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Stuck between a curved taping knife and a straight one for a 90 foot hallway
I had to pick between a 12-inch curved knife for the butt joints or my trusty 10-inch straight one on a long condo hallway job in Tampa. Went with the curved blade and ended up with wavy mud lines that took an extra 30 minutes to sand flat. Has anyone else regretted a tool swap mid-job like that?
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andrew9161mo ago
Man that's rough... "wavy mud lines" really hits home. I've been there before with a similar switch and it's the worst feeling when you know your old tool would have done the job clean. Those extra 30 minutes of sanding add up fast, especially in a hallway that long where every little imperfection shows up in the light. Curved knives have their place but I always end up going back to the straight one for anything over 20 feet... just feels more reliable.
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seanh911mo ago
@andrew916 nailed it but I gotta say a 12 inch curved knife is usually for covering wide areas fast, not for precision work like long hallways. Next time try the straight 10 and save yourself the sanding headache.
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My first big hallway job I used a 14 inch curved knife and ended up spending almost an hour fixing the same wavy lines you are talking about. I switched to a 10 inch straight blade for the next project and it cut my finishing time in half easily. The curved one just doesn't give you that same control when you are working a long continuous surface where every light catches the edges. I keep the curved knife for small rooms and ceilings now, but for anything over 15 feet I always grab the straight one. It is more forgiving and you do not need to go back with a sanding block as much.
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