Hit 10,000 square feet of mudding in one month and my wrist still hurts

Last month I was tracking my time on a big hotel job and added up all the drywall I finished. Didn't think much of it until I hit 10k sq ft in 30 days. That's way more than my normal pace of like 6-7k. The hotel had these huge ballroom walls with no cutouts so I just kept going. My taping wrist is still sore three weeks later. Anyone else ever track their monthly numbers and get surprised by how much you actually do?

2 comments

2 Comments

tylerr399d ago

Started tracking my numbers on a big apartment complex job a few years back and found out I was averaging way more than I thought. What saved my wrist was switching to a smaller pan for the last couple hours of the day (like a 6 inch instead of a 8 or 10). It forced me to slow down and take smaller strokes, which actually kept me from burning out. Also started doing those wrist stretches before work (you know, the ones where you flex your palm back and hold it). Might not get you back to full speed right away but it beats ruining your joints long term.

the_tessa9d ago

That smaller pan trick is genius, honestly. I've seen guys wreck their wrists not because they're working too fast, but because they're gripping too hard on a bigger pan when they're already tired. The wrist stretches are a solid call too - I do those plus some forearm stretches before I even pick up a trowel. Most people don't realize how much of the damage comes from the last hour of the day when your form goes to hell.