Rant: My cousin the "expert" told me to wet my drywall before hanging it

So my cousin who does handyman stuff on weekends says he always wets his boards before hanging because it makes them easier to bend around corners. Tried it last week on a basement job in St. Paul. Board started crumbling at the edges, got heavy as hell, and I ended up throwing out 3 sheets. Cost me like $60 and a whole afternoon. Has anyone else ever fallen for some wacky shortcut advice from a relative?

2 comments

2 Comments

dixon.daniel1mo ago

Well, I gotta ask - did your cousin actually explain why water helps with bending, or was it just one of those "trust me" things he picked up from some old timer?

fionarodriguez1mo ago

Hey @dixon.daniel, did your cousin give you the science on why water works or just shrug and say "because I said so"? Ngl, I tried that trick once with a piece of pine and it just turned into a soggy mess, so maybe his old timer buddy was just messing with him. Tbh, I half-expected him to whip out a water bottle and start bending boards like some kind of wizard, but no, it was more like a wet noodle situation.