Spent 3 hours on a single butt joint that kept cracking

I was finishing a living room ceiling in Phoenix last week and this one butt joint just would not hold. Took me three tries with different mud consistencies before I realized the compound was too thin from the heat. Anybody else have trouble with mud drying too fast in dry climates?

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3 Comments

the_anthony4mo ago

Hot mud with a splash of cold water slowed it down enough for me.

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anna4914mo ago

Does the cold water just delay the kickoff or does it change the texture too?

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kai_webb914mo ago

Man, @the_anthony nailed it with the hot mud trick. Did you try mixing it like a thin pancake batter or did you keep it closer to peanut butter? I've found that even a small change in water temp can make or break a joint in that dry Phoenix heat.

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