My old boss said to never use a 6 inch knife on a ceiling. He was dead wrong.

I was doing a big ceiling in a new build in Spokane last fall, trying to finish before the rain. He insisted on a 12 inch blade only, saying a 6 inch would leave ridges. I tried his way for half a day, my shoulder was killing me. Switched to my 6 inch Goldblatt, kept the mud thin, and it came out smooth as glass. Who else finds a smaller knife gives you more control overhead?

4 comments

4 Comments

rowan_wells304mo ago

Wait, you were trying to finish a ceiling before the rain? In Spokane? That fall weather comes in fast, man. I get the time crunch, but that's a wild detail. Anyway, yeah, a 12 inch knife overhead is just asking for trouble, my arm would fall off. The 6 inch is the way to go for control, your boss was stuck in the old way.

jadej504mo ago

Right? A twelve inch knife is basically a small spatula at that point. Boss probably still thinks you need a big trowel for texture too.

aaron_mitchell4mo ago

Remember my buddy tried using a 14 inch knife on a big wall patch because his foreman swore by it. Dude looked like he was trying to ice a cake with a canoe paddle, his wrist was wrecked by lunch. He switched to an 8 inch the next day and finished the whole section in half the time. Some bosses just have these old ideas stuck in their heads and won't let go, even when it makes the job harder.

blair_nguyen1mo ago

Gotta agree with you there. A 6 inch knife gives you way better control on a ceiling, you can actually feel the mud and fix any lines before they set up. Your arm probably thanks you every time you pick that smaller knife over the bigger one too.