Hit 50 drywall patches last month and had to rethink my whole approach

I do a lot of small patch jobs in my old house here in Pittsburgh, and after maybe 30 or so you start to notice patterns. I hit number 50 last week on a ceiling crack and realized I had been overcomplicating things for years. I used to do the paper tape and compound in 4 coats, waiting forever between each. Now I just use fiberglass mesh tape and hot mud for the first two passes, then a light sand and one finish coat. The total time went from like 3 hours per patch down to about 90 minutes. The real surprise was how much better the final texture blends when you don't have thick buildup. Anyone else switch methods after a certain number of patches and see a big difference?

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the_julia1mo ago

The real trick is knowing when to stop sanding.