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Switched to mesh tape after fighting paper tape for 6 months | Drywall Installers - The Community Guide

Switched to mesh tape after fighting paper tape for 6 months

Ngl I was a paper tape loyalist for my first year in the trade. Thought it was the only way to get a smooth finish. Then I had a job in a basement last month where the humidity was awful and paper tape kept bubbling up on me. My foreman handed me a roll of fiberglass mesh and said just try it. Honestly I figured it would crack or show through but I gave it a shot. Finished that whole basement in half the time and no issues with bubbles or cracking. The mesh is way more forgiving on corners too. Anyone else find mesh easier for basements or is that just me?

2 comments

2 Comments

anthony_jackson3mo ago

I'll admit I'm STILL a paper tape guy through and through, even after 8 years in the business. Mesh tape might be faster but I've seen too many jobs where it cracks down the middle of the seam after a couple years in a finished house. That fiberglass mesh has NO strength against tension, it just tears apart if the drywall shifts at all. Paper tape actually bonds into the mud and becomes part of the wall, mesh just sits on top and relies on the compound alone to hold it together. Basements with humidity changes are exactly where I'd be WORRIED about mesh because that constant moisture cycling will make it fail way sooner than paper.

rileyl673mo ago

Got a buddy who calls me a "paper tape purist with trust issues" and honestly, he's not wrong. I tried mesh once on my OWN basement reno and had to redo half the seams within a year, so now I'm just permanently scarred from that disaster. Paper tape might take longer but at least I sleep better knowing I didn't create a ticking time bomb under someone's paint job. Plus, there's something weirdly satisfying about the whole mud and tape process, even if my back hates me for it the next day.