"-MIKE-" wrote in message
...
Pete C. wrote:
DGDevin wrote:
Many of us could handle framing or drywall or painting but
would think twice about trying serious plumbing or wiring.

I would much rather do framing, plumbing and wiring than drywall or
painting. I'm certainly qualified and capable of all of those tasks,
however drywall is bloody heavy and tedious to tape well, and painting
is equally tedious.


A good, detail oriented framer can make a 'waller's job much easier.
Like anyone else, you have to deal with what you were left.

But I never attempt drywall. It's easy to do a half-a$$ jog of it, even
for a so-called pro. Doing a great job at finishing that stuff is a
skill and an art that is maintained by doing it repetitively and taking
pride in your work. I think *anyone* can get great at it, given a few
weeks on the job, but I'll gladly pay the experts to do it.


--

-MIKE-

It takes more than a few weeks to get good at taping or even hanging it for
that matter...I've been at it for 20 years and I still lean something new
all the time...New and better products , tools , methods , ect....It takes a
while to learn how to walk on stilts , using the ALL the different tools and
be comfortable on staging then it's closet time for a while and
understanding all the different kinds of mud , drywall , screws , beads ,
trim and where they go and installing them , setting up , getting coffee and
making material runs ect..It is a year or so before a rookie is finish
taping (just garages and utility rooms and bedrooms , ect.) and even then he
won't know all the speciality jobs....There is ALOT more to drywall than
taping your little 8X8 bathroom.....For starters doing a "typical" drywall
job requires the right tools...I carry over a 1000 dollars worth of hanging
and taping hand tools including my stilts 1/2 inch drill , screwgun ,
Drywall Cut Out Router , ect , ect.......Not to mention the baker staging ,
pipe staging , platforms and wheels , step and extension ladders , alluminum
extension planks , ect. , ect.....A homeowner will try to get by with a
mudpan , 6 inch knife and a 12 inch knife for taping and his cordless driver
and keyhole saw for hanging while trying to do it off a ladder instead of
stilts or staging...You are at a huge disadvantage right out of the gate and
no matter how good you think it looks it will still pale in comparison to a
pro...Strange how sometimes the difference between a homeowners good job and
my work is so very different...Sometimes I go to jobs and the homeowner will
say " look at this , I taped this wall , looks good , huh ??" I always smile
and say yup , not bad all the while LMAO inside...And the stories I could
tell about going to jobs that homeowners try to start...ROFLMAO...I'm always
polite though , and say , well atleast you tried....Then proceed to cut out
the loose tape and put an 80 grit pad on the powersander and take it all off
and start over...If the drtwall looks like crap , especially the ceilings ,
no matter how pretty the woodwork looks the room will still look cheesy and
cheap...The thing that shows the most seems to be the thing that always gets
cheaped out....LOL...