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So hey, whadya think guys? Fiberglass or Paper tape for sheetrock? I prefer paper. It is pre-creased for inside corners, and tapes easier.
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....dear Boris .. who cares what you think.. you're all done.... you shouldn't be taping... you're a plaster kind a guy...stick to what yu know...
I'll stick to the mesh, though rumor has it that the paper is stronger than the mesh, it certainly isn't easier....
IMHO
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Boris Yeltsin: I hope you are serious about your question because I'd hate to waste my time answering someone who habbitually drinks too much on the job. :) But....
Mesh is fine for the long, beveled joints in sheet rock. It's quickly installed. I prefer to use USG 90 min. setting compound for the first coat. Then I follow with a coat of USF taping compound (green bucket) and finish off with a thin coat of USG Lite compound (easy to sand). But understand this, pre-adhesive mesh is not the equivalent to paper tape.If you doubt this, read the fine print.
Never, ever use mesh on inside corners. On outside corners (which I always tape..especially in traffic areas) I suggest paper rather than mesh.
Wanna discuss rock hanging?
Mel (the only non-hearing, MidWest builder/remodler I know of :)
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..Mel....speak up will ya!...
we always use metal outside corners wether we're doing joint compound, Durabond, or skim-coat...
no doubt the paper is stronger for inside corners, but we don't get enough movement with most of our work & (knock on wood) haven't had any problem with mesh yet, or at least... if we were having a problenm with a joint moving , it would probably blow a paper corner too....we don't do the volume you do ... we only tape our work when the jobs are too small to bring our plasterer in.....
*Metal corner bead for outside corners, paper for everything else.Fiberglass mesh is too hard to sand. I know, a good taper will get it all embedded but I'm not that good.
*.....Ryan, Ryan , Ryan... don't sand the mesh (and don't sand the paper) how many times i gotta tel ya dis ?you're only sandin your final coat...switch to Durabond (or one of the "setting " compounds ) for you first one or two coats,, just use the joint compound for your last coat.. you can three coat in one day with Durabond...
*Boris,How's the liver?Survey says.....................paper.Ed. Williams
*I use paper for a different reason.I use a taping gun, and mesh tape won't work in it. I've tried, and it makes the most awful mess you ever saw (and I have to clean it up)A taping gun, when properly used, will cut your taping time down to almost nil. Takes a while to get the hang of it, but it sure makes life easier. Works great for beveled joints, butt joints, inside corners, outside corners, offset angles (other than 90 degrees) and just about anywhere else you can think of.Just my humble opinion...James DuHamel
*According to the USG Handbook, paper is stronger than mesh. Tests they have conducted showed that a mesh joint is more likely to crack than a paper joint. I personally like paper. If you take the mesh and pull it by opposite corners it pulls to a nice thin rope. Try that with paper.trd
*mesh for any joint bigger than 1/4". paper bubbles on me when the gap's too wide. but paper on inside corners and butt joints when my joints are tight. and milk thistle is supposed to be good for the liver.anybody use an inside corner tool? i find it works real well for imbedding tape, but not very well for the next two passes.
*You can't tell me that I'm the only guy that has a couple of spots of paper showing once in a while. I'm not the only one am I?
*Yeah, I'm with you on the corner tool Stephen. After the first coat I do one side, let it dry, then do the other side.Mike - Durabond may be faster, but it seems a lot harder, less forgiving. I still need to sand a little bit sometimes on the second coat. I'm stickin' with two coats of taping mud and finishing with topping mud. Ryan - I sand too far and fuzz my paper sometimes too, but I wouldn't admit it publicly.
*They make a sandable durabond that's not as hard.And thanks JB, I'm glad I'm not the only one.
*Hey, I'm sure probably everyone knows this... but if you don't, try using one of those foam sanding blocks (especially the ones with the sharp edge) - it makes sanding a lot more bearable. It won't scuff up the paper, won't leave sanding marks on the wall, and makes inside corners a lot easier.
*...bite my tongue....my drywall sub once tol' me... put that damn butterfly back in your box.... that's for plaster...an' nother thing....youse guys are sandin too much.... it's all in how u hold yur knife....and yur hawk...and yur mouth..hey, Boris.. don't leave yur dead sodiers on my job.. customer'l think we been drinkin...sted a you..
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Mike,Im shouting!:)
Of course I always uses metal corners...well-nailed to boot! I was only responding to the tape vs. mesh dialog.
Remember, before there was mesh tape, there was only paper tape.
Mesh tape was invented to make the job of taping easier...it was not intended to make the job of taping "better". Thanks to setting compounds, one can achieve a strong joint using mesh. But note: I do not use mesh on my drywall butt joints. Why? The layer of mud is too thin...the mesh can cause cracks to appear over time. I don't use texture sprays often, so keeping the plane of the drywall even does not allow me to apply a thick coat of mud on butt joints. Hence the use of tape.
I am a remodeler and build occasional "small homes of disctinction".
I have looked at many taping jobs: my own and others. I encourage all of us to take the time to look over our work a couple of years down the road. You will be surprised how sobering and humbling such a visit can be...provided one is open and eager to learn about one's flaws in workmanship and material selection.
Mel
*Steve: I don't use the inside finishing tool. I let the taped corner dry. Then I apply a neat, clean coat of USG taping compound (green bucket)on one side of the corner. Let it dry, and apply an coat of USG "Lite" on the other side. Why the taping compound on one side? It dries to a harder finish and won't crumble and mess up the next pass I do with "Lite" compound. But remember, taping compound is harder to sand. So I take extra care to work neatly.Mel
*Jim and Mike: Durabond or any of the setting-type compounds are harder to sand than "Lite" compounds. Think of Dura and setting compounds as "glues" and think of "Lite" as a skimmer/sander coat.Yes, Durabond is not forgiving. You need to work cleanly.If you are sanding into paper, then you have too little mud on the joint. That's the objection I have to taping machines....or perhaps it is not the machines so much as the installers. Helter-skelter production..in and out...get paid and leave... is not the way to build.My humble opinion.Mel
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So hey, whadya think guys? Fiberglass or Paper tape for sheetrock? I prefer paper. It is pre-creased for inside corners, and tapes easier.