Drywall guy's one comment saved me hours on taping

Had a contractor in for a quote on my basement in St. Albert and he watched me mud for a minute. He said I was pressing too hard on the knife, so the tape wasn't getting embedded right. I lightened up my pressure and used a wider blade for the second coat, total game changer. Finished my bedroom walls in 3 evenings instead of fighting bubbles for a week. Anyone else get a tiny tip from a pro that just clicked instantly?

1 comments

1 Comment

paige_west18d ago

Honestly, I gotta push back on this one a little. Lightening up pressure made things worse for me. If you don't press enough, the mud just sits on top of the tape and you get those same bubbles, just slower. I tried it after a guy told me the same thing, and my corners looked like alligator skin. What actually clicked for me was pulling the mud out thinner on the first pass, not changing how hard I pushed. A wider blade helps for sure, but that's more about spreading than embedding. Maybe your tape was wetter or your mud was stiffer than mine, but tbh I think the real fix is just even pressure, not less of it.