Tried using a 6-inch taping knife for corner bead and it went about how you'd expect

I was hanging bead in a bathroom remodel last week and couldn't find my 10-inch knife anywhere. Figured I'd just muscle through with my 6-inch since the job was small. Spent almost 45 minutes fighting to get the mud smooth along a 8 foot corner. The whole thing looked like a messy frosting job when I was done. Had to sand it down and redo it the next day with the right tool. Lesson learned: using the wrong size knife just costs you double the time. Anyone else ever try to shortcut a tool swap and regret it?

2 comments

2 Comments

gavins436h ago

Right tool for the job always wins. The 6 just can't span the bead and flat part of the wall at the same time, so you're chasing mud the whole way. End up burning way more time than if you just walked back to the truck for the 10.

nathan5451d ago

Man oh man I gotta say something here... a 6 inch knife for corner bead is actually fine for the inside corners but not for the outside ones. See for outside corners you really want at least an 8 inch or a 10 inch so you can get a good flat coat on both sides. The 6 inch is too narrow to bridge the bead and the wall properly so you end up with that messy frosting look you described. I learned this the hard way too when I started out. The trick is to let the knife ride along the bead edge and the wall at the same time which you just cant do right with a 6.