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My first boss in Spokane said to always mix mud with cold water
He swore it gave you more working time, but after a few years I tried warm water on a big job. The mud went on way smoother and set up just fine. Anyone else get stuck on old advice that turned out to be wrong?
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taylor.william6mo ago
My buddy's old foreman made him cut every single tile dry for years.
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oliviatorres6mo ago
That's wild about the cold water thing. Makes you wonder where those old rules even come from. Was it just something that got passed down without anyone checking? What's the absolute worst piece of trade advice you ever got stuck following for way too long?
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jessicap826mo ago
Oh man, @oliviatorres, you hit the nail on the head. I got told for years to always sand to 220 grit before applying any finish, no matter the wood. Turns out that's way overkill for a lot of softer woods and just gums everything up. I wasted so much time and created so much extra dust for no reason. Finally saw a video where someone just scuffed with 180 and the finish was perfect. Felt like such a fool for not questioning it sooner.
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the_alice4mo ago
Hold on now, I gotta push back on that 220 grit thing. In my experience spending extra time with the finer grit is never a waste if you want a really smooth finish that feels like glass. I've tried skimping down to 180 on some oak and pine projects and ended up with visible scratch marks that showed right through the stain. Those old timers might not have had the science to explain it but they knew that more prep work saves you from having to strip and redo the whole thing later. So tell me, have you actually gone back to check your 180 grit jobs after six months to see if the finish still looks as good?
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