Babble Community

c/drywall-installers

11

janarivera•1d ago

PSA: My mud consistency was a mess until I started weighing my water

For the first two years, my taping was always a fight, with the mud drying too fast or sliding off the knife. I saw a guy on a job in Tacoma just pour water from a gallon jug into his pan, no measuring. I tried that and my results were all over the place. Last month, I started using a cheap kitchen scale to weigh my powder and water for a 5-gallon bucket. I aim for 2.2 pounds of water per pound of powder. The difference in how it spreads and feathers out now is crazy. Has anyone else found a specific ratio that works best for them?

7

nora110•2d ago

Finally tried that 'wet sponge' trick for sanding corners after my buddy in Tacoma swore by it for a decade.

I was convinced it was just extra work until I used a damp cellulose sponge on a tricky inside corner last week and cut my sanding time in half, so has anyone else got a weird old-school method that actually works?

12

taylorc40•3d ago

Vent: Saw a crew in Phoenix using a new mud pump setup on a big job

I was working on a house next door to a big apartment build. They had this whole trailer setup with a pump feeding mud through hoses. Not the usual boxes and pans. The guy running it said they were doing 150 sheets a day with three guys. Three. I always thought pumps were for huge jobs only. But he said the setup cost about $8,000 and they got it back in saved labor in under six months. They were using a specific brand, a Columbia. It made me rethink how we do things on our 30-sheet custom homes. Maybe the old way isn't the only way anymore. Has anyone here switched to a pump system for smaller crews? Was the learning curve bad?

7

troysmith•4d ago

Shoutout to the old plaster ceiling I had to demo before hanging board in a 1920s bungalow

What should've been a 2-hour demo turned into a 3-day nightmare of removing 3 layers of lath and horsehair plaster that was fused to the joists with what felt like concrete.

11

lopez.quinn•5d ago

Just had a client in the new River North lofts point out my corner beads were slightly proud on a whole wall. Changed my whole approach to checking them.

He wasn't rude, just said 'hey, you can feel that ridge when you run your hand down it.' I was rushing to finish and just eyeballing it. Now I run my 4-foot level along every single bead before I even think about taping. Takes an extra 10 minutes per room but saves a callback. What's your go-to method for checking bead before mud?

6

logan_ellis•6d ago

Shoutout to the framer who left a 3/4 inch gap between the top plate and the ceiling joist

Spent a full day trying to figure out why my sheets wouldn't sit flush before I realized the gap was running the entire length of the wall. Anyone know a good fix besides sistering in a new 2x4?

15

young.nora•7d ago

Just realized I've hung over 500 sheets of 5/8 firecode this year alone

I was cleaning out my truck and found a stack of old receipts from the supply house. Started adding them up out of boredom, and the number hit me. Over 500 sheets of the heavy stuff, just since January. It's not like I was trying to hit a goal or anything, it just happened. Makes me think about how the jobs have changed. Ten years ago, it felt like we did a lot more 1/2 inch on regular studs. Now, with all the multi-family and townhouse projects, it's all 16 inch centers with firecode for the ratings. My shoulders definitely know the difference. Anyone else seeing way more of this specific board than they used to?

9

carter.casey•8d ago

Finally got my taping mud down to a single coat on a big ceiling job

For years, I'd always do two coats of taping compound, no matter what. About six months ago, I started mixing my own mud from powder instead of using the pre-mixed buckets. I use a 20-minute hot mud for the first coat now, and it sets so hard and flat. Yesterday, I did a 12x16 foot ceiling and only needed the one coat before sanding. It saved me over three hours on that one room. Has anyone else switched to mixing their own and seen a big time save?

13

elizabeths51•8d ago

Tried a different mud mix on a Reno ceiling patch

Mixed a bit of hot mud into my all-purpose for a repair in a humid bathroom, and it set up way faster than I planned, almost lost it. Learned the hard way that even a small change in the mix can throw off your whole timing. Anyone have a go-to mix for quick patches that doesn't set up too fast?

23

claire_gibson•9d ago

I thought those new lightweight mud pans were just a gimmick for rookies.

Borrowed one on a big ceiling job in Phoenix last summer and my shoulder wasn't screaming after eight hours. What other tools have you guys tried that actually made a difference?

25

carter.casey•10d ago

Warning: the new library in Springfield has a ceiling that's a total puzzle

I was in there yesterday to pick up a book for my kid and I couldn't stop looking up. The main reading room has this vaulted ceiling with these weird, shallow curved sections, not like a normal dome. It's all drywall, but the way the light hits it, you can see every single seam and screw dimple. I mean, it's a brand new building, maybe 6 months old. It looks like they tried to do a level 5 finish on a surface that's just not flat to begin with. I stood there for like 10 minutes trying to figure out how they even hung it. Has anyone else run into a design like that, where the architecture just sets the finish work up to fail? How would you even bid on it?

2

jennifer204•11d ago

I was cutting all my drywall sheets wrong for years

I always used a standard utility knife and scored one side, then snapped. It worked, but the edges were never super clean. Last month, I was helping a buddy on a job in Phoenix and saw him use a 6-inch drywall saw to cut the back paper after the snap. He said it keeps the face paper from tearing. I tried it on my next job and the cuts were perfect, no more ragged edges. It added maybe 30 seconds per cut but saved me time on taping. Does anyone else have a small trick that makes a big difference in cut quality?

22

amy974•11d ago

A homeowner in Bakersfield watched me tape a corner and said 'I never knew it took that much focus.'

It was just a standard inside corner on a garage remodel, but her saying that made a routine job feel like a real craft. Anyone else have a moment where someone's simple observation made you appreciate the skill in what we do?

14

seanjackson•13d ago

Remember when we all used to mix mud in a bucket with a drill?

I stuck with that for years, but about 3 months ago I finally got a portable mud mixer, the kind with the spiral paddle. The difference is night and day. I used to spend 15 minutes per batch trying to get all the lumps out, and my drill motor would get crazy hot. Now it's a smooth mix in under 2 minutes, and the consistency is perfect every single time. It feels like I'm cheating, but it just makes the taping part so much faster. Anyone else made the switch and found it saves them a real headache on bigger jobs?

25

clairen85•13d ago

Hit 1000 sheets of 5/8 firecode hung this year and my back just realized it

My helper pointed it out when we finished a big job in Tempe, and I swear the next sheet felt twice as heavy. Anyone else get hit with a weird milestone that made you feel old?

13

the_tessa•17d ago

An old timer told me my mud was too cold for taping

He said it in a garage in Tacoma last fall, watching me struggle with a seam. I started mixing my hot mud with water that's just a bit warm now, and it sets up way smoother. Do you guys have a specific water temp you aim for?

29

sarah_patel25•17d ago

TIL a hotel in Vegas has a rule about drywall dust...

We were doing a big repair on the 15th floor of a casino hotel, and I guess our dust control wasn't perfect. The manager came up and said, 'Sir, your powder is setting off the smoke alarms in the high roller suite.' We had to shut down for two hours while they aired out the whole floor. How do you guys handle dust in places with super sensitive systems?

14

michael_jenkins39•18d ago

Finally figured out a way to stop my 12-inch taping knife from flexing too much on long seams

Was doing a big ceiling in a Reno spec house last week and the blade kept bowing, leaving a ridge. Tried a trick from a guy I met at a supply house: I put a strip of 2-inch wide fiberglass mesh tape down the center of the knife's back and coated it with a thin layer of hot mud. Let it cure overnight. Now it's got just enough backbone. Anyone else have a hack for stiffening up a floppy knife?

19

gavinwells•18d ago

Had a weird ceiling job in an old Denver house last Tuesday

The plaster was coming down in chunks, and the homeowner wanted drywall over the old lath. I ended up using 1/4 inch board and a ton of extra screws to get it to sit right without cracking. What's your go-to method for covering up a failed plaster ceiling?

10

hannahsingh•19d ago

I keep seeing guys skip the corner bead on inside corners

Lately on a bunch of jobs around town, I've walked in after the rock is up and the inside corners have no bead, just taped. I get it, it's faster. But I fixed a ceiling crack in a house from 2019 last week, and sure enough, it was an inside corner with just tape that had split. The homeowner said it showed up after the first winter. That bead gives it a solid edge and keeps it from flexing. Without it, any little shift in the framing or the drywall itself puts all the stress on that tape joint. I've been doing this for fifteen years and I've never seen a properly beaded inside corner fail like that. Are we just cutting corners to save twenty minutes, or is there some new method I haven't heard about?

1

bell.felix•19d ago

PSA: I used to think those lightweight mud pans were just a gimmick for new guys.

Tried one on a big ceiling job in Spokane last fall and my shoulder felt way better after three days. Anyone else switch over and notice a real difference?

-1

bennett.jana•20d ago

That 10-inch taping knife I bought on a whim for a Reno job is now my go-to for inside corners.

I figured it was just a gimmick, but the extra width gives you a cleaner line with less feathering (you know, way less sanding). Anyone else find a tool they doubted that became a workhorse?

13

the_aaron•21d ago

Just realized my old foreman was right about using a 12-inch knife for the first coat on ceilings.

He always said, 'A bigger knife means fewer ridges to sand later,' and after fighting with a 10-inch on a vaulted ceiling job in Tacoma last week, I finally switched and saved myself at least two hours of sanding, so what's your go-to knife size for that first pass?

4

joel_hall17•23d ago

A client's basement in Akron taught me to always check for old wiring first

I was hanging board in a finished basement last fall and my screw gun sparked against something behind the wall. Turns out the old owners had run a live wire right through the stud bay without a plate. The homeowner had no idea it was there. Now I poke a thin probe into every cavity before I start, especially in houses built before 1980. Anyone else run into hidden surprises like that?

7

the_xena•24d ago

Had to patch a ceiling in a 1920s house in Pasadena and the plaster was crumbling like old cake

I mean, I went through three bags of setting compound just to get a solid base before I could even think about tape. Anyone else have a go-to method for dealing with that kind of mess?