Unpopular opinion: The new quick-set mud is a trap for anyone doing a full ceiling.

I've seen three jobs in the last month where guys used it on a 12x12 foot area and it cracked at every seam within a week. What's your go-to for a big, flat surface that actually stays put?

3 comments

3 Comments

logan_wells16d ago

Totally agree, that stuff is a shortcut that always backfires. For a big ceiling, you gotta go back to the basics. Mixing your own mud from a bag gives you way more control over the dry time. That quick set stuff just dries too fast and shrinks, pulling itself apart at the seams. A good all-purpose compound, mixed a little thin, lets you get it flat without those stress cracks.

karenb9716d agoTop Commenter

But is it really that big of a deal? I've used the quick stuff on ceilings before and it turned out fine... you just have to work fast. It feels like people make drywall mud way more serious than it needs to be. As long as you get a smooth coat, does it matter how you got there? Sometimes the shortcut is just faster, not worse.

charles2116d ago

Listen to Logan. Karenb97 is playing with fire on a ceiling that big. Quick set mud shrinks like crazy as it dries, it's basic physics. You need a mud that stays wet long enough to bond properly across a whole sheet. For a 12x12, just mix a bag of all-purpose. It's not about speed, it's about not having to redo the whole thing next month.