. Anyone have a better tool for old, uneven corners?

My old boss swore by a 6-inch taping knife for inside corners, and I finally get it

He told me 'a skinny knife gives you control a 10-inch can't' when I was learning in his crew in Phoenix. I fought it for ages, but after a really bad job with wavy mud, I switched and the next three houses went up smooth. What's your go-to corner knife size?

Spent three hours on a weird corner that should have taken twenty minutes

It was a retrofit in an old house where the existing framing was out by over an inch. Ended up having to sister in a new stud and custom cut a bunch of small filler pieces to get it straight. Anyone have a faster fix for a corner that's just completely out of whack?

Tried a new way to fix a popped nail in my own kitchen ceiling

Instead of just mudding over it, I drove a screw about an inch above the nail and then dimpled both spots before taping. The patch has held solid for over 6 months now. Anyone have a different fix for this that works just as well?