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My uncle told me to always put a dab of mud on the screw head before driving it...

He swore it stopped the paper from tearing and gave a better finish. I tried it on a whole ceiling in a house near the lake last month... ended up with little hard lumps under every single joint. The homeowner's kid pointed them out and called them 'ceiling zits'. Had to sand the whole thing flat again. Anyone else get some weird old-school tip that just made more work?
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taraross
taraross22d agoProlific Poster
Your uncle was onto something. That mud trick works fine if you know how much to use. You probably put on way too much. A tiny dab means a tiny dab, not a glob. It seals the screw and keeps the paper down. The problem wasn't the tip, it was the application.
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karencampbell
It's the same with cooking advice from old relatives. They'll tell you to add "a pinch" of salt, which could be anything from a few grains to a tablespoon in their hands. The wisdom is usually solid, but the measurements are a personal language you have to learn the hard way.
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sean_green44
Used to think it was a waste of time, but a tiny bit really does stop the paper from popping.
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