Pro tip: a painter I met at the hardware store told me to add a splash of dish soap to my joint compound

I was buying mud for a drywall patch last weekend and the guy in line behind me, who had paint all over his jeans, said he always puts a teaspoon of Dawn in a whole bucket. He said it makes the stuff spread like butter and cuts down on sanding later. I tried it on a small ceiling repair yesterday and it really did go on smoother with less drag on the knife. Has anyone else tried this or is there a better mix-in you use?

4 comments

4 Comments

max2232mo ago

My uncle did drywall for thirty years and never once opened a bottle of Dawn on the job. I get the idea of wanting it to slide easier, but at the end of the day you're just adding another variable that can mess up the cure. If your mud is dragging that bad, you probably just need to add a little more water and mix it better.

michael_green442mo ago

That "spread like butter" thing is real. I started adding a drop to my mud years ago after a drywall guy showed me. It just glides on without all that extra elbow grease.

nguyen.blake2mo ago

Ugh, I feel you on that. I mean, I tried the soap trick too after hearing all the hype, and honestly it just made my mud dry weird. It left this almost shiny film that sanding just made worse. Maybe it's the brand of soap or something, but it totally messed up my finish coat. I had to scrape it all off and start over.

blair_nguyen2mo ago

Is it really that big of a difference? I've tried it and it just made my mud a little slick, but I still had to sand just as much after.