Update: I thought taping drywall joints was a waste of time

I was helping my buddy finish his basement in Mill Woods last month, and he insisted we use paper tape and three coats of mud on every seam. I used to just use the mesh stuff and two coats to save a day. But after a year, his walls are still perfectly smooth and mine always showed a few hairline cracks. That extra day of work is worth it for a clean job. What's your go-to method for avoiding drywall cracks in our dry climate?

3 comments

3 Comments

grayc271d ago

Yeah, that extra coat with paper tape is the only thing that holds up here.

tara_jones941d ago

Saw my buddy skip the tape and his ceiling cracked in a month.

-1

pat_coleman1d ago

Why would you ever skip the paper tape? That mesh stuff is basically useless here. Our dry air makes everything shrink and pull apart. Three coats with paper tape is the bare minimum for a lasting job. Trying to save a day just costs you more work later fixing the cracks. It's not worth the hassle, just do it right the first time.