Pro tip: a guy in Denver told me to stop rushing the second coat on high ceilings

I was finishing a big living room job last month, and the homeowner's friend, who used to hang board, watched me work. He said, 'Kid, you're putting that second coat on while the first is still shiny. Let it get good and dull first, or you'll just drag it.' I waited a full 45 minutes longer than I usually do before going back over it. The mud laid down so much smoother and I had way less sanding later. Anyone else have a simple timing trick that made a big difference?

3 comments

3 Comments

owens.nancy2mo ago

Oh man, that's the golden rule right there. It's not just about waiting for it to dry, it's about waiting for it to cure all the way through. If the first coat is still soft underneath, your knife pressure will just mess it up and create ridges. I learned to go by touch, not just the clock. Wait until it feels dry and hard, not just looks dull. That extra patience saves you hours of sanding later.

elizabeth_bailey262mo ago

But how much does it really mess it up? I've slapped a second coat on when it was just dry to the touch plenty of times. Never had a huge problem, maybe a few lines to sand out. Seems like overkill to wait for a full cure every single time.

dakota_murphy901mo ago

elizabeth_bailey26 said it not being a huge problem, but for me it always turns into a whole thing. I've done the dry to the touch thing too, and it seems fine until you hit it with the next coat and all those little ridges show up. Then you're stuck sanding way more than if you just waited an extra day like @owens.nancy said. The touch test is a game changer, feeling for that hardness rather than just looking at it. That little bit of patience upfront saves me from having to redo whole sections later.