That foreman's advice about pre-filling gaps bit me in the ass

Honestly, a foreman on a job in Denver told me to skip pre-filling the gaps between boards and just let the tape and mud handle it. He said it saves time and the tape will bridge it fine. Ngl, I listened because he had 20 years on me and I wanted to look easygoing. Big mistake. On a 2,400 square foot house, every seam where the boards were even slightly tight or cracked showed up as a shadow line after the first coat. I spent a whole Saturday sanding and re-mudding spots I could've fixed in 10 minutes each if I'd just hit them with a quick fill first. Tbh, I know he works fast on commercial stuff where they don't care about finish as much, but this was a custom home. Has anyone else had a boss or lead give you short-cut advice that totally backfired on a residential job? I'm curious if it's just me or if this is a common thing out there.

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ryand2611d ago

Funny you mention that, cause I used to be all about skipping the pre-fill too. Figured the mud would just mash in there and look fine, especially on tight seams. But then I did a house where the drywall guy had run the sheets a little crooked, and every single joint had that same shadow look after the first pass. Took me way longer to fix than if I'd just spent the extra hour upfront. Now I always hit the questionable spots with a quick fill before taping, even if the boss says it’s a waste. That foreman probably does solid work on warehouses, but custom homes are a whole different animal and they don't forgive that kind of shortcut.