Tried to save money on drywall mud and it cost me 2 extra days of work in my garage

I was finishing my garage in Phoenix last month and thought I'd go with the cheap premix mud from Home Depot instead of the good stuff I usually buy. Big mistake. It kept shrinking and cracking between coats, so I had to sand everything down and reapply three times. Finally gave up and spent the extra $40 on the better brand and the last coat laid perfectly flat. Has anyone else tried cutting corners on materials and regretted it way more than the savings were worth?

2 comments

2 Comments

taylor_fox28d ago

Yeah, cheap mud is a trap. I learned that lesson drywalling my own basement years ago and ended up with a mess of bubbles and cracks. The time you lose fixing it always costs more than the few bucks you think you're saving. Plus the frustration of doing the same job three times just isn't worth it. I stick with midrange brands now and it pays off every time.

calebw5028d ago

Buddy of mine tried going cheap on his garage reno and the mud was so bad it wouldn't even stick to the tape. He had to scrape everything off and start over, wasted a whole weekend. You ever run into a brand that just doesn't cooperate like that?