The biggest mistake I see is people not letting joint compound dry all the way.

Betty Perry · 2026-03-24T10:10:07.072021+00:00

I watched my cousin try to sand a patch after just four hours last weekend, and it turned into a gummy mess that tore up his paper. He had to scrape it all out and start over, which wasted a full day. That stuff needs a full 24 hours in normal house air to cure hard, especially with a thick fill. Anyone else run into this and have a good way to speed it up without a heater?

mary_kelly7mo ago

Seen my buddy's fan trick work?

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umac715mo ago

Read somewhere that low humidity is actually the bigger enemy than heat. Like you can throw a heater at it but if the air is damp that moisture has nowhere to go and it just sits. So cracking a window or running a dehumidifier alongside a fan speeds it up way more than just blasting heat alone. That's what I'd try if I was stuck waiting.

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harris.eric6mo ago

Yeah, that fan trick is solid. I just point a box fan right at the patch and crack a window in the room... cuts the dry time down by half sometimes.

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