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Watched a guy at the supply house change my mind about pre-filling screw holes

I was at Drywall Supply Co in Tulsa last Tuesday picking up board, and this older guy in line ahead of me was explaining to the kid behind the counter why he never pre-fills his screw holes anymore. He said 'just use a wider knife on the second coat and it fills itself, saves an hour per room.' I thought he was crazy but tried it on a 12x14 bedroom yesterday. Sure enough, no dimples showing through and I finished the first coat way faster. Has anyone else dropped the pre-fill step and noticed any long term cracking?
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3 Comments
lunaf67
lunaf678d ago
That "saves an hour per room" line caught my attention too, and I actually tried it on my last two jobs last month. No cracking or issues so far, just smoother coats and way less hassle.
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ellis.susan
Did you find it worked better for certain paint types or surfaces than others? I've been mostly using it with matte finishes and it's been a dream, but I'm curious about glossier paints. That hour per room claim is no joke when you're doing a whole house, every bit of time saved adds up. Glad to hear you've had zero issues with it too, I was worried about the cracking thing before I started.
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logan_ellis
logan_ellis7d agoMost Upvoted
Blew my mind reading this. I've been pre-filling screws for like 8 years and never thought to try skipping it. @lunaf67 you said no cracking at all even on the second coat? I gotta test this on a small closet this week before I commit to a whole house. Just worried about the texture on the second pass if I'm using a 10 inch knife instead of a 6.
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