Pro tip: Drywall compound has a shelf life I never checked

Found out the hard way when a 5-gallon bucket I had for 8 months turned to soup on a big ceiling job in Phoenix last week - anyone else ever used expired mud by accident?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_jennifer1mo ago

Wait, did the bucket visually look okay before you opened it or was there any clue it had gone bad? In my experience, compound can change texture long before it fully separates. Always curious if there's a visual tell besides the obvious soupy mess.

taylor.reese1mo ago

Hey @the_jennifer, have you ever heard of a buddy trying to use old mud and getting a surprise? My buddy Mike grabbed a bucket from his garage that looked fine on the outside, but once he opened it, it was chunky and watery like bad yogurt, and he had to toss the whole thing. He learned the hard way that if it's been sitting for more than 6 months in heat it's basically a gamble.

gracec161mo ago

Oh man, that sucks! I did the exact same thing with a bucket I found in my garage from like a year ago. It looked fine on the outside, no rust or anything, but when I opened it up it smelled like a wet dog and was all watery on top with hard chunks at the bottom. I tried stirring it back together and it just turned into this lumpy mess that wouldn't spread right. Had to toss the whole thing and felt like a total idiot for even trying.