Old timer told me to stop using my trowel like a paintbrush and it cut my taping time by 30 percent

Guy must be 70 years old been doing this since the 80s. He watched me for like 2 minutes then said "you're fighting the mud instead of letting it lay down." Told me to use the full face of the trowel not just the edge. Felt dumb at first but tried it on the next room. Way less passes to get it flat. Has anyone else had some random old head critique change how they work?

2 comments

2 Comments

blakem1316d ago

Had a similar thing happen with drywall screws believe it or not. Old guy saw me using my impact driver on full speed and told me to feather the trigger so the screw just barely dimples the paper. I was blowing through the face paper on like every third screw before that. Changed my whole approach to hanging board and my finish coats got way cleaner since the screws actually hold tight instead of spinning loose. Sometimes it's the little tweaks that make the biggest difference you know.

margaret30416d ago

That old guy saved you a ton of frustration... I had the exact same issue when I started hanging board a few years back. My first few rooms were a mess because I was just zipping screws in full speed and tearing the paper all over the place. I remember my dad showing me the same trick with the trigger feathering, and it felt like magic how much cleaner everything sat after that. It's funny how such a small change makes the whole job go smoother... your finish coats must look way better now. I still catch myself going too fast sometimes and have to slow down and think about it.