Vent: My mud mixed wrong on a second story job last Tuesday and I almost lost a whole ceiling

So I'm up on the second floor at this house in the burbs, doing a 12x14 master bedroom. Mix my batch of all-purpose like I always do. Five minutes in, I start troweling and it's...stringy. Like rubber bands. Just would not flatten out. Figured maybe my paddle wasn't seated right. Stopped, stirred it by hand. Nope. Ended up having to scrape off everything I'd put up in that corner and start fresh with a new bag. Lost a solid 45 minutes and had to go back down to the truck to grab another box. Has anyone else had a whole bag just go bad on them? Feels like a waste.

2 comments

2 Comments

jordan46415d ago

Did you check the date on the bag before you mixed it? I read somewhere that the paper bags can soak up humidity and go bad if they sit around too long. That might be what happened here, especially if it was stored in a damp garage or something.

patricia_chen6715d ago

To be honest, I'd look a little closer at your mixing routine before you blame the bag. I've been doing this for almost 30 years and I can count on one hand the times a bag was actually bad. More often, I see guys who don't let the mud slake long enough or they add too much water too fast. You said you stirred it by hand - maybe your paddle just wasn't catching right the first time. A little patience and a good five minute mix usually fixes that stringy feel for me.