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?

3 comments

3 Comments

michael_green445d 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.blake5d 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_nguyen5d 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.