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My uncle told me to always pre-fill screw holes before taping, and I finally tried it
My uncle, who hung board for 30 years, always said to take a little mud and fill the screw dimples before you lay your first tape coat. I thought it was a waste of time for years, just another old-timer thing. Then I got a job doing a big ceiling in a new house in Tempe, and the lighting was brutal. After my first coat, every single screw was still shadowing through. I remembered his advice, went back, pre-filled every hole with a small knife, let it dry, and then taped. The difference was night and day. It took an extra hour that day, but saved me a full sanding pass later. Has anyone else found a small step like this that actually saves a ton of headache down the line?
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kim1881mo ago
Ngl, your uncle was totally right. I learned the hard way on a south-facing wall with that afternoon sun. The light just shows every tiny bump. Pre-filling with a fast set mud is the only way to go, it barely shrinks. That extra few minutes with a small knife stops those shadows from coming back to haunt you after the first coat. It feels like a pain at the time but it saves so much sanding and fixing later.
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the_cole2mo ago
My old boss in Phoenix made us pre-fill with hot mud, not regular joint compound. That 20 minute setting stuff dries fast and shrinks less, so you don't get that ghost ring later. It's a game changer for high ceilings where you're fighting shadows all day.
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lee.stella2mo ago
My buddy tried that hot mud trick @the_cole mentioned and it totally saved his living room ceiling from looking weird.
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