Tried pre-filling my mud versus mixing as I go on a big job last week

Been hanging and finishing for 12 years and always mixed mud on the fly, but for a 2,500 square foot house in Portland I pre-filled all my joints first. Took maybe one extra hour upfront but saved me a ton of back and forth. Has anyone else found that makes taping go smoother?

2 comments

2 Comments

thomas.parker3d ago

Pre-filling isn't really the move for taping though. You tape first, then fill. What you did was just normal coating but all at once. Bit different than pre-fill.

miles723d ago

Pre-filled a 2,200 square foot house outside Seattle last spring and it changed my whole process for big jobs. The trick is letting that pre-fill set for about 20 minutes before you start taping, just enough so it's tacky but not hard. Then you're not fighting the tape floating around or having to chase edges that lift up, which is the worst part of taping for me. The extra hour upfront saves you way more time on the back end since you don't have to backtrack as much with the second coat either. I'd say for anything over 1,500 square feet it's worth it, especially if you're working alone.