That older contractor who called my mud a 'mess of worms'

I was mudding a ceiling in an old house near downtown, and this retired drywaller walked in off the street to check the progress. He stood there for a solid minute, then said 'Son, your mud looks like a mess of worms, not a smooth coat.' I wanted to be mad, but honestly he was right. I had been rushing and my taping joints were all lumpy. He showed me a trick with a 12 inch knife and a damp sponge that fixed it, and I still use that method today. Anyone else ever get schooled by a random stranger on a job?

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the_robert4mo ago

Hol' up, a retired drywaller just walked in off the street to your job site? That's wild. I've had people wander into my garage before, but never slap me with a free lesson that actually stuck. A damp sponge with a 12 inch knife though? That's genius, I gotta try that. I bet that old timer had a hundred more tricks he never told you.

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the_julia4mo ago

@the_robert that sponge trick probably saved my client a whole repaint too.

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