Paper or metal for corners

stevedam850 · Oct 16, 2020

I just took down a room full of chalk paneling. There was drywall underneath and I want to fix it up. Where the wall meets the ceiling on some spots there is a gap. (Pictures included) would I be better at putting a metal inside corner or just paper tape the corner?
Thanks

Snoonyb · Oct 16, 2020

It' actually a 1 step process. You fill the voids with joint compound as you are applying the tape.

bud16415 · Oct 16, 2020

Paper or mesh tape. I would use the mesh tape. I put it on first and then mud over it.

EricK · Oct 16, 2020

If I'm not mistaken, and someone please correct me if I'm wrong, the metal channels are for outside corners. I would use paper tape. In my opinion it's a better for inside corners and gaps like that.

bud16415 · Oct 17, 2020

The metal and now plastic corners have a bead on the corner and are made for outside corners only. I use the metal except for arches and such as the plastic is easier to form if the opening is not straight. The bead keeps a sharp line and prevents chips.

Paper or mesh both are use on inside corners. The paper has a seam down the middle and folds easy. You lay down a bedding coat of mud and then place the tape over it and smooth it out. The mesh is fiberglass and has a sticky side and it goes on first and sticks to the drywall. The mud passes thru the holes in the mesh and fills the crack behind. Both methods need to be slightly covered and feathered out so the tape doesn’t show. It is best to get it as smooth and close to finished shape with the drywall spreading knife and then sand to perfection.

oldognewtrick · Oct 17, 2020

I've had better results with paper tape, I find it's easier to hide and finish than the mesh. Just my 2 cents.

bud16415 · Oct 17, 2020

I agree both tapes have their place. I mostly am working on old homes where I’m joining a plaster wall to a new drywall cover up ceiling or using drywall compound to fix cracks in plaster.

Both tapes do the job and when you sand down and hit paper tape you get some fuzzy surface that won’t take paint correctly and with mesh you get strings or you see the mesh texture. It is a lot what you are doing and how uneven the surface is and such. For new work it is almost all done in paper.

For the OP I would first go around and fill all the screw holes and then go back and do the vertical seams and then after they are done do the ceiling. It is hard to do both directions at the same time plus you will learn as you go and that’s the order from easiest to hardest.

Jeff Handy · Oct 17, 2020

I would slice off all those stray paper defects with a razor knife or a sharp drywall knife.
Fill the divots with premixed joint compound.
Will need at least two coats.

Then I would fill the biggest voids in those long cracks with premixed joint compound and let it harden for a few days.
Scrape off everything extra, just leave the big cracks filled up.
If you don’t prefill them, sometimes they will suck in your tape as they dry.

Then scrape off any high spots, then cover the corner gaps with paper tape.
Use mesh on any flat surfaces.

However, if you let the bedding coat dry out at all, paper will bubble up and has to be removed.
If your technique is poky and poor, use mesh tape on corners, but it is hard to make a straight edge, and your drywall knife can cut through the mesh corner, so be careful.
Usually easier for a novice to make one side look good, let dry, then finish other side of the corner.

Fireguy5674 · Oct 18, 2020

They also make a product now for inside corners that is similar to tape but has a thin plastic in it. It is more expensive than regular paper tape but it is easier than tape, goes on faster and gives a nice straight corner when finished. You bed it in mud like regular tape but you can do the bedding and first coat in one step. Then a second coat, a little touchup and light sand, you are ready for paint. You can get it at the orange big box store. I don't do anymore drywall finishing than I have to, but this makes it faster and easier. Great for beginners, but I showed it to a friend whose has been doing drywall for years and he liked it.

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