c/drywall-installers

PSA: An inspector in Tacoma told me my corner bead was 'overkill' for a residential job.

He said the heavy gauge stuff is for commercial, and the lighter stuff is fine for houses. Changed my whole material order, but some guys think it's still worth the extra cost for the durability.

Can we talk about the 3M Pro-Grade drywall sanding sheets I was sure were just a gimmick?

After my buddy in Kansas City swore by them for a whole year, I finally tried them on a tricky ceiling patch and they cut my sanding time in half without clogging up, so has anyone else found a tool or material they were totally wrong about?

Had to pick between a 6 inch and 10 inch taping knife for a big ceiling job yesterday.

I went with the 10 inch for the main coats to cover more area, but it felt heavy by the end. My shoulder is sore today, so maybe it wasn't the right call. Do you guys switch knife sizes for ceilings or just power through with the bigger one?

I used to cut all my drywall with a utility knife. Now I run a cordless saw for everything over 4 feet. Which side are you on?

Showerthought: I was cutting my drywall sheets wrong for years

I was always scoring and snapping them on the floor, but a guy I worked with in Tacoma last week just lifted the sheet onto two sawhorses. The snap was way cleaner with no edge blowout. How do you guys handle your cuts?

My 6-inch taping knife snapped clean in half on a Friday afternoon job.

It happened while I was laying on a second coat of mud over a big patch, and I had to finish the whole section with my 4-inch knife. Anyone got a brand they trust for heavy duty knives that won't give out like that?

PSA: I thought those fancy corner trowels were a gimmick until a job in Phoenix last month

For years, I just used my regular trowel and a steady hand for inside corners... thought the specialty ones were for people who couldn't cut a straight line. Then I had to do a whole house with vaulted ceilings, maybe 200 linear feet of corner bead. My buddy lent me his 4-inch corner trowel. Finished the mudding in half the time, and the lines were perfect. No ridges, no extra sanding. I bought my own the next day. Anyone else have a tool they swore was useless that actually saved your skin?

Remember when we used to carry all the sheets up by hand?

Had a job last week in a third floor walk-up, no elevator. Landlord wouldn't spring for a lift. Me and my partner had to hump 40 sheets of 5/8 up three flights. Took us half a day just to get the material on site. My back is still talking to me. Made me think about the old days before material carts were common on every truck. We'd just muscle everything. Now I see new guys with powered dollies and just shake my head. What's the worst material haul you've had to deal with lately?

Had to pick between a 4x12 sheet and two 4x8s for a tricky ceiling job

The client's attic access was too small for the big sheet, so I had to choose between cutting it down outside or carrying up two smaller ones. I went with the two 4x8s to avoid a huge seam right in the middle of the room. It added about 45 minutes to the job with the extra taping, but the finish looks way better. Anyone else run into this with old houses?

Update: The 12 foot ceiling job in Portland that made me quit using lightweight mud for the final coat

Last week I was finishing a big remodel on a house in Portland. The living room had a 12 foot ceiling. I used lightweight mud for the final coat like I always have. Three days later, the homeowner called. Said they could see every single seam in the afternoon light. I had to go back and skim the whole thing with regular all-purpose. Took me an extra day and a half. Anyone else had this happen with lightweight on big, tall walls?

Saw some wild drywall work at the new library downtown

I was dropping off a package at the new public library on 5th Street yesterday and couldn't help but stare at the lobby ceiling. They did this huge curved drywall soffit, maybe 30 feet long, and the finish was absolutely flawless, no ripples at all. I must have stood there for five minutes trying to figure out how they taped the inside corner on a curve that tight. Has anyone here ever tackled a radius that big and have a trick for it?

Wasted $400 on a 'self-leveling' mud mixer that just spun air into the bucket

Had to scrap a whole 5-gallon batch on a big ceiling job in Tempe because it was full of bubbles and set up like foam, anyone know a mixer that actually works for topping compound?

Had a beer with my retired neighbor who used to hang board in the 80s

He asked me how many screws I put in a 4x12 sheet. I said the usual, every 12 inches. He just shook his head and said, 'We did 8. Your arms would be noodles by Friday, but those walls never made a sound.' It got me thinking about all the callbacks I've had for nail pops. Maybe we're going too fast now. Anyone still using the old 8-inch spacing, or is that just crazy talk?

My crew just finished a 50-sheet day on a big apartment block, which felt impossible a year ago.

Some guys say pushing that hard is how you make real money, but I'm worried it's a fast track to burnout. What's your take on setting a daily sheet limit?

I finally saw the drywall in that new hotel downtown and it's a mess

I was in the lobby of the new Riverfront Inn last week and the ceiling joints are already cracking. You can see the tape lines through the paint, and the corner beads look like they were slapped on. It's a high-end spot, so you know they paid for it, but the finish work is rough. How does a crew let that slide on a big public job?

Vent: A homeowner in Cincinnati watched me tape a seam and said 'I could do that'

I was on a big remodel job there last fall, finishing up a long ceiling joint. This guy stood there for ten minutes, sipping coffee, then hit me with that line. He said it looked easy, just slapping on mud and paper. I didn't argue, just handed him my knife and pointed to a small patch on another wall. He made a huge mess in about thirty seconds, mud everywhere. It's not about the motion, it's about the feel and the pressure. Ever have a client think your skilled work is just simple busywork?

Had a whole section of 5/8" firecode sag on a Reno job

Was working on a remodel in the old brick building on 3rd Street, hung everything Friday. Came back Monday and a 4x8 sheet over the main hall had dropped a full inch on one side. The existing lath was just too far gone to hold the screws. Had to cut it out and sister in new strapping before the GC lost his mind. Anyone got a trick for checking old plaster keys before you hang?

Just realized I've been cutting my corner bead wrong for years

I used to measure and cut each piece to length before nailing, but after a job in Phoenix last month, I saw a guy just run the full strip and slice the excess with a knife. Has anyone else switched to that method?

My wife said my taping looked like a 'nervous spiderweb' on our living room ceiling.

She was right, I was using way too much pressure on the knife and leaving thick ridges everywhere. I switched to lighter passes with a 6-inch taping knife and the finish is way smoother now. Anyone else get a funny critique that actually helped?

Looking at a 1980s drywall price sheet from a yard in Tacoma

A single 4x8 sheet of half-inch was under three bucks back then. How do you even price a job to compete with that kind of inflation history?

Unpopular opinion: I was taping butt joints wrong for eight years.

I always put my first coat of mud on way too thick, thinking it would fill the gap faster, until I saw a guy in a Tacoma shop just skim a super thin layer and let it dry completely. Now my second coat goes on smooth and I'm not fighting ridges every time. How thin do you guys go on that first pass over paper tape?

I finally counted up all the sheets I've hung in my career

It was over 10,000. That number hit me because I remember my first day, struggling with a single 12-foot sheet in a new build. Anyone else ever stop and figure out their own crazy total?

PSA: A client in Denver said my corner beads looked 'wavy' and it was because I wasn't letting the mud set up enough before taping.

Now I wait a full 45 minutes after bedding the bead before I run my tape knife over it, and my corners are way straighter, has anyone else found a better timing trick?

Just remembered a trick from a Reno job in 2019

We had a vaulted ceiling with a tricky seam. The foreman had us mix a little extra water into a small batch of mud, just for that one seam, to slow the dry time in the heat. It let us get a way smoother finish before it set. Anyone else ever adjust mix consistency for specific spots like that?

I was mixing mud with a drill for years before a guy in Boise showed me the paddle

I was on a big Reno job, trying to get a bucket smooth with my old corded drill. This older guy from Idaho just walked over, handed me his paddle mixer and said 'you're working too hard, kid'. Took half the time and zero lumps. How many of you still use a drill and think it's fine?