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The debate over pre-filling screw holes vs. doing it all at once
I was on a job last month in a 50 year old house near Portland. The homeowner wanted a smooth finish, no texture. I always pre-fill my screw holes and let them dry before the first coat. But the guy I was working with, he just slaps mud over everything in one pass and sands the hell out of it later. He said my way wastes time, I said his way makes a mess. We got into it pretty good. I timed us once on a small bedroom wall and his method was faster by about 20 minutes. But I had less sanding to do on my side. So which is the better approach for a clean finish? Has anyone else had a job where one way bit you in the butt?
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linda_dixon4926d ago
I did a whole basement remodel last year and pre-filling saved my butt on the second coat because the mud didn't shrink and crack around the screws. With dry time factored in your way might be a wash time wise, but on a smooth finish job I've seen that one pass method leave little craters you have to hit again anyway. If the homeowner is picky like that Portland guy I'd stick with pre-filling, it keeps the sanding dust down and you don't risk digging out a screw head later.
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iris92726d ago
That "little craters" thing is exactly why I always tell people to just take the extra time upfront, because it's the same pattern everywhere in life - rushing to save 5 minutes now just costs you 15 minutes fixing it later. You ever notice how that plays out in other projects too?
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