Old timer told me I was buttering my bricks all wrong... he was right

I had this guy in his 70s walk up to my job site in Detroit a few months ago. Said I was spreading mud too thick and too even. Told me to lay it on in a shallow S curve and leave the edges a little bare. Felt like he was messing with me but I tried it. My joints came out way tighter and I didn't have mud squeezing out everywhere. Anyone else get advice from a random old timer that actually worked?

2 comments

2 Comments

anthony_jackson4d ago

Used to think old timers were just stuck in their ways but that S curve trick saved me so much cleanup time. Never woulda tried it if he didn't call me out right there on the spot.

elliot_king4d ago

Wait, the old timers actually showed you the technique right there on the spot? That's how you really learn, you know? A lot of guys will just tell you about a trick but won't take the five minutes to walk you through it. That's the difference between someone who wants to help and someone who just wants to show off. The S curve thing is one of those little adjustments that makes you wonder why nobody told you sooner. Makes me think half the stuff we figure out the hard way could be skipped if people just passed along what they know.