Why I stopped sanding between coats on butt joints

Used to sand every butt joint twice before taping and mudding, took forever. Then I watched this old timer in Daytona do a whole room in 4 hours without sanding once between coats, just used the knife to knock down ridges. Tried it myself on a 12x14 bedroom last Tuesday and it cut my finishing time by almost 40 percent. Anyone else ditch the sanding step for certain joints?

3 comments

3 Comments

mila_murphy211mo ago

That 12x14 bedroom sounds like my first try at this too. I did a 10x10 laundry room last month with zero sanding between coats, just knocked the high spots with a 6 inch knife after the first pass dried. The trick is making sure your mud is thin enough so you don't get those big ridges in the first place. I found that using a good setting compound for the first coat helps because it shrinks less and leaves a flatter surface. Also, don't bother with this method on inside corners or butt joints with big gaps, you still need a light sand there to get a smooth finish. For standard butt joints with tight seams though, it works perfect and saves me at least 30 minutes per room.

murray.drew1mo ago

Yeah, I feel you on that mud consistency thing, it makes all the difference.

grantw321mo agoMost Upvoted

Ngl, you're way overthinking this. It's drywall mud, not brain surgery. Just slap it on, knock down the ridges, and move on with your life.