# too low or too slow?



## sailfish27 (Jan 25, 2014)

Just finished drywall and taping for 4 ceilings. Total 13 sheets over existing 9' ceiling. Dining,kitchen,pantry and bath three men first day and two men second and third day. My question is, is this ridiculously slow? 
I'm pretty rusty when it comes to taping my experience is mostly commercial work my two helpers are very inexperienced. The HO lived their so we were constantly moving furniture and cleaning etc.

Thoughts? thanks in advance


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## D.E.P.S. (Aug 3, 2013)

sailfish27 said:


> Just finished drywall and taping for 4 ceilings. Total 13 sheets over existing 9' ceiling. Dining,kitchen,pantry and bath three men first day and two men second and third day. My question is, is this ridiculously slow?
> I'm pretty rusty when it comes to taping my experience is mostly commercial work my two helpers are very inexperienced. The HO lived their so we were constantly moving furniture and cleaning etc.
> 
> Thoughts? thanks in advance


Yup.... it is. But then again you probably don't get a lot of this kind of work. Mark it off as a learning experience and see where you can speed things up in the future. Hiring a good hanger and finisher for a day would be your best bet to start with as they will be a lot faster. Maybe some helper for moving furniture also. It sucks doing this kind of work in a occupied house some times. I always plan on making this phase a 1 day kind of job including taping and bedding in with hot mud.


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## ToolNut (Aug 9, 2012)

Learn to use hot mud you can cut out i full day. As you can tape and first coat the first day. 2nd coat and finish coat 2nd day. Use pre mixed for final coat.


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## hdavis (Feb 14, 2012)

I hate having to move stuff around - tough to stay in a groove.


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## iDAHOchris (Feb 11, 2012)

sailfish27 said:


> Just finished drywall and taping for 4 ceilings. Total 13 sheets over existing 9' ceiling. Dining,kitchen,pantry and bath three men first day and two men second and third day. My question is, is this ridiculously slow?
> I'm pretty rusty when it comes to taping my experience is mostly commercial work my two helpers are very inexperienced. The HO lived their so we were constantly moving furniture and cleaning etc.
> 
> Thoughts? thanks in advance


 I think that is pretty good considering the guys were not experienced and the house being occupied. Jobs like that take much longer. The 3rd man on first day was probably just laborer Im guessing. If the owners are happy and it turned out good feel lucky.


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## sailfish27 (Jan 25, 2014)

Thanks for the replies. If it were my house I would have hired someone to do it. lol Around here lot of people use blueboard and plaster especially for ceilings. I wish I knew someone who taped well.


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## FRAME2FINISH (Aug 31, 2010)

Next time cut two opposing slots in a empty drywall bucket , thread a piece of tape, add mixed up mud, pull out x amount of feet folding it over on itself,

Apply by hand over seam, have a dude with a knife go behind you with a hawk smoothing it out or if your quick enough you can do it by yourself!

Me by myself with my lift would of hung the ceiling in the morning taped it before I left came back muffed it, twice if I could


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## blacktop (Oct 28, 2012)

FRAME2FINISH said:


> Next time cut two opposing slots in a empty drywall bucket , thread a piece of tape, add mixed up mud, pull out x amount of feet folding it over on itself,
> 
> Apply by hand over seam, have a dude with a knife go behind you with a hawk smoothing it out or if your quick enough you can do it by yourself!
> 
> Me by myself with my lift would of hung the ceiling in the morning taped it before I left came back muffed it, twice if I could


A chit box!!:laughing:


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## blacktop (Oct 28, 2012)

ToolNut said:


> Learn to use hot mud you can cut out i full day. As you can tape and first coat the first day. 2nd coat and finish coat 2nd day. Use pre mixed for final coat.


It's a fast setting compound ! Not fast drying. A rush job Is just that! 
A rush job!:whistling


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## Big Shoe (Jun 16, 2008)

The majority of my work is in occupied homes. The time it took you sounds about right. :thumbsup:

One thing people don't understand is the smaller the job the longer it may take in most cases. 
And the more it may cost.


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## FRAME2FINISH (Aug 31, 2010)

Yup Smaller they are they take aslong as the big ones you work yourself out of work too fast!!

Then add having people crap in the way they could of moved a day before you showed up!

I guess it's easier for them too come up with excuses why it's still there though!


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## sailfish27 (Jan 25, 2014)

I'm curious to know what a plaster would charge per ceiling? I would think it would be a lot more efficient. Possibly with three experienced guys they might have finished in a day. Obviously bigger jobs especially commercial jobs I am sure it's more cost effective to hang drywall and tape.


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## mnld (Jun 4, 2013)

sailfish27 said:


> I'm curious to know what a plaster would charge per ceiling? I would think it would be a lot more efficient. Possibly with three experienced guys they might have finished in a day. Obviously bigger jobs especially commercial jobs I am sure it's more cost effective to hang drywall and tape.


Tree-fiddy......:whistling


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## mnld (Jun 4, 2013)

...per foot..


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## mnld (Jun 4, 2013)

...per coat!


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## Inner10 (Mar 12, 2009)

FRAME2FINISH said:


> Next time cut two opposing slots in a empty drywall bucket , thread a piece of tape, add mixed up mud, pull out x amount of feet folding it over on itself,
> 
> Apply by hand over seam, have a dude with a knife go behind you with a hawk smoothing it out or if your quick enough you can do it by yourself!
> 
> Me by myself with my lift would of hung the ceiling in the morning taped it before I left came back muffed it, twice if I could


I think you would have protected the floors, moved all the furniture and covered it in plastic, then hang one room, then start to move all the crap again...then say screw it and go home for the day.


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## FRAME2FINISH (Aug 31, 2010)

Yea well of course you lay tarps move furniture, but after I gave them an extra bill, but hell yea I'd be out on two by one at the latest!!

You have to pace yourself on those kind of jobs!!!


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## blacktop (Oct 28, 2012)

FRAME2FINISH said:


> Yea well of course you lay tarps move furniture, but after I gave them an extra bill, but hell yea I'd be out on two by one at the latest!!
> 
> You have to pace yourself on those kind of jobs!!!


I don't care how good 'those kind of jobs ' pay ! I'll take new construction over that chit any day ! Don't get me wrong! I do tons of reno /repair work each year..Me and my magic wand just gives er a tap !!:whistling!

I still prefer new construction . Always will.

When a H/O calls me after tearing out a bunch of walls And expects me to turn chit into jelly and I have a G/C on the other end with a 2500 sq ft home ?? I 'll jump on that G/C !


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## blacktop (Oct 28, 2012)

Big Shoe said:


> One thing people don't understand
> the more it may cost.


If you half to go back and do It all over again when that 2 coats in 1 day fails.


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## scottktmrider (Jun 24, 2012)

Its easy for us to say it took to long but till we're in there working we don't know what stuff your dealing with.like dropping a screwgun on a vase that great grandma had and trying to put it back together with caulk.
I am with the others on using quick set on tape and fill coat that will save u a couple trips


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## D.E.P.S. (Aug 3, 2013)

I specialize in these type of jobs. I also have a network of friends that also know how to knock out this type of work in a fast and competent manner. Yes...... the man hours the OP used up might be ok for a when you are in a non competitive situation, but the man hours per board would handicap you if the owner was knowledgeable about the nature of the work. Thats why I say it is way too slow. I'm not knocking the OP by any means. What I am saying is that even if they only worked 6 hours per man per day, that leaves almost 3.3 man hours per board to hang and tape. At 8 hours per day per man, the average man hours per board goes up to 4.3 man hours per board. Even with humping material, moving furniture, and removing lights........that is way too slow. When you do this kind of work long enough, you have a pretty good idea what to expect regardless of what house you are in and plan for it. Thats why the OP posted the question in the first place. His question was about efficiency?


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## iDAHOchris (Feb 11, 2012)

He also stated he nor his help specialize in it either. In fact it was something like little to know experience. Id say the boys soaked him a bit if they turned in full 8 hr days but IMO I feel they were lucky to even get paid


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## hdavis (Feb 14, 2012)

sailfish27 said:


> Just finished drywall and taping for 4 ceilings. Total 13 sheets over existing 9' ceiling. Dining,kitchen,pantry and bath three men first day and two men second and third day. My question is, is this ridiculously slow?
> I'm pretty rusty when it comes to taping my experience is mostly commercial work my two helpers are very inexperienced. The HO lived their so we were constantly moving furniture and cleaning etc.
> 
> Thoughts? thanks in advance


Having a break down of how much it took to do each phase would be handy. There should have been little to no cleaning involved. Just move things so they won't have to be moved again as much as possible and cover them and the floors.

Hot mud or straight bucket mud coupled with hawk has an advantage on doing ceilings like this, IMHO. Also, no sanding is a big help - shave and damp sponge if you have to. Load control becomes a little more important than usual.

I might be in that ball park working alone, depending on how much moving and schlepping is involved. Hanging a ceiling definitely goes faster with 2 people.


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## sailfish27 (Jan 25, 2014)

hdavis said:


> Having a break down of how much it took to do each phase would be handy. There should have been little to no cleaning involved. Just move things so they won't have to be moved again as much as possible and cover them and the floors.
> 
> Hot mud or straight bucket mud coupled with hawk has an advantage on doing ceilings like this, IMHO. Also, no sanding is a big help - shave and damp sponge if you have to. Load control becomes a little more important than usual.
> 
> I might be in that ball park working alone, depending on how much moving and schlepping is involved. Hanging a ceiling definitely goes faster with 2 people.


These people were pack rats! They had mountains of stuff, I got so tired of moving one piece I had my guys put it outside. 3 dogs constantly barking 2 cats and a dirt driveway that you could have a mud wrestling contest on. 

First day after at least an hour on moving, I am measuring and cutting other two are hanging I think were done by 12 or 1. Mix 90 min and I get done dining and kitchen helper 1 does bath and pantry helper 2 just checking screws cleaning up moving furn etc. Done by 5

Second day finished early around 3 with 3 guys only needed 2. Second coat on seams and 1st coat on other half of corners. 

Third day 2 guys third coat 2nd and final on inside corners, cleanup re install fixtures bath fan ceiling fan etc. done by 4

Besides me being rusty my guys try to hard with the sander I think. Just seems like they want to make it perfectly smooth after every coat and then I have to do much filling over and over. Back in the day I worked on a lot of commercial offices and retail and I was able to study how the pros did it. I was always amazed at how little sanding they did in comparison to me.


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## FRAME2FINISH (Aug 31, 2010)

Yea you got to get too where your sanding less, just know off the crap and cost it again. Wider and wider it's definitely a skill!

I love when your hand cramps and drop your knife!! Better yet your hawk hand goes numb then you hear the mud hit the floor!!


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## sailfish27 (Jan 25, 2014)

FRAME2FINISH said:


> Yea you got to get too where your sanding less, just know off the crap and cost it again. Wider and wider it's definitely a skill!
> 
> I love when your hand cramps and drop your knife!! Better yet your hawk hand goes numb then you hear the mud hit the floor!!


Lol. Yeah, amazingly didn't have one of the moments. The man upstairs must have had sympathy on me. Very familiar with that sound though, then it's like do I scoop it up and work with it of ditch it somewhere.


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## hdavis (Feb 14, 2012)

Sounds like coat / sand was slow


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## FRAME2FINISH (Aug 31, 2010)

sailfish27 said:


> Lol. Yeah, amazingly didn't have one of the moments. The man upstairs must have had sympathy on me. Very familiar with that sound though, then it's like do I scoop it up and work with it of ditch it somewhere.


Isn't that what you fill the boxes with all the wires in it??

Got to pay it forward right?


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## SectorSecurity (Nov 26, 2013)

The only thing more annoying then moving a bunch of stuff which should have been moved before you arrived is having the customer bug you every 5 minutes to see what you are doing. I hate when they start the whats that tool? What does it do? Where did you get it? How much does it cost? stuff.


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## blacktop (Oct 28, 2012)

FRAME2FINISH said:


> Yea you got to get too where your sanding less, just know off the crap and cost it again. Wider and wider it's definitely a skill!
> 
> I love when your hand cramps and drop your knife!! Better yet your hawk hand goes numb then you hear the mud hit the floor!!


My right hand goes numb around 2 In the morning ,,,Then the left goes numb on the way to work ..As soon as I have a hawk and knife in hand all Is well! Don't get me started on the shoulders ..


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## gbruzze1 (Dec 17, 2008)

blacktop said:


> My right hand goes numb around 2 In the morning ,,,Then the left goes numb on the way to work .


We like to call that method The Stranger


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## rotarex (Mar 31, 2008)

ToolNut said:


> Learn to use hot mud you can cut out i full day. As you can tape and first coat the first day. 2nd coat and finish coat 2nd day. Use pre mixed for final coat.


what 2nd day, 1st, 2nd & 3rd same day


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## sailfish27 (Jan 25, 2014)

FRAME2FINISH said:


> Isn't that what you fill the boxes with all the wires in it??
> 
> Got to pay it forward right?


Absolutely. Great movie!


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## sailfish27 (Jan 25, 2014)

SectorSecurity said:


> The only thing more annoying then moving a bunch of stuff which should have been moved before you arrived is having the customer bug you every 5 minutes to see what you are doing. I hate when they start the whats that tool? What does it do? Where did you get it? How much does it cost? stuff.


Yeah, I told them to clear out rooms. Get to the job woman say's I figured you probably only get to the dining rm. today so I didn't bother with the rest of house. Yikes.


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## Big Shoe (Jun 16, 2008)

I've worked for very wealthy people. Every day we would move all the furniture, cover floors w/paper, cover furn w/plastic. Work, clean up, put everything back. Next day do it all over again.


Groundhog day! :whistling :laughing: :clap::clap:


Forgot.......Because they were living there during the renovation.


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## hdavis (Feb 14, 2012)

Now it's bringing back some frustrations. I have a bunch of movers dollys just for the heavy / bulky crap.


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