Old timer's rule about hot mud finally made sense to me

Been hanging and finishing for 8 years near Tacoma. A retired guy I subbed under in 2019 told me to never use 45 minute mud on a hot day unless I add ice water to the bucket. I thought he was just being dramatic. Last July I mixed a batch at 10 AM, it set up before I got the second coat on. Lost a whole 5 gallon bucket and had to redo a corner. Tried his trick after that, cold water buys you maybe 4 extra minutes. Anyone else run into this or is it just my climate?

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riley_coleman826d ago

That old timer wasn't messing around. I read somewhere that the heat speeds up the chemical reaction in the mud way more than people think, especially when the bucket itself has been sitting in the sun. Even the temp of your trowel and the surface you're working on matters. I've seen guys mix up a small batch just to test the set time before committing to a full bucket when it's pushing 90. Cold water helps a little, but honestly the bigger trick is to keep the mud bucket in the shade and mix smaller batches. A 45 minute bag on a hot July day can turn into a 20 minute bag real quick, and that's when you start losing material and your cool.