Heard a kid at the supply house say "mud and tape" is old school... made me feel ancient

Was picking up a few rolls of paper tape yesterday and this younger guy was talking to the counter guy about how he only uses mesh tape and setting compound. Said he's never even used a banjo rig. I've been doing this since '98 and I still prefer paper and all-purpose for most flat work. Is mesh really that common now or is it just the new guys trying to skip learning the old way?

2 comments

2 Comments

brian_rivera5926d ago

Man that hurts to hear. I still run a banjo on every job, tape and mud is way faster once you get the rhythm down. Mesh tape has its place for patches and cracks but for long flat runs paper just lays down cleaner with less air bubbles. These younger guys think setting compound is some kind of magic fix but it's just more work mixing on site and chasing cure times. I'm with you, paper and all-purpose is the way to go for production work.

the_patricia25d ago

Oh @brian_rivera59 are you telling me there's still guys out there who actually know how to run a banjo? I swear half the kids I see on site now look at me like I'm speaking a different language when I pull mine out. I've been using paper tape for 15 years and it just BONDS better, I don't care what anyone says about mesh. Had a job last month where some kid tried to use setting compound on a whole ceiling and it kicked off in the bucket before he even got halfway across the room. Total mess. Paper and all-purpose, I can mud all day without worrying about that garbage.