c/drywall-installers

Serious question, has anyone else tried using a 14-inch taping knife for the final coat?

I tried it on a ceiling patch in a Denver remodel last month thinking it would give a smoother finish, but it actually left more ridges than my 12-inch. I learned the extra length can flex more if you're not absolutely perfect with your pressure. What's your go-to knife size for that last skim coat?

PSA: I just read that the average drywall pro goes through about 2,500 pounds of joint compound a year

I was looking at some old invoices for a big apartment job we did last fall in Spokane, and it got me curious about our overall material use. I did some digging online and found a trade article that broke down average annual compound consumption. The number they threw out was 2,500 pounds per installer. At first I called BS, but then I did the math on my own truck. Between bedding tape, topping coats, and skim coats, I'm easily blowing through a 5-gallon pail every week or two. That's about 50 pounds a pail, so over 50 weeks, yeah, that tracks. It's a crazy amount of mud when you actually stop to think about it. Makes you realize how much of our work literally just vanishes into the wall. Anyone else ever run the numbers on their mud use and been surprised?

That time a ceiling seam popped in a brand new Phoenix build

We finished a whole house, the AC kicked on, and a 14-foot seam on the cathedral ceiling just opened up like a zipper. The builder had cranked the temp down to 60 before the mud was fully cured. I had to cut it out, re-tape, and re-mud the entire run in 110-degree heat. Anyone else had a client sabotage a fresh install like that?

That weird angled ceiling corner that ate my afternoon

Honestly, I had this vaulted ceiling job with a corner that wasn't a clean 90. Tried to muscle a normal piece in and the mud work to fill the gap looked terrible. Ended up having to make a precise paper template, cut the drywall to that shape, and then install it. What should've been a 30 minute cut and hang turned into a solid 3 hours. Anyone got a better method for those funky non-standard angles?

Bought a collapsible scaffold for a tight stairwell job and it was a game changer

I had this job in an old house in Portland, the stairwell ceiling was maybe 8 feet wide but 15 feet high. My normal baker scaffold wouldn't fit through the door. I bit the bullet and dropped about $800 on a 6-foot tall, narrow, rolling scaffold that folds flat. It felt like a lot at the time, but man, getting that thing set up in five minutes and having a solid platform to tape that ceiling saved me probably two full days of messing with ladders and planks. My back wasn't killing me from looking up all day, and I could move it with one hand to hit different spots. It's paid for itself on that one job alone. Anyone have a go-to piece of gear for weird, cramped spaces like that?

Why does nobody talk about mixing mud with a paddle bit in reverse?

I was getting lumps for months until a guy on a job in Tacoma saw me and said, 'You're spinning it the wrong way, you'll trap air.' What's the dumbest basic thing you had to be shown?

Can we talk about using a paint roller to apply mud for knockdown ceilings

I was struggling with the texture on a big living room job in Phoenix, so I tried a 3/4-inch nap roller to lay down the mud and it gave me way more control than a hawk and trowel for that specific finish.

I used to think taping in a cold garage was fine until a job in Duluth last February proved me wrong.

Just finished my 500th ceiling this morning.

Never thought I'd get there. It mattered because my first one took me two days and looked like a potato. Anyone else keep a count?

Saw a drywall patch in a Portland cafe that looked like a cartoon explosion

I was grabbing coffee at that place on 3rd and Burnside, and right above the pastry case was this patch job. It wasn't just a bad tape job, it was a full-on 3D mushroom cloud of joint compound, maybe 18 inches wide. They'd painted over it, but you could see every lump and ridge clear as day. Has anyone else seen a repair so bad it became a landmark?

My uncle swore by using a 12-inch knife for taping, but after a whole house job in Akron I'm switching to a 6-inch.

He said the bigger knife meant fewer passes, but on the ceilings and corners it just left way more ridges I had to sand out for hours, so has anyone found a better middle-ground knife size?

Finally got my mud consistency perfect on a big ceiling job

Three years ago, I was working on a big custom home in Asheville and I just could not get the hang of mixing mud for overhead work. It was either too thin and dripped everywhere or so thick my arms would give out halfway through. Last week, I had another big ceiling in a two story foyer, and something just clicked. I started with a full bucket of hot mud, added water slowly while mixing, and kept checking it on my knife. When it held a peak but still spread smooth, I knew it was right. The whole thing went up without a single drip or sag, and my shoulders weren't screaming at the end of the day. It's a small thing, but after all that time, it feels like a real win. What's your go-to trick for mixing mud for ceilings?

Showerthought: I always thought a 6-inch taping knife was just for small patches, but after finishing a whole ceiling with one last Tuesday, my shoulders thanked me.

The lighter tool meant less fatigue, so I could keep a steady hand and ended up with a smoother finish than my usual 12-inch blade gives me on overhead work.

TIL on a job in Boise that sometimes you really do need a 12 inch knife

I was finishing a big vaulted ceiling on a custom home, trying to get by with my usual 6 inch and 10 inch knives. The foreman, a guy named Carl, kept telling me to grab the 12 inch from the truck. I argued it was overkill and harder to control. After my third pass trying to hide a seam, he just handed me his and said 'feel it'. The extra length gave a flatter, smoother plane across that long span. I still think a 10 inch is the sweet spot for most walls, but for those long ceiling runs, I get it now. Anyone else have a specific task where you finally gave in and used the bigger tool?

Appreciation post: The guy in Boise who showed me his corner bead trick

I always clipped my metal bead with tin snips and thought that was fine. Then I saw a guy on a job in Idaho just score it with a knife and snap it clean. Took him maybe two seconds per cut. I tried it with a basic utility knife and it's way faster with no sharp edges. Anyone have a better way to handle outside corners on old, wavy walls?

Honestly, patching a weird arched doorway in a 1920s house took me a whole afternoon when I thought it'd be an hour.

The curve was so tight my normal tape kept bubbling, and I had to cut a bunch of small strips from a roll of mesh instead. Anyone have a better method for weird angles like that?

I always thought a 4-inch knife was fine for cutting drywall until I saw a guy in Kansas City use a 6-inch one last month.

A homeowner in Bellingham told me something that changed how I tape seams

I was finishing a basement for this older guy, maybe six months ago, and he watched me mix my mud. He said, 'My dad used to say you should mix it like pancake batter, not like soup.' I mean, I always just added water until it felt right. But I tried his way, a bit thicker, and it held on the knife so much better. No more sag on those long ceiling seams. Anyone else have a simple trick like that for mud consistency?

Can we talk about how everyone seems to forget to back-block long seams now?

I've been hanging board for over twenty years, and I swear this basic step gets skipped more and more. I see guys just slapping up a 12-foot sheet on a ceiling and taping it flat. Without that back-block, you're almost guaranteed a crack in six months, especially in a house with any movement. I learned this the hard way on a job in Cincinnati where we had to fix a whole hallway ceiling after a year. The contractor didn't want to pay for the extra time, but it cost him more later. What's the fastest back-blocking method you all use on a big commercial job?

Hit 500 sheets of 5/8 firecode hung in a single building

Just finished a job at the new medical center downtown and the count came in at 502 sheets... all on ceilings. Never thought I'd see that number on one project. It mattered because we had to plan every lift and cut around the HVAC runs, which added a full day to the schedule. Anyone else run into a crazy sheet count that forced you to change your usual setup?

Can we talk about those new flexible corner bead trimmers?

Bought one on a whim after seeing a demo at the supply house in Tacoma, and it actually saved my bacon on a curved archway last month. Anyone found a brand that holds an edge better than the ProForm model?

Watch out for that 'fast set' joint compound from the big box store

I grabbed a bucket of that 45 minute stuff for a quick patch job last month, thinking it would save me time. The mix was way off, it started going off in like 20 minutes and left a gritty finish I had to sand for an extra hour. Wasted a whole $28 bucket and half a day fixing my mess. Now I'm back to my usual brand, even if it takes a bit longer to dry. Anyone got a fast set mud they actually trust?

Question about mudding a whole house solo

I just finished taping and mudding a 2,800 square foot new build in Phoenix by myself in 12 days. I never thought I could hit that pace without a crew, but using a pump system and pre-mixed mud saved me hours each day. Has anyone else managed a solo job that size in under two weeks?

That moment you see a ceiling you hung 5 years ago in a Phoenix condo

The sag was so bad I had to ask the homeowner what happened, and they said 'nothing, it's always been like that.' Anyone else have a wake-up call about their screw spacing on overhead work?

Vent: A homeowner in Charlotte told me my taping looked 'wavy' and he was right.

I was finishing a garage conversion last week, and the client pointed out a long wall where my tape lines didn't look straight. I stepped back and saw it, a slight wave in the light. I'd been using a 6-inch knife for the second coat on butt joints for years. He suggested trying a 10-inch for a flatter feather. I switched tools on the next section and the difference was night and day. Anyone have a different method for keeping those long seams dead flat?