Newbie Mudder Needs Advise

dripping mud

hi all what a great site you guys have, just stumbled upon it. I have some questions i hope can be answered here. First of all i am a machinist by trade with a bleak future with global outsourcing to china, when it is busy i am able to make great money when machining. 3 weeks ago i was laid off, i met a taper with 35+ years experience willing to take me in and teach me the trade.... i have a great work ethic and no booze or substance problem like ive read on other threads, we agreed he would pay me 30% of his pay and on my second day he was so happy with my work he bumped me to 35% with which i was happy with.

In the 3 weeks i have been on the job i really seem to like what i was doing even though it took some getting used to the mud puddles in new construction. Now my problem is my old employer has called me to come back to work and i am very confused of what i should do.

So what i want to know is how long would it take for me to master taping and how long before i start making some real money? Is there a lot of downtime in between jobs? Also i am in the Toronto Mississauga area, is this a busy or slow time for taping.

Any and all feedback is greatly welcome and appreciated as i would welcome a career change if the climate was right. thank you

Mater

Keep on mudding! I'm in Ohio, but from what I've read on these posts, your area, even Canada in general, is in dire need of good finishers. You'll be laid on for awhile and laid off again. Soon, you'll be laid off more than you're laid on. It doesn't take long at all when you have the right instructor to train you. I had an old schooler with 42 yrs. experience show me, and made sure I always did it right while he watched me. 4 months later I did my first 100 board job for a buddy of mine, and it was only 1/2 his house. Make sure though, that if you do this, you take the time to do it right the first time, it's much easier and less sanding . Have fun

taper71

13 years and still learning new tricks. I have worked for a number of guys before I went on my own. Its a whole different ball game . Just listen watch and learn. When you can stick your knife into a wall from 20 paces and fix the cut after you know your in for life.

1KingOfDrywall

I say if you're enjoing what you're doing.......stay with it.
You gotta put a price on liking what you do. Drywall can be physically tough work depending on what kind of work you are doing,but it'll keep you in shape AND remember.....the faster and better you work the more money you will make.(down ther road) My opinion has been to never rely on an employer for your liveliehood.......I mean like you said, you got laid off once already right? I'm leaning towards suggesting you stay with drywall. Hell......if you work for another company and get laid off yo can place a small add in the news paper and find yourself a little something to put food on the table until things pick up again.......try doing that as a machinist. You always got us guys to fall back on for advise and tips if you need them. With drywall.....the skies the limit if you are focused and hard working. Best of Luck.
Ps. Can you maybe work both jobs for a while?

raven2006

I answered an ad for a taper's helper, and same thing, after about a month I was partner with him getting 35%. He had 30 year's experience and taught me very well. I worked for him for only 5 months, and he ended up moving away and I started taping on my own. A year and a half later I have more work than I can handle, and once customers get past the fact I am a 26 year old girl, they tell me I am better than the tapers with 30 years experience they have hired before. The money has been very good too. So if you are a natural at taping you don't need all the experience to do a good job. Just learn as much as you can before you go out on your own, especially about all the different beads, and how to put them on, cause there are so many different situations involving those things. Once you do a couple of jobs on your own, you'll have lots of confidance.

Ted W

Stick with mudding. Us construction and remodeling types are a great bunch of people, and that reasoning should be good enough. Also, there's no way they can outsource your job. Sure, illegals might be taking up a lot of the work, but they have to come here to get it. Can't send a house across the boarder for taping.

Welcome aboard!

__________________
Carpentry and Woodworking - Chicago / North Shore - Ted's Carpentry

"I don't know everything but at least I think I do, and that's what really matters."

Mud Master

DON'T LEAVE!!!

This is a great field to be in, and there is money to be made, especially in commercial. A truley good finisher is hard to find, but it takes a long time to achieve excellence. Learn as much as you can, mimic the masters, and ask ALL THE QUESTIONS you can. I have always said the two best careers to be in is construction and auto mechanic..they are two fields that will always have something to do. Things will always need to be built,remodeled,repaired, and that goes for both auto and construction.

I enjoy every minute of framing, hanging, finishing, and acoustics.. especially finishing. And I feel if you continue what you are doing, you will feel the same!

Good luck my friend...

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taper71

[quote=raven2006;219168]. , and once customers get past the fact I am a 26 year old girl, they tell me I am better than the tapers with 30 years experience they have hired before.


Im not trying to be a thread stealer or change the subject, but way to go Raven . I taught my wife how to tape and she is by a wide margin the best helper I have ever had. She's no helper anymore she s my partner. The added bonus is that I know where she sleeps so she can't be late for work lol

1KingOfDrywall

did you read the other posts where we were discussing tyring to "retake" control of our trades? I read your comment about the Illegals moving in on our work, and I have to say that is an issue that went hand in hand with another issue we discussed such as industry pricing. As a group I think we should all get a little more involved with these issues when we can. There is power in numbers and together maybe we can put a little dent in these things. On another post we had an issue where some very popular site was telling people they should be paying $7 a sheet ((wayy too low)). A few hours an a few emails later it was changed......the illegals is a whole other issue. Actually I think if you area home owner paying an illegal.....you are probably violating the law in some way correct? We'll discuss this one on another thread...Time for all of us to Re-Claim some control. It'd be nice to spread the word on the internet that if you are a home owner thinking you are getting a great deal cuz you hired an illegal......that you are violationg the law. What if one gets hurt on your job right??

dripping mud

what kind of places are you guys taping, new construction, commercial or private jobs? Im just really doing new homes and am finding that the work isnt really consistent, i mean we will do 1 house than have to wait 2 days before we start the next house cause it was not ready for what ever reason. Is it always like that?

Mud Master

In the begining yes. It is very rare for someone to start business on a Sunday and be swamped with work on Monday, it takes time to build up a customer base..it does not happen overnight. Once you have a solid customer base and people hear and see of the good work you do, you will be in demand, and that is when you will be steady. I have been in business for 12 years now, and for the first 5 or 6 years I didn't have "steady" work. I mean I had work everyday, but that was for me and one other guy. People would always ask when I was real busy "why don't you hire more guys?" I would say "cause when things slow down, it is easier to keep 1 guy busy than 6". I have never been the type to lay off, and I never will be..Ill have em clean my house before I will have them sit home and not make money.

However, like I said earlier things get better...I am consistently swamped with work, and always have a backlog of at least a two months, usually more. You just need to find yourself a good group of builders/contractors and stick with them. And if things DO slow down, don't sit home waiting for the phone to ring..start calling people, friends,other contractors, cold call builders outta the yellow pages..it can't hurt. If you wait for the work to come to you..your schedule will never be steady, at least not til your name gets out there.

In answer to your other question...personally I am mainly a commercial contractor working for builders/contractors/developers. I also do high-end Custom Homes and Additions. I usually have 35-40 fit outs sitting on my backlog at any given time, and I try to complete 15-20 a month. I also do spec and tract homes, however I sub them out to a buddy of mine. I do not to any home improvement type work at all(I.E repair,basements,remodels,patch work etc..).

Residential new construction is also slowing down all over the country, in comparison to a few years ago, so if I were you..I would find myself a new customer base in addition to your exsisting ones.

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Mater

Go Raven! Also what 1King said. Do a great job and go slow at first. You may not make as much money starting out, but look at your business from a "future" perspective. If you want business, work well. We will be able to command more of the business, as long as we do work well, and efficiently. I would suggest you learn with pan and knife and as soon as you feel comfortable, move to tools (apla-tech) if possible. I love that site. Your profits will go through the roof.

BoB The Fixer

dripping mud , i am happy ur doing good in the trade ,

regarding ur question how much time do a person needs to master it , the answer is simply it is not the same for all , some might be good in weeks , some might never be good at all , i advice that when you do a job , as a taper, dont do it cheap and not happy coz the end wont be nice, and when u do a job do it as if it is ur own home, i am in london ontario and toronto is very very busy and everyone is looking for tapers all the year round, a good taper wont take less than 25$ to 35$ /h the more u learn the more u gain, best wishes and if u need any advice ur welcome.

cheers

localtradesman

After years of doing this whole construction thing, it's getting to the point that I should be teaching others...not busting my balls ..... you can only make so much money with your hands. Use your head not your hands. Bail before you get drug into such an easy sport. I usually make 30-40 an hour. Not bad but not enough. My porsche is still in the shop..

CrazyTaper

Just try to keep your head up. I've found myself at times feeling like I'm climbing a ladder and I'll never reach the top. Being in business for yourself is frustrating at times. Dealing with contractors that don't pay, slow work periods, and whining employees can bring you down. You really have to be thick skinned.