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Warning: don't screw taping corners too tight to the bead
I watched a new guy on our crew last week spend 45 minutes trying to fix a corner that kept cracking open. He had the paper shoved right up against the metal bead, no gap at all. That's the problem. You need a tiny air gap maybe 1/8 inch between the paper edge and the bead so the mud can actually grab both sides. If you lay it too tight, the paper just bridges and pops loose when the mud dries. Has anyone else dealt with corners cracking after two days?
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ben_shah9316d agoMost Upvoted
Wait wait wait, you SAW that happen for 45 minutes? I gotta say I'm shocked you didn't step in and stop the guy after the first 10 minutes honestly. That sounds EXCRUCIATING to watch. A GOOD foreman would have caught that before he even started taping. That's the kind of mistake that costs the whole crew time and materials. But hey, at least he learned his lesson the hard way right? Now he'll never forget that gap.
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Man that's brutal watching someone fight a corner for 45 minutes. I mean it's like watching a cat try to figure out a glass door. The whole 1/8 inch gap thing is something you learn the hard way I guess. But honestly if you're taping corners that tight you might as well just staple the paper to the bead and call it a day. A little breathing room really is the difference between a solid finish and a mess that makes you want to throw your mud pan across the room.
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