🐿️Pinecone Attack

c/drywall-installers

14

the_amy•2d ago

Finally found out why my corners kept cracking in Phoenix

I've been hanging drywall for about 4 years now and I kept getting these hairline cracks in my inside corners... drove me nuts. A guy I sub for told me I was probably mudding too thick on the first coat and that was causing it to shrink unevenly. So last week I tried a different approach - I did a super thin first coat and let it dry fully before even thinking about the second pass. Night and day difference. No cracks at all on three jobs I did out in Mesa. I also switched from that paper tape to a fiberglass mesh just for the first coat and it seemed to bond way better in the dry heat here. Has anyone else dealt with corner cracking in hot climates like this?

15

mary462•3d ago

Switched from mesh tape to paper for inside corners last year - huge difference

I used to always use mesh tape for everything because it was faster to slap on. But I kept getting cracks in my inside corners after a few months, especially in this one house I did up near Tacoma. Finally tried paper tape for the corners last fall and I haven't had a single crack since. Paper takes a little more time to bed in but it's way stronger and doesn't bubble up like mesh can. You still using mesh for inside corners or did you make the switch too?

4

anthony_lane55•3d ago

My taping knife snapped clean in half yesterday

Was working a job in Oak Ridge. First coat on a living room ceiling. My 12 inch stainless taping knife just broke. Right at the handle. Never seen that before. Had to finish with a 6 inch. Took twice as long. Anyone else had a good brand knife fail on them like that?

6

anderson.spencer•3d ago

The corner beading debate: Level 5 finish over it or bury it in mud?

Spent THREE HOURS last week fighting with a corner bead install on a kitchen remodel in Oak Park. I always pre-fill the bead with mud before taping to avoid air pockets, but a buddy swears by just stabbing it with a knife and letting the tape seal it. Which side is actually faster for you guys? I'm torn because pre-filling works but adds 20 minutes per corner, and the stab method left me with bubbles I had to sand out later. Anyone else find a middle ground that doesn't waste a whole afternoon?

22

gracecarr•7d ago

Am I the only one who got burned buying a used drywall hoist?

Picked up a used drywall hoist off Craigslist for $150. Looked fine but the hydraulics gave out on my second job. Now I'm stuck with a 70-pound paperweight and lost half a day's pay waiting for the boss to bring his. Anyone else get screwed buying used equipment?

12

eric_wright77•7d ago

Can we talk about the time my mud mix turned into soup on a ceiling job?

I was hanging a new living room ceiling in a house near downtown Austin, Texas, and figured I'd mix a fresh batch of all-purpose mud. I got the water ratio wrong, though, and after the first coat, the mud was dripping off my trowel like pancake batter. I had to stop everything, scrape it all off, and clean the boards while it was still wet. That cost me about 2 hours of work, and I ended up using a thicker setting compound to fix the base. Has anyone else had a mud consistency disaster mess up their whole day?

11

robin777•7d ago

Wasted $60 on that fancy edge tape for my corner beads

Bought some pre-taped corner bead to save time but the tape kept peeling off after mudding. Ended up ripping it all out and going back to regular metal beads with paper tape, lost two hours and the $60.

28

eric_carr•7d ago

That one customer who actually watched me work a ceiling

I was finishing a basement ceiling in a split level home outside Cleveland last week. The homeowner kept coming down to check on things, which usually annoys me, but this older guy just stood there watching for about 10 minutes. He finally said 'you know, I've seen a lot of guys rush through the mud work but you won't find their joints later.' That little comment from a random customer made my whole day. Has anyone else had a moment like that where a regular person actually noticed the little things we do?

22

charles_green•8d ago

That one Tuesday where everything went right on a ceiling job

I had a day last week where I started taping a 12 foot ceiling at 7 AM and was done with the first coat by 10. No bubbles, no loose tape, no fighting with corners. The mud mixed perfect on the first try and my hawk felt balanced all day. Usually I'm chasing some mistake or reworking a bad patch, but that day just flowed. By 4 PM I had the second coat on and it was clean enough that the painter told me I saved him an hour of sanding. Has anyone else had a random day where the whole job just clicked for no obvious reason?

10

graytorres•8d ago

Was dead set against using automatic tapers until I borrowed my buddy's on a 4000sqft basement last month

Figured they were just for production crews but after running 300ft of tape without wrecking my wrist I'm honestly thinking about buying one even for small jobs, anyone else swap over later than they should have?

19

lily511•9d ago

Rant: I taped corners wrong for 5 years until my boss called me out

I thought I was doing fine with inside corners, just slapping the paper in there and hoping for the best. Been doing it that way since I started helping my uncle on jobs in San Antonio back in 2019. Then last month we were finishing a basement in Round Rock and my boss watched me for like 2 minutes. He grabbed my knife and showed me how I was overlapping the paper too much on one side, causing a hump that I'd have to mud over three times. Turns out I was supposed to crease the paper tighter and keep the overlap way smaller. Now I kick myself thinking about all the extra time I wasted on sanding. Anyone else have a basic technique click way later than it should have?

32

richard_roberts80•9d ago

Old timer in Boise showed me why my taping knife angle was off

Spent years fighting bubbles and ridges on butt joints until a 60 year old taper watched me work for two minutes and pointed out I was holding the knife 10 degrees too flat. Has anyone else had some old pro fix a basic habit you never knew was broken?

6

hernandez.jordan•11d ago

Quick tip: use a roller to backroll your mud on baseboards

Was talking to an old timer at the supply house in Mesa last week, and he mentioned he backrolls his mud before taping baseboard corners. I always just buttered it on with a knife, but he said a cheap 4 inch roller gives you an even coat in half the time. Tried it on a new build that had like 30 baseboard corners and it worked way smoother. No more digging out dried chunks from your knife every 2 minutes. The roller lays down just enough mud to sink the tape without overloading it. Has anyone else tried this method or do you stick with the knife for all your taping?

5

the_miles•11d ago

Old timer told me to stop backrolling compound like wallpaper

I had this guy named Frank, been hanging board since the 70s, watch me one day and said I was treating the mud like paste. He told me to stop backrolling my tape so hard and just let the compound do the work. I tried it his way on a small closet job in Reston last spring and my corners came out way cleaner on the first pass. Has anyone else had an old hand call them out on something that seemed small but actually made a huge difference?

12

pat360•12d ago

Vent: Finally saw my mud work transform after 6 months of trying new techniques

I been struggling with keeping my joints flat on butt joints for years. Last month I started using a 12-inch knife instead of my old 10-inch and pre-filling the gap before taping. The difference is night and day. Now the sanding is way less and the finish looks clean. Anyone else switch knife sizes and see a big change?

7

hernandez.jordan•13d ago

Spent $60 on a roller bucket screen conversion kit - saved my entire basement job

I was taping and bedding in a tight basement corner - you know, the kind where you can barely fit the pan? Kept knocking over my mud bucket. Grabbed one of those lids with the roller screen built in from Home Depot. Cost about $60. It clips right onto the 5 gallon bucket. No more spilled mud, no more cleaning a pan every 15 minutes. Anyone else try those lid systems or just stick with the old pan and hawk?

25

tessa_kim3•14d ago

That one foreman told me to stop using a 6-inch knife for my butt joints

He said I was overworking the mud and creating air bubbles. I switched to a 10-inch for the second coat and the finish came out way cleaner. Anybody else get a simple tip that fixed a problem you didn't even know you had?

6

casey943•14d ago

Walked into a new build in Nashville yesterday...

Whole house was done with 54-inch boards. No butt joints anywhere. Felt like cheating. Back in 2003 we were taping every 8 feet. Took me three tries to get the hang of those big sheets. Dust was everywhere. But damn it looked clean at the end. Any of you guys made the switch to the tall stuff?

2

hernandez.jordan•15d ago

Wasted $400 on a fancy automatic taper because I thought it'd save time

Bought one of those automatic taping tools last spring thinking it would cut my finishing time in half. Spent a whole Saturday trying to set it up and get the mud consistency right. Ended up going back to my manual banjo after the tape came out all wrinkled and bubbly on three jobs. Anyone else blow money on a tool that just collects dust now?

22

butler.shane•16d ago

That old timer on site last week flipped my whole method for taping inside corners

Used to always cut my paper tape to length beforehand, but watching him pull it straight off the roll and bed it in one smooth motion convinced me to try it his way, and now I'm going faster with way less waste... has anyone else switched up a basic habit after seeing someone else's workflow?

12

sandraf84•16d ago

Old timer at the supply house changed my mind about pre-filling

I used to just mud and tape everything in one pass, but this guy named Hank at Builders Supply in Phoenix told me to pre-fill my butt joints first. He said "give it 20 minutes to set before you tape" and I swear my corners came out flatter than ever. Has anyone else had luck with this trick on the first coat?

13

xena_taylor64•17d ago

Ten years of drywall and I just figured out mudding

I always mixed my joint compound way too thick. Like peanut butter thick. Thought that's how you fill gaps fast. Last month a old timer watched me work and just laughed. Said try it like pancake batter. Less sanding, less cracking, and I cut my time by like 20 percent. Who else learned basic stuff way later than they should have?

11

mason209•17d ago

My foreman swore by using a 6-inch knife for all butt joints, said anything wider was for amateurs

I tried it on a big commercial job last month and ended up with ridges so bad the taper had to come back and sand them down for an extra hour. Switched back to my 10-inch and got flat joints right away, no issues. Anybody else get stuck following bad advice from someone who's been doing it too long the same way?

0

skyler_craig•17d ago

Took me 5 hours to fix a corner bead that should have been 20 minutes

I ran into a problem with a corner bead on a vaulted ceiling job last Thursday where the metal kept popping off because the mud wasn't grabbing right in the cold weather. Turns out I had to switch to hot mud and pre-drill tiny holes for the nails to hold, which wasted most of my afternoon. Has anyone else dealt with corner beads just refusing to stay put in cold conditions?

5

ivangrant•19d ago

Tried mudding a ceiling solo and ended up with a 5 pound blob in my hair

I was doing a 12x12 bedroom ceiling in Des Moines last Tuesday and got the board hung fine but when I started taping the butt joints, my pan slipped off the stilts and dumped a glob of hot mud right on my head, and I had to scrape it out with a putty knife before it set while my helper just stood there laughing.