Shoutout to the guy who told me to stop using a 4-inch knife for everything

For years I thought a 4-inch knife was fine for all my taping (you know, corners, flats, the whole deal). Then this older guy on a job in Tacoma last month saw me and straight up said, 'You're fighting your tools, kid.' He showed me his kit with a 6-inch for flats and a 5-inch for angles. I switched over for a 3-week project and my finish time dropped by a full day. The wider blade just holds more mud and lays it flatter on big sections. Anyone else make a simple tool switch that felt like cheating?

3 comments

3 Comments

skylerrobinson18d ago

Man, I was using a putty knife for drywall once. Looked like a toddler did the spackling.

the_alice21d ago

Wait, you were taping with a 4-inch knife this whole time?

laura_allen21d ago

Feel your pain, that sounds like a nightmare. I've been there with a butter knife and it's just not the same. Hope you got the job done anyway.