Shoutout to the old timer on a job site in Portland who taught me about pre-filling joints

I was working a new build out in Beaverton a few years back, getting ready to tape and mud this big living room with vaulted ceilings. This older guy, must have been in his 60s, saunters over and watches me for a minute then tells me I'm wasting time filling those joints after the tape. He said to pre-fill the gaps with hot mud first, let it set for 15 minutes, then tape over it. I thought he was nuts but tried it on one wall and man the finish was way flatter with less bubbles. Now I do it every time on deep gaps or butt joints. It adds a little time upfront but saves me from sanding down ridges later. Has anyone else picked up a trick from a random guy on site that just stuck?

2 comments

2 Comments

max47216d agoMost Upvoted

Yeah I read somewhere that pre-filling is basically just letting the mud shrink before the tape goes on, makes sense why it stays flatter. Tried it on my last job and it saved me a ton of sanding.

caseyfox16d ago

Pre-fill the gaps with hot mud first" is the kind of tip that sounds dumb til you try it and then it's the only way. I started hitting all my deep gaps like that and my finish is way cleaner with way less touch up.