TIL a guy from Calgary taught me a trick about pre-filling screw holes

Was talking to this older drywaller named Dave at a supply yard in Denver last week. He said to pre-drill and fill your screw holes with a dab of mud before you tape, stops bubbles from forming behind the tape. Tried it on a 12x12 ceiling job and it cut my sanding time by like half. Any of you guys do this or is Dave just a wizard?

3 comments

3 Comments

david_walker973d ago

...and here i am thinking i was being clever just for remembering to pre-drill at all. that trick dave gave you sounds like something i'd try, screw it up royally, and then blame the mud for being too wet or some nonsense. honestly my tape jobs look like a toddler did them half the time anyway so maybe this is the secret sauce i've been missing. i'll probably give it a shot on my next small job just to see if i can finally stop sanding for three hours straight. dave sounds like a wizard but also the kind of guy who has way too much time on his hands to think about bubble prevention.

abby_fisher3d ago

Used to think pre-filling was a waste of time. Tried it on a ceiling patch last month and @david_walker97 is right, Dave might be onto something. Less bubbles, less sanding, sold me on it.

the_faith3d ago

My buddy tried this on a drywall patch in his laundry room and learned the hard way that you gotta mix the pre-fill a little thinner than you think. He went full peanut butter consistency and ended up with these weird hard lumps that showed through the tape anyway. Now he swears by a slightly soupy mix that he lets sit for two minutes before applying. Says it seeps into the edges way better and he barely touched a sanding sponge after. Just something to think about if you give it a shot.