Unpopular opinion: I think the 6-inch taping knife is overrated for finishing

I was doing a big ceiling in a new build over in Bakersfield last fall, trying to finish a long seam with my usual 6-inch. The homeowner's contractor was watching and said, 'You're fighting that mud, son. Try this 10-inch.' He handed me his old knife. I was skeptical, but it laid the mud down so much flatter and faster with fewer lines. Now I only use the 6-inch for tight corners. Anyone else make a switch like that and stick with it?

2 comments

2 Comments

jennifer3587d ago

Honestly, a 10-inch is great for seams, but you still need the 6-inch for the final pass to really clean it up. Tbh, the big knife just gets it flat, it doesn't finish it.

verac407d ago

Ever think the real issue is the mud thickness and not the knife size? A 10-inch can float a wider area, but if your mud's too thin it sags and too thick it leaves ridges... so you're just moving the problem around. I switched to a 12-inch for big flats and it forced me to mix my mud way more carefully, which actually made my 6-inch work better on the details. The bigger knife taught me more about the material than about the tool itself.