Mud Work Hints and Methods

[John Bridge]

I have been asked to start a mud work thread. The mud men amongst us will provide tips and info here to our comrades who want to learn the trade. Newbies are welcome, too, but please don't ask basic questions that can be answered on the Advice board.

As you probably know, all mud men don't agree on all things, so there may be a bit of confusion now and then. This of course represents a new phenomenon on the JB Forums.

We will work around it though. Let's just all remember that there are always more than one single method of doing things. Dave G. and I, for example, don't agree on everything, but there are some basic items that we are "as one" on. One of them is that mud men can make more money than their non-mud counterparts. I hope we get some participation here -- from prospective mud persons and from accomplished mud persons as well.

[Bud Cline]

John what are ya gonna do when you put the tile schools out of business? Who's gonna love ya then bro?

[John Bridge]

We're not going to put anyone out of business. They'll just have to stay on their toes, eh?

[Sonnie Layne]

Are you going to offer hands-on classes? The 'making more money' thingy appeals to me. I'm dying to get my feet wet (pardon the expression), but haven't yet found the job that would allow me (as goes time/money) to attempt new procedures.

[John Bridge]

Yep, we'll do hands-on. Your hands on your job right up there in Dallas.

Funny thing. The guy who got me to start this thread hasn't shown up yet.

[stullis]

Find it hard to believe the more money part but hey if you say so I am listening!

[John Bridge]

Okay, while we're waiting for someone to come up with some mud questions, I'll tell you about the money part. We'll have to establish some givens and agree on them.

Given Number One: You can charge considerably more for a mud shower than you can for a backer board shower.

Given Number Two: An experienced mud man can do a mud shower as fast or faster than a backer board guy can do a backer board shower (assuming the backer board guy is going to follow all manufacturer and TCA guidelines).

I'll give one example. I can lath and float a tub back in about an hour-and-a-half (with a helper). How long does it take to straighten studs, cut and install backer board, tape and float it? And remember, I get more money for what I do.

Not much more needs to be said there. Here's another fact, though. If you can't build mud showers and float mud floors, you can't work on the kind of jobs I work on. You don't have an opportunity at that work, so you've been cut out of a sector of the market.

Now this may be a regional thing. I don't know because I haven't worked outside Texas in years. But good mud men are in such demand here that I can't hire any of them. Those that are out there are all doing their own thing.

Maybe Gobis will happen along. He'll say much the same thing. He'll ding me a little about chicken war is all.

Oh, and going back to the "hands-on" thing Sonnie mentioned earlier, the tile school is the place for it. Dave's got some old mud men down there who can show you a thing or two. I don't intend this thread to be a school. It's just a place where we can discuss mud work, answer specific questions, etc.

[Edited by John Bridge on 10-07-2002 at 09:45 PM]

[Harry]

Good idea John. I know that tile setters would use mud a lot more if they had the resources to understand it better and I don't think that this kind of shared information will hurt the tile schools but more likely if anything .... increase attendance.

[John K]

John. I don't see very many people willing to pay more for mud, at least around here. The thing that interests me is having a flat, plumb and square surface to work on. What in your opinion is that hardest part of the mud process to learn?

John K

[John K]

Another thought. When you go in and tear out a sheetrock shower, do you lath and scratch and browncoat? Or do you add new sheetrock and use the one coat method?


John K

[John Bridge]

"What in your opinion is that hardest part of the mud process to learn?"

Keeping it out from under your fingernails.

Gotta go to work. I'll be back.

[John Bridge]

I replace the sheetrock, add a moisture barrier (poly) and do a one-coat.

[John K]

John, Why don't you scratch coat and brown coat? Wouldn't it be faster than installing new sheetrock? How thick is the mud?

John K

[John Bridge]

John,

Scratch one day, brown the next. Takes two days minimum.

The mud that goes over the one-coat is nominally 1/2 in. It depends, of course, on the tilt of the walls. You can get almost an inch to hang up there if you have to. Otherwise, you're into scratch and come back at it.

[John K]

Gotcha. Hell, am I the only one interested in Mud work. I guess there are not very many people wanting to go that route. JB you may be the Lone Ranger..