Watching a new guy try to butter a brick with a wet mix was painful

Saw a younger guy on a job site yesterday struggling to get his bricks to stick and realized his mud was way too wet because he kept adding water. I told him to let it sit for 10 minutes and re-mix, and the difference was night and day on his next course. Has anyone else found that new guys always make their mix too sloppy right off the bat?

2 comments

2 Comments

anthony_wells1mo ago

Read somewhere that the issue is they're trying to make the mud too workable right away. They don't realize a little patience and letting it slake does all the work for you.

mark_nguyen951mo ago

Is it just me or does that "workable right away" mindset come from people watching too many YouTube shortcuts? I swear, I've seen guys grab a bucket of hot mud and start slapping it on the wall without even giving it a proper mix. Like @anthony_wells said, letting it slake is where the magic happens. My old boss used to make me set aside my mud for a full 15 minutes and come back to it, and it was always way smoother with zero lumps. Sure, it feels like you're wasting time at first, but rushing through that step just gives you a headache later when you're sanding. Patience is definitely underrated in this trade.