Taper vs. flat box on butt joints which one actually saves time?

I've been going back and forth on this for a while now. Ran a job in Tucson last month where I used a 12-inch taper box for all the butt joints, and the next house I used a flat box with a shim setup. The taper box definitely gave me a smoother finish with less sanding, but the flat box was way faster on the first coat maybe 30 minutes quicker per room. Is the extra sanding time worth the speed upfront? What do you guys prefer for production work vs. custom homes?

3 comments

3 Comments

julia2862mo ago

Flat box all day for production, taper's overkill on butt joints.

the_vera1mo ago

Tucson job changed my mind, flat box is faster even with shims, and @julia286 called it right.

james_clark2mo ago

30 minutes per room is like one extra bathroom break. Is everyone really out here counting minutes like they're being timed by the boss?