Yeah, the dustless setups are great once they're dialed in, but you're right—those tight corners and awkward angles still need some old-school elbow grease. I've found that using a good quality corner trowel during mudding can really cut down on sanding headaches later. It takes a bit of practice to get the hang of it, but once you do, you'll notice fewer imperfections and less sanding overall.
Another trick I've picked up is thinning the final coat of joint compound slightly. It goes on smoother and leaves fewer ridges or bumps to sand down afterward. Of course, there's a fine line—you don't want it too runny or it'll drip everywhere.
Curious if anyone's experimented with different joint compounds? I've noticed some brands seem easier to sand than others, but haven't settled on a favorite yet...
"Another trick I've picked up is thinning the final coat of joint compound slightly."
Yeah, thinning definitely helps. I've also noticed a big difference between lightweight and all-purpose compounds—lightweight sands easier but can sometimes be tricky to feather out smoothly. Personally, I prefer a mid-weight compound for the best balance between easy sanding and smooth application. And you're right about corner trowels; took me a while to get comfortable with mine, but now it's my best friend on drywall days...
Personally, I prefer a mid-weight compound for the best balance between easy sanding and smooth application. And you're right about corner trowels; took me a while to get comfortable with mine, but...
I totally agree about thinning the final coat—makes a noticeable difference. I once tackled a client's dining room that had tons of natural light streaming in from huge windows. Every tiny imperfection stood out like crazy. Lightweight compound was tempting because it's easy to sand, but like you said, feathering smoothly was tricky. Ended up switching to mid-weight halfway through, and it was night and day. Still took patience (and a bit of muttering under my breath...), but the end result was worth it.
"Every tiny imperfection stood out like crazy."
Yeah, natural lighting can be brutal. I found that using a bright handheld work light at an angle helped me spot imperfections early—saved me from some headaches later on. Still haven't mastered corner trowels though...
Natural lighting is definitely unforgiving, but honestly, that's probably a good thing...better to catch it early than after painting, right? I've tried the angled work light trick too—works pretty well. But corner trowels, man, they're tricky. Have you experimented with flexible knives instead? I switched to those recently and found corners way less frustrating. Still not perfect, but at least I'm not pulling my hair out anymore.
