Old foreman told me to always butter the head joint first - wish I'd listened sooner

Back on a job in Raleigh last summer, my foreman Jim kept saying "butter the head joint first, always" and I thought he was just being old school. Took me three days of fighting with misaligned corners and messy cleanup before I realized he was right all along. Anyone else have a stubborn habit they had to break after ignoring someone's advice for way too long?

3 comments

3 Comments

keith2741d ago

Swore by doing the end joints first for years, thought any other way was backwards. Finally tried it the other way on a commercial job and yeah, I felt like an idiot for not switching sooner.

green.noah1d ago

Stick with end joints first @keith274. Thats just how Ive always done it and it works for me. Tried skipping around years ago on a small job but went right back. Maybe it depends on the material or the room shape but my way feels solid. Not sure Ill ever switch honestly.

ericcraig1d ago

Ha! Sounds like you two are in a never ending turf war over end joints. I'm just waiting for someone to chime in saying they start in the middle and work outward like a crazy person just to watch the chaos unfold. Honestly I think half of this stuff is just superstition we pass down like family recipes. I've done it both ways and the only difference I noticed was which fingers I smashed with the hammer that day. But hey if your way works and you sleep better at night then keep at it. Just don't act surprised when Keith shows up with a level and starts measuring your work like a construction detective.