TIL those corner trowels are actually worth the money

I always thought those weird looking corner trowels were just a gimmick for new guys to waste cash on. My crew and I have been doing inside corners with a regular 6 inch knife for years, and I figured it was fine. Then I took a job finishing a big basement rec room in Springfield last month, and the homeowner had one sitting on his workbench. He said I could try it, so I did just to be polite. Man, I was wrong. It laid down a perfect bead in one pass, no ridges, and cut my time on those 8 corners by at least half. The finish was so clean I didn't even need to sand it. I bought my own from the supply house the next day for like 25 bucks. Has anyone else made the switch, and did it save you as much time as it did me?

3 comments

3 Comments

caseywalker1mo ago

Ever try a corner trowel on a popcorn ceiling patch? It was a total game changer for me too.

casey2681mo agoTop Commenter

Honestly, "game changer" for a popcorn ceiling patch is a bit strong. Tbh I tried one on a patch job last year and it was okay for the mud, but matching that popcorn texture after is a whole other thing. The trowel just can't help with that part. It made a clean corner for sure, but I still had to do the spray and knock-down after. It's a good tool, just not magic.

jennyfisher1mo ago

Used to think those corner trowels were just another gimmick. Had a patch in my hallway that looked awful for months because the mud kept looking messy. Finally gave one a shot and it got the joint compound into that corner so smooth on the first pass. Still had to texture over it, but the base was way cleaner. Totally saved me from redoing the whole section.