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The day I stopped buying premixed compound after 15 years
I always thought the guys who mix their own mud from powder were just trying to look tough or save a buck. Been using premixed buckets since I started hanging in Phoenix back in 2009, never had a complaint. But last month a buddy brought over a batch he mixed himself for a ceiling patch job at my house. I gotta admit, the stuff felt smoother going on and dried way harder than what I get from the store. He said it costs him about $8 for a 5 gallon batch versus $15 for premixed, which adds up when you do big commercial jobs. So I tried it myself on a small garage remodel last week, mixed up 2 gallons with a paddle bit in a Home Depot bucket. It was a little lumpy at first but after 5 minutes it was like butter. I'm still a skeptic about doing it for big jobs where time is money, but for small patches it might be worth it. Has anyone else switched and noticed a real difference in durability?
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gavin8016d ago
...and then my neighbor tried mixing his own for a whole house and ended up with a batch that set up in 20 minutes because he didn't check the temp of the water. He was out there with a spray bottle trying to re-wet it and it turned into a crumbly mess. I saw him scraping it off with a 6 inch knife and cussing up a storm. So yeah, there's a learning curve if you don't pay attention to the weather.
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