Overheard a contractor say something about drywall mud that changed my approach

I was grabbing coffee last Tuesday and heard this older contractor tell his buddy that 'less water in the mix means less sanding later.' It hit me that I've been thinning my joint compound way too much for years, trying to make it spread easier. Last weekend I tried his method on a patch job in my hallway, using maybe 10% less water than usual. The first coat was thicker and took a bit more effort to spread, but after two coats I barely had to sand anything. Does anyone else have a simple trick like this that cut their finishing time in half?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_val8d ago

Heard something similar from a drywaller once, water's the enemy of a smooth finish.

verab288d ago

Guess water really knows how to ruin a good finish.