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Appreciation post: a plumber in Boise told me my mud consistency was wrong for the first coat
He said 'that's too soupy, you're just adding work for yourself' and after trying his thicker mix, I saved an hour on a 12x8 ceiling. Anyone else get a game-changing tip from another trade?
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laura_knight545mo ago
That reminds me of a painter who watched me struggling to cut in a ceiling. He told me to load less paint on the brush and use slower, shorter strokes. It seemed wrong because I wanted to go faster, but my lines got way cleaner. Sometimes the simplest advice from someone who does it all day just clicks.
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jamie644mo ago
The guy who told me that probably charged triple what I paid for the paint job and earned every penny. Meanwhile I'm over here with a brush load that could paint a small car.
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the_linda5mo ago
Ever try to cut in with one of those cheap flimsy brushes? I was using a two inch brush that had no stiffness, kept getting paint everywhere. Switched to a smaller angled brush with firm bristles, total game changer. It holds its shape so you can actually control where the paint goes. Slowing down was key, but having the right tool made slowing down even possible. That painter knew his stuff.
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elliotw374mo ago
Oh man, @laura_knight54 your comment about loading less paint is spot on... I had the exact same problem with a flimsy two inch brush that just flopped everywhere. Finally broke down and got a decent Purdy angled brush with stiff bristles, and it was like night and day. I used to load it up like jamie64 said, enough to paint a small car, and the paint would just slide off at the wrong spots. The slower strokes with less paint felt weird at first but once I got the hang of it I could actually trace a straight line along the trim without that mess. That old painter definitely knew what he was talking about, it's all about having a tool that does what you expect it to do.
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