Just tried reusing drywall compound instead of tossing it

I had a half bucket of joint compound that sat in my garage for 3 months. Figured it'd be crusty and useless, but I added a few tablespoons of water and stirred it up. It came back smooth as new and I finished my basement patch job in under an hour. Has anyone else had luck reviving old compound like this?

3 comments

3 Comments

wesley_martin3d ago

Honestly that's exactly what I did last month with some old bucket that had a crust on top. Stirred in a splash of water and it worked perfect for my garage drywall patch, felt like I got free material.

owens.cameron3d agoTop Commenter

Yo @wesley_martin how long did that patch actually hold up before you saw any cracks?

sam_murphy393d ago

Wait, didn't you notice how much weaker the bond is after you rehydrate that stuff? Honestly, I've tried the same trick and ended up with crumbly patches that cracked within a month. The water breaks down the glue binders once they've already set, so you're basically just spreading wet chalk on your wall. For a tiny garage patch maybe it passes, but any real job? You're asking for trouble down the line. Ngl, you're better off just spending the 12 bucks on a fresh bucket and saving the headache of redoing the work later.