Why does nobody talk about using a pallet knife for spackle instead of a putty knife?

I was fixing nail holes in my living room drywall last month and got sick of the putty knife leaving those weird ridges. Out of frustration I grabbed an old plastic pallet knife from a paint set and it smoothed everything flat in one swipe no sanding needed. But I wonder if it actually holds up for bigger patches or if this is just a lazy hack that'll crack later. Has anyone else tried something unconventional like this and had it work or fail?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_piper20d ago

I read somewhere that drywall pros sometimes use old credit cards for small spots and it works fine, so a pallet knife probably isn't that crazy. But for bigger patches I'd stick with a proper drywall knife since the flex might cause cracking later.

karent7519d ago

Honestly, the credit card trick for small spots really made me rethink things, @the_piper. I used to think you had to use the proper tools for everything, but you're right that for tiny patches the flex isn't a big deal. This definitely changed my mind on what's acceptable for those quick fixes.