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This seems very unusual? Fast set joint compound, in my experience, will even set (on the inside anyway) under water, as my buckets have proven.

Yet I needed a hearty amount to plug a deep hole, and it's literally been 4 days and the surface is still wet to touch, and visually you can tell it's still wet (though the dry part is slowly growing day by day).

What could be causing this? (Should I be worried about effects later on. E.G. after priming & painting)

UPDATE, it dried after 1 week, I had a dehumidifer on but didn't get a chance to put in a fan/heater yet. the day it dried it was raining a lot ironically

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  • it is just physics, setting compounds crosslink so they "set" but still dry by evaporation and migration of moisture. If it is a deep fill the moisture deep in the fill still migrates to the surface to escape especially if it is sealed well behind. If its been cold and/or humid as suggested below it can take awhile.
    – redlude97
    Jan 1 at 22:28
  • @redlude97 is there a point at which i should just stop waiting and remove it and redo it? i'm worried the continued moisture may damage something? nearby dried mud?
    – james
    Jan 2 at 3:54
  • I would just put a heater and fan on it or use a heat gun. How deep of a fill are we talking? I normally would never mud deeper than like 1/2" anything deeper and I would have added some kind of backing or filled with a piece of drywall first
    – redlude97
    Jan 2 at 4:46
  • It's 1/4" so i didn't think it would be so bad! yes i will try a fan....
    – james
    Jan 2 at 5:52
  • 1/4” that’s not deep at all the setting compound should have set in the time on the bag unless two much water was used.
    – Ed Beal
    Jan 2 at 8:10
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Two possibilities:

  1. There is too much humidity in your building. This can often be the case with new construction in humid areas. It can take many days for the HVAC system to remove enough humidity. In existing construction you still may have excess humidity depending on the location, such as a bathroom. You might find a dehumidifier helpful.

  2. The compound is old. In this case it may never dry. If you don't know its "vintage" scrape it off and get some new compound from a sealed container.

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  • So I should clarify... I used the same compound elsewhere on the wall in a hole almost as deep, and it did dry, nonetheless I did put a dehumidifier in the room. If there aren't down the line concerns about this compound after painting & priming, then I will continue to just be patient
    – james
    Jan 1 at 21:48
  • also @jwh20 is there a point at which i should just stop waiting and remove it and redo it? i'm worried the continued moisture may damage something? nearby dried mud?
    – james
    Jan 2 at 3:54

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