Hand taping vs flat boxes for butt joints on a 2,400 square foot new build

I just finished a house in Raleigh and went back and forth on whether to hand tape all the butts or use my flat box. The flat box is faster for long runs but I feel like I get better mud control by hand on the ends. Ended up doing half the house each way to see which held up better during sanding. The hand taped joints needed less touch up but took me an extra 4 hours total. Anyone else switch between methods depending on the room size or ceiling height?

3 comments

3 Comments

reeseanderson1mo ago

Did you notice any difference in how the mud shrank between those two methods? I always figured hand taping lets you work a little more mud into the corners and edges, so maybe thats why yours needed less touch up. The flat box can leave a thinner coat right at the seam if you're not careful with pressure.

josephs261mo ago

Heard a pro on a podcast say the same thing about flat boxes, @reeseanderson.

reese5511mo ago

Agree with you there @josephs26, but honestly I think people overthink this whole thing. Ive been using a flat box for years and never had mud shrink weird on me. The pressure thing yeah you gotta watch it but its not like brain surgery. Hand taping puts more mud down sure, but then you have to sand more too. Six of one half dozen of the other. Most of the time its just technique and not the tool. I see guys online acting like you need a PHD to tape drywall and its just not that serious.