Switched from a 6-inch knife to a 12-inch for taping compound yesterday

I always used a small knife for mudding corners, thinking I needed the control, but a guy at the supply house in Denver told me to try a bigger one. The 12-inch laid down a perfect bead on my third try, no bubbles or ridges. Has anyone else made a similar switch that felt wrong at first but worked way better?

2 comments

2 Comments

black.mark2d ago

Went from a 6-inch to a 10-inch a few years back and felt like I was fighting the mud at first. Kept getting these weird waves on the edges but after a couple of practice runs on a scrap board it just clicked. Now I use the bigger one for flat work and it cuts my taping time by almost half.

coran632d ago

Oh man, the "fighting the mud" thing is exactly what I went through. I remember dragging my 10-inch through a wet patch and leaving these jagged ripples that looked like a mountain range. Took me a whole weekend of screwing up on a scrap sheet before I figured out the right angle and pressure. Now I actually reach for it without even thinking for big flat ceilings, same as you, cuts my work down way faster than the small one ever did.