Just realized my old knee pads were wrecking my work

I was finishing a big job in a two story house in Tacoma last week and kept finding small dips in the seam tape. It took me a while to figure out it was my old gel knee pads. The gel had shifted over about 8 months, making one side thicker, so I was putting uneven pressure when I was tapping seams down. I switched to a pair of hard cap pads from the truck and the next seam was perfectly flat. Has anyone else had a tool wear out in a way that messed with your install without you noticing at first?

3 comments

3 Comments

emmamason12h ago

Oh man, that's such a sneaky problem! I had a beat-up drywall trowel with a tiny little bend in the corner I couldn't even see. Took me forever to figure out why my final coat kept leaving a faint line. Honestly, getting a new, straight trowel fixed it right away. It's crazy how a worn out tool can mess with your work without you knowing.

mark_chen629h ago

Honestly, a bent trowel would drive me nuts way before it got that bad.

wade_kelly773h ago

Totally get what you mean. I had a similar thing happen with a cheap putty knife that was warped just enough to leave ridges. Like @emmamason said, it's wild how a tiny flaw you can't even see can ruin a smooth finish. I spent more time sanding than I did spreading.