Walked into a new build last week and noticed the joints were all taped with hot mud

Went to check an HVAC vent at a new subdivision in Lenexa and saw the drywall crew was finishing up. Every single joint and corner was taped with 20 minute hot mud. Looked clean at first but then I saw the seams were already cracking in a few spots. Has anyone else seen crews skip the all purpose mud just to save time?

3 comments

3 Comments

davis.noah26d ago

Did you check if they used paper tape or mesh, because I've seen mesh fail with hot mud a few times.

jana_jones26d ago

Gotta jump in here because @davis.noah is onto something but missing a detail. Hot mud with paper tape is actually fine as long as you bed it right - the real issue is that mesh tape doesn't bond well with fast drying compounds like 20 minute hot mud. The mesh has bigger holes so the mud shrinks faster and pulls away, causing those cracks you saw. I've had way better luck using paper tape with hot mud because the paper holds tighter and the mud has something to grab onto. Also, if they were using 20 minute mud in a humid climate or on a hot day, that stuff dries before it cures proper and leaves weak spots. So yeah, it's not always the tape choice but how the mud sets up too.

jade51725d ago

Good point @davis.noah, but I'm wondering if the real problem is the folks specifying the mud in the first place. A lot of these new build crews are running on the thinnest margins possible and the GC pushes for speed over everything. 20 minute hot mud on a whole house is asking for trouble because you're fighting the clock and the material sets up before you can properly bed the tape, especially on corners. I've seen it where the mixer dries out in the bucket and the applicator just adds water to loosen it, which messes with the chemical bond completely. Cracks forming before the painters even show up sounds like a systemic issue, not just a tape vs mud debate.