The old timer showed me a trick for pre-filling butt joints

Been doing drywall 15 years now and I always just taped and mudded butt joints like everyone else. Last week an old guy named Ray at the supply yard on 3rd street told me to pre-fill them with hot mud first before taping. Tried it on a house in Oak Park and the results were way flatter than I ever got before. Anybody else do this or is it just a Midwest thing?

2 comments

2 Comments

ross.william20d ago

Wait what did you just say? You never pre-filled butt joints before? That blows my mind. That's like basic drywall 101 around here. Everybody in Chicago does it that way. Ray's right though. Hot mud in the gap first. Let it set up hard then tape over it. Gives you a way flatter seam no question. I remember my grandpa taught me that trick back in the 80s.

holly_craig20d ago

Hot mud pre-fill is the only way to go. @ross.william knows what's up, Ray's trick saves you a whole lot of sanding. Cant believe you went 15 years without it, game changer for sure.