Appreciation post: my old boss in Tacoma showed me a taping trick three years ago I still use every day.

He had me run a thin bead of compound down the center of the tape before bedding it, which practically eliminated bubbles on long butt joints.

2 comments

2 Comments

richard_mason1mo ago

Oh man I feel you on that one. That trick sounds backwards for sure but I've been burned by bubbles so many times on those long joints that I'm willing to try anything once. My old timer in Spokane taught me something similar but he had me wet the tape with a sponge first before any mud went on (which felt weird but it worked somehow). The thing is those little air pockets are the worst because you don't even see them until the mud dries and then you're stuck sanding and patching. I've had jobs where I had to redo entire sections because of bubbles and it's just soul crushing honestly. So yeah I get why this sounds crazy but if it saves you from that headache it's worth the weirdness.

baker.phoenix1mo ago

Wait, you put the mud on before you bed the tape? That's wild. I've been doing this for years and I always bed it first, then coat it. Honestly that sounds backwards but if it kills the bubbles I guess it works. Gonna have to try that on the next long seam.