Project Description

Should you use paper tape or mesh tape for your project? In this segment we’ll go over the strengths and weaknesses of both. For whatever reason this how-to video on paper vs. mesh tape is the most watched by far of all my free drywall tutorials.  I feel like I’ve kind of opened a can of worms because I go against popular belief in this segment.  When you review drywall how-to videos on the internet you’ll find that at least 9 out of 10 people recommend or are big fans of fiberglass mesh tape.  That’s easy to believe because of the fact that it appears to eliminate a step in the taping process, easier is better right?  Let me just first say that my purpose with these videos is not to tell other people they are wrong, especially in Construction there are a lot of opinions and for lack of a better term “there is more than one way to skin a cat”.  My experience shows that the vast majority of professionals use paper tape.  Contrary to popular belief (in my opinion) paper tape actually adds more structural strength than fiberglass mesh.  My experience as a drywall repair guy has provided me many experiences to see failed repair jobs, of which the majority were done with fiberglass mesh.  One of the misunderstandings is that fiberglass mesh flexes and therefore is a better product, the problem with that is the simple principle that mud cannot move or flex without cracking.  When taking this position you can imagine my relief to find a video produced by one of the tape manufacturers that I believe supports my theory.  You can see this video titled “USG Surfaces : Drywall Joint Tape : Paper vs. Mesh Tape”.