# Moisture Meter?



## Saul_Surfaces (Jan 8, 2010)

Anyone ever use a moisture meter to test if mudded walls are sufficiently dry to sand without worrying about shrinkage later? I've always just felt the mudded surfaces with my hand for any hint of moisture between coats, but that seems low tech. It also means I err on the safe side and likely leave my projects sit longer than they need to between coats. 12 days is about the shortest I like to finish a house for fear of shrinkage after sanding


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## cazna (Mar 28, 2010)

Now thats a good idea, I got givin a moisture meter ages ago but gave it away as i figured i would have no use for it, Oops. Wonder if it works????


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## 2buckcanuck (Jul 9, 2010)

saul
do you contract your own jobs ??????
if so,I would invest in a dehumidifier ,some of them are fairly fancy now.tell you the moister content of a room etc.... install it in a house before you start to tape,then you get 2 tools in one,and a bit of peace of mind.
just an idea,don't know how much money the fancy ones are ,time to google them i guess if it sounds like a good idea to you


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## Saul_Surfaces (Jan 8, 2010)

2buckcanuck said:


> saul
> do you contract your own jobs ??????
> if so,I would invest in a dehumidifier ,some of them are fairly fancy now.tell you the moister content of a room etc.... install it in a house before you start to tape,then you get 2 tools in one,and a bit of peace of mind.
> just an idea,don't know how much money the fancy ones are ,time to google them i guess if it sounds like a good idea to you


True, a dehumidifier helps. I run a couple of them. Obviously fans help too. But the relative humidity indicator on a dehumidifier only tells us if the air on top of our mud is dry, not necessarily if the mud is dry. Of course, the mud can't be giving off much moisture by the time we drive the RH down to 35.


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## JustMe (Apr 17, 2009)

Saul,

If you aren't using it already, I'm finding using FibaFuse seems to allow the flats to dry throughout quicker.

And it seems to shrink back less down the center where the board meets. So it seems easier to get a nicer 1st coat without needing as much extra buildup for shrinkage.


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## Saul_Surfaces (Jan 8, 2010)

what really got me thinking about this is my current reno project (just a 60 sheet project). The home owners turn the fans off at night (then forget to turn them back on the next day), keep the heat below 17C, and unplug the dehumidifier. I left my tape coat 4 days, and it still didn't feel dry. Second coated it anyways since the job's a half hour out of town and i was already there, but I'm real hesitant to push third coat. Naturally they're also quite likely to turn out to be my fussiest customers when it comes to quality, so there hadn't better be any shrinkage issues.

Canadian Tire had moisture meters on sale for something like half price. I picked one up thinking I'd try it on this weird job. It would give me an excuse to delay completion as a hedge against shrinkage if the walls feel clammy. In other cases it would be the confirmation that things were dry enough to move ahead


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## 2buckcanuck (Jul 9, 2010)

ahwww justme
you had to mention fibafuse,now cazna's going to start going on about it:jester:
back to watching my leafs lose......again


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## Saul_Surfaces (Jan 8, 2010)

JustMe said:


> Saul,
> 
> If you aren't using it already, I'm finding using FibaFuse seems to allow the flats to dry throughout quicker.
> 
> And it seems to shrink back less down the center where the board meets. So it seems easier to get a nicer 1st coat without needing as much extra buildup for shrinkage.


That's a thought. Do you run fibafuse through a bazooka? I've been hesitant to try. I use fibafuse with my banjo, but I never use the banjo on a project this big. Just small single room stuff. I'm not fast with my bazooka, but I'm sure faster than I am with my banjo (or it feels that way anyway)


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## 2buckcanuck (Jul 9, 2010)

not a bad idea to have one,especially on those damn basement jobs where you can't get it through the H.O . head things are too damp .
do you got the crapy tire link,how much $$$$$$


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## JustMe (Apr 17, 2009)

Saul_Surfaces said:


> That's a thought. Do you run fibafuse through a bazooka? I've been hesitant to try. I use fibafuse with my banjo, but I never use the banjo on a project this big. Just small single room stuff. I'm not fast with my bazooka, but I'm sure faster than I am with my banjo (or it feels that way anyway)


For flats and butt joints and short tapes, I run FibaFuse through both banjo and bazooka. Through the bazooka, I'm liking it better than paper. Lays down nice, cuts nice. Bazooka seemed to take to it like duck to water.

But I'm still doing corners with paper tapes for now. Don't trust that the Fiba won't be cut through too much at times with the flushers.



2buckcanuck said:


> ahwww justme
> you had to mention fibafuse,now cazna's going to start going on about it:jester:


 Why? About what? :confused1:


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## cazna (Mar 28, 2010)

2buckcanuck said:


> ahwww justme
> you had to mention fibafuse,now cazna's going to start going on about it:jester:
> back to watching my leafs lose......again


 
*Fi ba fuse Fi Ba Fuse, Fi ba fuse, I love fi ba fuse, Great stuff, drys better, sweet through the zooka, strong as all hell, easier to wipe down :thumbsup::thumbsup: Its just dam good sh!t.*


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## 2buckcanuck (Jul 9, 2010)

justme
Why? About what? :confused1:




cazna said:


> *Fi ba fuse Fi Ba Fuse, Fi ba fuse, I love fi ba fuse, Great stuff, drys better, sweet through the zooka, strong as all hell, easier to wipe down :thumbsup::thumbsup: Its just dam good sh!t.*


there's your answer justme :yes::jester:


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## JustMe (Apr 17, 2009)

2buckcanuck said:


> justme
> Why? About what? :confused1:
> 
> 
> ...


Ahh. Now I see. Fanaticism.


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## Saul_Surfaces (Jan 8, 2010)

I'll have to try fibafuse through the bazooka next time.


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## rebel20 (Jun 4, 2009)

Saul_Surfaces said:


> what really got me thinking about this is my current reno project (just a 60 sheet project). The home owners turn the fans off at night (then forget to turn them back on the next day), keep the heat below 17C, and unplug the dehumidifier. I left my tape coat 4 days, and it still didn't feel dry. Second coated it anyways since the job's a half hour out of town and i was already there, but I'm real hesitant to push third coat. Naturally they're also quite likely to turn out to be my fussiest customers when it comes to quality, so there hadn't better be any shrinkage issues.
> 
> Canadian Tire had moisture meters on sale for something like half price. I picked one up thinking I'd try it on this weird job. It would give me an excuse to delay completion as a hedge against shrinkage if the walls feel clammy. In other cases it would be the confirmation that things were dry enough to move ahead


 
Saul,
why are you not using the Vario on your first coat?


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## Saul_Surfaces (Jan 8, 2010)

rebel20 said:


> Saul,
> why are you not using the Vario on your first coat?


In a word . . .cleanup.

I like vario (I ought to after having bought 500lbs). It works great for patchwork on houses that have been moved by truck, and anywhere where I need to apply multiple coats back to back, but I'm still worried about how to clean it out of my auto tools.

Here in Canada in the winter, I can't use garden hoses outside, and I don't believe I can get my UBER expensive flat boxes clean enough with only a brush and a bucket of water (maybe I need a spare set of cheap used boxes). Maybe one of those pump up lawn sprayers would do the trick for washing. The next trick becomes what to do with the waste water. Lots of my customers have paved driveways, so there's no gravel to dump it on, and I'm not keen on pouring it down their drains and having those plug. 

So for now, I use vario with only hand tools. I'm tempted to try it in my banjo, but for any kind of large ceiling I reach for my bazooka and taping mud.


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## Workaholic (Dec 13, 2010)

Saul, a moisture meter is a cheap and valuable tool to have for just what you mentioned. Many painters use them for painting applications and I think it will work great for your needs as well.


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## Saul_Surfaces (Jan 8, 2010)

Thanks, I'm learning to love mine. Drywall seems to test as 12-15% moisture in my area, so I've been leaving any mud projects that test above 17% for additional drying time.


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