Tried using that 'fast set' joint compound on a whole house job and it cost me a full day

I got a deal on a pallet of that 20-minute setting type mud last month, thought I'd save time on a big residential job in Springfield. Big mistake. I mixed a whole bucket for a bedroom ceiling, got maybe two seams done before it started going off in the pan. Had to stop, clean everything out, and mix a fresh batch. Did that three more times before lunch. By the end of the day, I'd wasted over half the product and spent more time cleaning tools than hanging board. I figure I lost a full day's pay, maybe $400, just trying to rush things. It's fine for small patches, but for production work it's a total time trap. Anyone have a go-to all-purpose mud they use for big jobs that stays workable?

3 comments

3 Comments

ben_lopez257d agoMost Upvoted

That 20 minute mud has a different water ratio than regular compound. I bet you mixed it like standard all-purpose and that made it set up way faster. The bag instructions are tiny but they matter for chemical drywall mud.

tessa_lewis7d ago

Temperature matters a lot with that stuff (hot rooms make it set up crazy fast).

dakota_burns968d ago

Sounds like a mixing problem, not a product problem. You just need to mix smaller batches and work faster.