The way most people tape drywall corners is just backwards

I watched my neighbor spend three hours on a corner bead last weekend and he kept putting the paper tape on wet. Everyone seems to think you need to soak the tape first. But I learned from an old painter in Rio Rancho that you actually want the compound to be stiff and the tape dry. He had me do a test patch and the difference in cracking was night and day. Has anyone else tried doing corners bone dry?

3 comments

3 Comments

lindahunt11d ago

Nah I always thought wet tape was the way to go until I tried it dry on a small repair job. Totally changed my mind, no cracking at all.

jesse_west11d ago

@lindahunt I feel you on that. Man, I learned that lesson the hard way. Tried wet tape on a ceiling repair once and it sagged so bad I had to tear it all out and start over. Felt like a real amateur that day. Dry tape is the way to go for sure. Just gotta make sure you get that mud on good and tight.

john_johnson757d ago

My 2000 square foot house had wet tape cracks everywhere until I switched to dry last month.