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That old pro who taught me to wet my knife on every pass
I was struggling with mud drying too fast on a big ceiling job in Austin last spring when this guy in his 60s walks over and tells me to keep a damp rag handy and wipe my blade between every single pass. Has anyone else picked up a weird little habit from a random drywaller on site that actually made a huge difference?
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wyatt51320d ago
That rag trick is legit. Had a guy show me the same thing on a high ceiling job and it saved me from having to scrape off half-dried mud constantly.
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hall.quinn19d ago
Read an article saying the moisture in the rag actually helps the mud cure slower too so you get a stronger bond. Makes sense to me, the dry air in most houses just sucks the moisture right out. Ive tried it on a few patch jobs and it definitely keeps the edges from flashing as bad when you sand later. The trick is to not let the rag get too dirty or itll just smudge everything instead of smoothing it out. Might be overthinking it but I keep a spray bottle handy to rewet the rag when it starts to drag.
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felixb2514d ago
Yo have you tried keeping a spray bottle in your back pocket instead? I started doing that after watching a guy in Phoenix where the mud would crust over in like 30 seconds. Keeps the rag wet way longer and you don't have to walk back to the bucket every five minutes. The key is just a light mist though, don't soak the thing or you'll be fighting drips.
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