Drywall: paper or fiberglass tape?

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  • dlminehart
    Veteran Member
    • Jul 2003
    • 1829
    • San Jose, CA, USA.

    Drywall: paper or fiberglass tape?

    I'm a neophyte drywaller about to tape my family room. My Stanley how-to book recommends that beginners use the self-adhesive fiberglass mesh tape, saying that the paper tape is trickier. If undercoat isn't consistently the right thickness, if you drag a little too heavily in overcoating it, etc. you can get starved areas that bubble or move the paper.

    It would seem to me that learning how to use the paper would be worthwhile, as it seems likely to be thinner and thus not require so wide an area of feathering back. Marginally cheaper as well.

    Questions:

    1) Is the paper any better, once mastered?

    2) Is paper tape much more difficult to master?
    - David

    “Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.” -- Oscar Wilde
  • Tom Slick
    Veteran Member
    • May 2005
    • 2913
    • Paso Robles, Calif, USA.
    • sears BT3 clone

    #2
    I'd use mesh for repairs and paper for larger work. paper is trickier but less prone to cracking with larger joints.

    I hate drywall.
    Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work. - Thomas Edison

    Comment

    • cabinetman
      Gone but not Forgotten RIP
      • Jun 2006
      • 15218
      • So. Florida
      • Delta

      #3
      In our last few homes LOML did all the taping and mudding, and she was very good at it. She prefers paper tape.
      .

      Comment

      • iceman61
        Senior Member
        • Oct 2007
        • 699
        • West TN
        • Bosch 4100-09

        #4
        My drywall sub uses mesh on flat joints, tape on inside corners, and metal corner bead on outside corners. I don't know the reasoning. The other day he also said that he would not finish out any more sheet rock that my carpenters hung. LOL They left some rather large joint gaps & commented that "mud will cover it".

        Comment

        • BobSch
          • Aug 2004
          • 4385
          • Minneapolis, MN, USA.
          • BT3100

          #5
          I tried using paper tape when I did our basement and had all the beginner's problems, especially the bubbling. I've used mesh ever since.
          Bob

          Bad decisions make good stories.

          Comment

          • JeffG78
            Established Member
            • Jan 2007
            • 385
            • Northville, Michigan - a Detroit suburb
            • BT3100

            #6
            Same as Bob. I have used both and always have problems with the paper. Everything goes well and then the next day I find spots where the paper didn't quite hold and I find bubbles. Once I switched to mesh, I have never had a problem and I feel that the mesh does a much better job of keeping cracks permanently repaired.

            While we are on the subject, When I redid my living room, I hired a drywall guy since the coved ceiling room was done with plaster and had lots of cracks. I tried to mud the curves where the walls meet the ceiling, but I was too slow and LOML was getting antsy to get the room done. The guy I hired put two skim coats on the whole room and was done in two days. My point in this story is that the guy I hired warned me about using pre-mixed mud. When used to fix cracks like those found under picture windows, the crack will always come back. This is because the pre-mixed mud doesn't chemically cure, it only dries. The powdered compound the pros use hardens due to a chemical reaction similar to concrete - making it much harder and stronger. I started using the powder and found that it really does do a better job. I really like that I can buy it in various working times. For small repairs, the 5 minute stuff is great. You have to work REALLY fast, but you can mud, sand, and repaint all within an hour. For everything else, the 45 minute stuff will due. I have a lot more waste and mess, but I like the way it goes on.

            Comment

            • chopnhack
              Veteran Member
              • Oct 2006
              • 3779
              • Florida
              • Ryobi BT3100

              #7
              A word of caution on the "hot mud" 5 min mud etc., they do cure harder than regular joint compound and are much harder to sand so make sure when using them, to patch well and if its not perfect you can always come back and skim coat lightly with regular or light joint compound.
              I think in straight lines, but dream in curves

              Comment

              • herb fellows
                Veteran Member
                • Apr 2007
                • 1867
                • New York City
                • bt3100

                #8
                Sorry to be contrary, but I've had no luck with the fiberglass tape on crack repair. Within 6 months, virtually every crack came back. Only hairline, but I notice it. It might be because of humidity changes in the house, I have steam heat and can't control the humidity real well, so get a lot of fluctuation between the seasons.
                For new work, don't really know.
                You don't need a parachute to skydive, you only need a parachute to skydive twice.

                Comment

                • JeffG78
                  Established Member
                  • Jan 2007
                  • 385
                  • Northville, Michigan - a Detroit suburb
                  • BT3100

                  #9
                  Interesting. Which type of joint compound have you used Herb?

                  Comment

                  • eccentrictinkerer
                    Senior Member
                    • Aug 2007
                    • 669
                    • Minneapolis, MN
                    • BT-3000, 21829

                    #10
                    I've found paper tape to work best. But, I think I've found the secret to eliminating bubbles.

                    About 5 years ago I was having a heckuva time with bubbles under the mud. A light bulb went off when I remembered that when I watched a pro using a "banjo" to apply tape.

                    I reasoned that the tape was saturated with moisture from the mud encasing the tape in the banjo.

                    I soaked pieces of tape cut to rough length in a bucket of warm water for a few minutes.

                    I've never had a bubble since! I use the new pre-mixed 'dustless' mud (dust falls straight down) exclusively for small repair jobs. For big jbs I hire an expert.
                    You might think I haven't contributed much to the world, but a large number
                    of the warning labels on tools can be traced back to things I've done...

                    Comment

                    • JeffG78
                      Established Member
                      • Jan 2007
                      • 385
                      • Northville, Michigan - a Detroit suburb
                      • BT3100

                      #11
                      Originally posted by eccentrictinkerer
                      I've found paper tape to work best. But, I think I've found the secret to eliminating bubbles.

                      About 5 years ago I was having a heckuva time with bubbles under the mud. A light bulb went off when I remembered that when I watched a pro using a "banjo" to apply tape.

                      I reasoned that the tape was saturated with moisture from the mud encasing the tape in the banjo.

                      I soaked pieces of tape cut to rough length in a bucket of warm water for a few minutes.

                      I've never had a bubble since! I use the new pre-mixed 'dustless' mud (dust falls straight down) exclusively for small repair jobs. For big jbs I hire an expert.

                      That's a great idea. I never thought of pre-soaking it.

                      As for the "dustless" mud... I tried it and HATED it. It took nearly 24 hours to dry enough to sand. Even when "dry", it was really soft. It did make less airborne dust, but clogged my sanding sponges. The dust normally knocks right off the sponges, but the dustless stuff was really stuck on there. I used it in the middle of the summer in an air conditioned house, so the humidity shouldn't have been a problem.

                      I asked my drywall guy about it and he said that he tried it a few times and had the same results. I still have about three gallons of it in the basement.

                      Comment

                      • eccentrictinkerer
                        Senior Member
                        • Aug 2007
                        • 669
                        • Minneapolis, MN
                        • BT-3000, 21829

                        #12
                        Originally posted by JeffG78
                        That's a great idea. I never thought of pre-soaking it.

                        As for the "dustless" mud... I tried it and HATED it. It took nearly 24 hours to dry enough to sand. Even when "dry", it was really soft. It did make less airborne dust, but clogged my sanding sponges. The dust normally knocks right off the sponges, but the dustless stuff was really stuck on there. I used it in the middle of the summer in an air conditioned house, so the humidity shouldn't have been a problem.

                        I asked my drywall guy about it and he said that he tried it a few times and had the same results. I still have about three gallons of it in the basement.
                        There's a good chance that you tried to apply the mud too thick if it took more than 24 hours to dry. I never put more on than a 1/16" to an 1/8" per coat.

                        If I have deep voids to fill I use dry stuff. It doesn't shrink and will dry overnight. But don't wait too long to sand 'cuz it sets harder than concrete after a couple of days! DAMHIKT!
                        You might think I haven't contributed much to the world, but a large number
                        of the warning labels on tools can be traced back to things I've done...

                        Comment

                        • crokett
                          The Full Monte
                          • Jan 2003
                          • 10627
                          • Mebane, NC, USA.
                          • Ryobi BT3000

                          #13
                          I actually find the paper tape easier to use. I think it takes less coats to cover than the mesh.
                          David

                          The chief cause of failure in this life is giving up what you want most for what you want at the moment.

                          Comment

                          • cgallery
                            Veteran Member
                            • Sep 2004
                            • 4503
                            • Milwaukee, WI
                            • BT3K

                            #14
                            I much prefer fiberglass. I don't do a lot of drywall, and it is much more user-friendly. If I have wider gaps (like doing a repair), I use hot mud for the first round, then switch to premixed after that.

                            Some of the fiberglass tapes these days are really thin, BTW.

                            Comment

                            • JimD
                              Veteran Member
                              • Feb 2003
                              • 4187
                              • Lexington, SC.

                              #15
                              I like paper tape for seams when you have the advantage of the tapered edges of the drywall in the seam. I like fiberglass for flat or butt seams but sometimes use paper (if that is what I have). I am not an expert but have finished two basements.

                              I like to keep dry setting compound (it has a plaster of paris base) for patches and also like it in wet areas. It does not dissolve easily with water - kind of like green board. I find it difficult to get as smooth as pre-mix but I have no problems sanding it.

                              When putting up paper tape, I find it goes better if I add a little water to pre-mix sometimes with a drop or two of liquoid dish washing soap. If I am using powdered setting compound, I just mix it a little runnier. The trick is to get the paper low enough in the joint that when you sand you do not hit it. If you do, you will see it when you paint. Easiest to get low is mesh, of course.

                              With fiberglass mesh, you may want to consider at least going first coat with a setting compound. It is supposed to be stronger and it also dries much faster and on the first coat you can have some pretty thick areas (especially if the drywall is not hung well).

                              Jim

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