My neighbor the contractor made me question my whole approach to drywall mudding

I was telling him about how I spend hours sanding between coats to get it perfect, and he just laughed and said "you're fighting the mud instead of letting it work for you." He showed me how a slightly wetter mix and fewer passes actually gives a smoother finish. Has anyone else had a pro totally change how you do something you thought you had figured out?

3 comments

3 Comments

carr.abby7h ago

How much time did he say you'd actually save skipping that second sand?

ramirez.vera3h ago

Whoa, wait. 15 minutes? That's wild. I gotta say I'm a bit blown away by that number. I mean I knew you'd save some time but I was thinking maybe 5 or 6 minutes tops. That's like a whole extra coffee break you get back in your day.

green.noah5h ago

Guy was right on the money. Skipping that second sand cut my usual time by almost 15 minutes on a typical 3-joint job. Tried it on a couple bathroom remodels and it was the same thing - no more waiting around for that extra mix to cure. That one change seriously streamlined my whole day. Wish I'd figured this out years ago, would've saved a ton of frustration.