Heard a drywall foreman say one thing that fixed my mudding

I was on a job site last week and this old foreman named Gary told me to stop overworking the mud on butt joints. He said if you touch it more than 3 times with the knife, you're just pulling it apart. Tried it on a 12 foot wall and the finish came out way smoother with less sanding. Anyone else find that less passes actually works better?

2 comments

2 Comments

kelly33827d ago

3 times is way too little for me. I need at least 5 or 6 passes to get it flat without any lines or ridges showing through. Less passes just leaves more work for the sander in my experience.

jana_lewis1628d ago

It’s wild how this rule applies to so many things in life, isn’t it? I’ve noticed the same thing with baking bread - kneading it too much makes it tough and dense, but a lighter touch gives you a fluffier loaf. It’s like when you keep trying to perfect something, you actually ruin the natural result. There’s something to be said for trusting the process and stepping back sooner. Gary sounds like he knows his stuff, and that advice probably saves you hours of sanding frustration too.