Old timer told me my mud was too wet and I fought it for years

Dude at a job site in Columbus back in 2018 watched me struggling with a wall and said 'son your muds wetter than a ditch'. I got pissed at first but he was dead on. I was adding water to make it go faster but just making a mess. Started mixing dryer and my work leveled up big time. Anyone else have to eat crow on some old school advice?

3 comments

3 Comments

charles_baker2810d ago

My dad used to tell me the same thing about my pancake batter when I was a kid. I'd pour water in to make it pour faster and end up with a floppy mess he called a "floor pancake." Took me twenty years to realize he was just teaching me the same lesson these drywall guys know.

fiona_carr2611d ago

Ngl I used to think every old head was just trying to boss me around and my mud was fine the way I mixed it. Then I finally tried it drier like they said and I swear my first coat looked better than my third used to. Honestly I still catch myself adding too much water when I'm in a hurry and then I gotta sit there and watch it slide down the wall like a slow motion disaster. Tbh eating crow is just part of the trade I guess, but it goes down easier when you realize they were actually trying to help.

troychen10d ago

Fiona I'm sitting here trying to figure out if mud sliding down the wall is really a slow motion disaster or just a minor inconvenience. You make it sound like you watched your whole life fall apart in front of you. It's wet mud, not a car crash. Give yourself a break.