Ten years I've been cutting drywall with the wrong side of the knife

Was doing a basement refinish in Milwaukee last month and an old framer neighbor saw me scoring drywall with the curved side of the utility knife. He just stood there for a second and said 'you know the straight edge is for cutting, right?' I've been a contractor for 12 years and never even thought about it. Now I have 3 cuts to prove the straight side works way better. Anyone else have one of those embarrassing 'wait I've been doing this wrong' moments on a job site?

3 comments

3 Comments

milesbarnes5d ago

So wait, did you ever notice the cut quality being worse with the curved side, or did you just think that's how it was supposed to look? I'm asking because I've been using the straight edge for years but I still see guys at the supply house swearing by the curved side for snapping thicker board. Makes me wonder if there's some old timer trick we're both missing.

caseywalker5d ago

Funny you mention that because I've actually tried both sides pretty extensively on 12x24 porcelain. The curved edge always leaves this tiny little lip on the snap that I gotta grind down, never had that with the straight side. Maybe those old timers are working with different material or they just don't care about the finish... I've seen guys at the yard swear by using the curved side with a deeper score line, like really leaning into it before the snap. Tried that a few times and still ended up with a rougher edge that needed more cleanup. Straight edge just gives me a cleaner break every time without the extra work.

wesley6395d ago

People get way too caught up in this stuff. It's drywall, not brain surgery. Both sides cut. I've used the curved side for years, never had a complaint from a homeowner or inspector. If it snaps clean, who cares which edge did the work. All these rules and tricks. Some guys act like you need a certification to cut sheetrock. Run the knife, snap the board, move on. Nobody is checking the edge with a micrometer. The finish mud covers everything anyway. Spend that energy on your taping instead.