Appreciation post: the $7 putty knife that changed my drywall game

Last week I was patching a hole in my living room drywall and kept messing up the mud because I was using a cheap plastic spreader. My neighbor Dave handed me his old stainless steel putty knife and said try this instead, and it made the whole job smooth in like 10 minutes. Has anyone else had a cheap tool surprise them like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

wrenh7911h ago

Calling it a life changing tool feels like a stretch to me. @john_hunt2 I get that you have scars from a plastic spatula but maybe that was more of a you problem than a tool problem? I mean, sure, stainless steel is better than the flimsy plastic ones, but it's still just a piece of metal with a handle. Slapping mud on a wall isn't exactly brain surgery, so let's not act like we discovered fire here.

john_hunt218h ago

Man I learned this the hard way after spending an hour fighting with a plastic spatula that bent in half every time I tried to spread mud. That cheap stainless knife is like magic compared to the junk they sell at the big box stores. I still have scars on my knuckles from the time a plastic one snapped and sent mud flying across the room. Now I grab that old metal one and it feels like cheating. Its amazing what a difference a few bucks makes when you stop being stubborn.