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A foreman taught me something about finishing tape that I still use 12 years later
I was working a commercial job in Charlotte back in 2012, and this older foreman named Roy watched me struggle with tape bubbles for about 10 minutes. He walked over and said "you're pressing too hard, let the mud do the work." He took my knife and showed me a gentler angle that smoothed everything flat in one pass. Has anyone else picked up a simple trick from someone early on that you still rely on today?
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bettymurphy1mo ago
Read somewhere that the best drywall finishers barely let the knife touch the surface, they just guide the mud along. Changed how I approach corners completely.
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james_martin931mo ago
Betty might be on to something. Tried this on a corner last week and ended up with less mud on my shirt than usual, which is a minor victory. Still managed to get a glob in my hair though, so the universe stays balanced. Guiding the mud sounds fancy until you realize you're just smearing stuff with a knife slower than before.
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