Debate: fast mud vs. standard - which one do you swear by?

Last Tuesday I had a ceiling job in St. Louis where I used fast set compound on a batch of tape joints. It kicked in about 45 minutes and I was able to second coat by lunch. But then the corner beads started cracking the next day because I think it dried too quick. Now I'm wondering if standard all purpose is the safer bet even if it slows me down. I had a buddy tell me he never uses anything but standard for tape because fast mud is too unpredictable. But fast mud on fills really cuts his day in half. What do you guys use for taping and why?

2 comments

2 Comments

dylanward1mo ago

Yeah, the cracking beads thing happens. I had the same issue on a garage remodel in July. Fast mud on the tape, kicked in 40 minutes. Next morning every corner bead had those tiny hairline cracks. Had to scrape and redo with standard. Now I only use fast mud for pre-fill on big gaps or patch jobs where I need to get back to it same day. Standard all the way for tape and beads.

paul2331mo ago

Did you switch over after a bad batch too? I used to run fast mud on everything til I had the same cracking issue you're talking about @dylanward, now I'm standard all the way for tape and beads.