That time at Lowe's off I-40 that changed how I patch drywall

I was over at the Lowe's near the airport about two years ago, picking up joint compound for a small hole in my hallway. An older guy, maybe in his 70s, came up to me and said I was grabbing the wrong stuff. He pointed me to a different brand and told me to skip the mesh tape for anything bigger than a quarter. I stood there for ten minutes while he explained how to do it with regular paper tape and a 6 inch knife. Turned out he used to do drywall work around Amarillo back in the 80s. I tried his method that weekend, and it came out way smoother than anything I had done before. That chance meeting honestly changed how I approach any wall repair now. Anyone else had a random stranger at a hardware store give them advice that stuck?

3 comments

3 Comments

michael_green441mo agoMost Upvoted

Man I still end up using way too much compound every time.

jamie_adams1mo ago

That little tub method Fiona mentioned really helped me cut down. Michael_green44 I used to squeeze out a line like toothpaste thinking I needed that much. Turns out a pea sized dab on a pad is all it takes for a door panel. I started marking the back of my tub with a sharpie dot as a reminder. Now I get maybe six months out of a tub instead of two years like Fiona said.

fiona_kim1mo ago

Isn't that the worst part? I always end up globbing too much on and then I'm wiping half of it off because it feels like I'm trying to polish a bowling ball. My last tub of compound lasted me two years because of all the wasted product. I started using a tiny dollop on a microfiber cloth and working it in small sections, but even then I'll mess up and squeeze out too much. At least we're not alone in this mess.