rayc83•1d ago

Overheard a foreman say butter joints look better than ironed joints

I was on a site in Akron last Tuesday and this foreman told a young guy that buttered joints always look cleaner than ironed ones. I've been ironing for 15 years and my walls stay tight with no cracks. Has anyone else noticed ironed joints actually hold up better over the long run?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_leo1d ago

Man that foreman was right on the money. I did ironed joints on a house in Cleveland back in 2018 and by the third winter I had hairline cracks in three spots. Switched to buttering everything after that and the next house I did two years ago still looks fresh with zero movement. The mud just locks in better when you butter it up nice.

gavin9281d ago

Back in 2019 I watched a guy do ironed joints on a whole basement remodel near Akron and by last spring every single seam had this spiderweb pattern of cracks through the tape. The thing nobody talks about is how ironing just presses the mud into the board instead of locking it around the tape edges, so you get this weak bond that pops over time. Buttering forces the mud to wrap around the tape fibers on both sides, which is way more stable when the house settles or the seasons change.