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?

3 comments

3 Comments

colej7416d agoMost Upvoted

Thought my 4 inch was fine until a big backsplash changed my mind.

gibson.oliver1d ago

Yeah, a big backsplash will do that (kinda like how I thought my old sedan was fine until I tried to move a couch).

danielwhite16d ago

But what about the extra weight and cleanup? That 12 inch knife is a pain to maneuver in tight spots and just holds more mud. Seems like a trade-off that's not worth it most of the time.