Shoutout to the crew at the new library in Cedar Falls

I was there yesterday to pick up a book for my kid and I could not stop looking at the ceiling. The drywall on those curved arches is just perfect, not a single seam or ripple I could see. It must have taken some real skill to get those compound curves so smooth. Has anyone here ever worked on a job with curves like that, and what's the trick to keeping the mud from cracking?

3 comments

3 Comments

claire_walker20d ago

Oh man, curves are tough! The real trick is using hot mud, the setting-type compound that comes in a bag. You mix it yourself and it dries by chemical reaction, so it shrinks way less and is less likely to crack. You have to do it in super thin layers, though, sanding like crazy between each one.

robin_lee20d ago

Used to swear by regular joint compound for everything, but a guy on a historic remodel showed me the hot mud trick. Watching him work changed my whole view. It's a pain to mix and you gotta move fast, but the way it sets rock hard on those curves is worth the hassle.

robert_anderson6912d ago

Try to picture me with a trowel, it's a comedy show. My one attempt at a curved arch looked like a topo map of the Rockies. I'll stick to admiring the work of people who actually know what they're doing.