Interesting tip about the dish soap—I've heard it before but always wondered, does it affect drying time or adhesion at all? I've been using a bit of water to thin my mud for smoother application, but air bubbles still pop up occasionally. Maybe the soap helps break surface tension or something? Curious if anyone's noticed any long-term differences in durability or paint adhesion after using this trick...
"Maybe the soap helps break surface tension or something?"
That's exactly it...the dish soap just helps break up those pesky little air bubbles. I've done this trick a few times in my old house and haven't noticed any issues with drying or paint adhesion later on. Just don't go overboard, a tiny drop goes a long way.
"Just don't go overboard, a tiny drop goes a long way."
I've heard this soap trick before, but honestly, doesn't adding dish soap risk weakening the joint compound's integrity? I mean, drywall mud is formulated pretty specifically—wouldn't introducing something like soap potentially mess with its drying properties or adhesion long-term? Not saying it doesn't work short-term, just curious if anyone's noticed issues popping up years later...
I've wondered the same thing myself. I tried the soap trick a few years back when patching up some cracks in my old plaster walls (talk about finicky surfaces...). Honestly, it did make smoothing easier, but I chickened out after one batch because I worried about long-term adhesion too. Haven't noticed any issues yet, but I'm still skeptical enough that I'd probably stick to plain mud for anything structural or major. Better safe than sorry, right?
I've used dish soap in mud before, mostly for small cosmetic repairs. Honestly, never had adhesion issues long-term either, but for bigger joints or structural stuff, I stick with plain mud. A damp sponge sanding after it sets a bit can really help smooth things out without the dust cloud...
