PSA: Tried a 4-inch knife for a small patch and it was a mess

I had to fix a hole about the size of a dinner plate in a bedroom and grabbed my 4-inch knife thinking it would be fine. The mud just kept pulling off and leaving ridges, took me twice as long to get it smooth. Anyone got a better tool for small repairs like that?

4 comments

4 Comments

danielnelson2mo ago

Honestly a dinner plate sized hole is not that small. That's a 6-inch knife job at least, maybe even an 8.

torres.thea2mo ago

But have you ever actually tried to cut a hole that big with a knife? It's way harder than it sounds, the blade just doesn't work like that.

tara6422mo ago

Yeah the "dinner plate sized hole" thing got me thinking. I read an article a while back about how people are really bad at guessing sizes without a reference. Like, a standard dinner plate is usually 10-11 inches across. A 6 inch knife would leave big gaps, you'd need a bigger blade to cover that in one go. It's way bigger than it sounds when you just say it.

betty_wells1mo ago

Betty @danielnelson, you're making me feel like I need a bigger knife and a better sense of measurement when I'm just trying to slice a bagel... Guess I'll stick to cereal for breakfast forever.