Paper vs Mesh Drywall Tape
Use paper drywall tape for seams, cracks and inside corners. Use self-adhesive mesh tape for quick patches and around repair pieces, and always cover mesh with setting compound on the first coat. Keep a roll of each on hand.
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What you need
8 items needed · tick what you already own
- Self-sticking tape for cracks and flat patch seams. Easy for beginners because nothing has to be bedded first.
- Seams, inside corners and recurring cracks. It's stronger than mesh once bedded properly.
- Filling deep holes and gaps, the first coat over mesh tape, and repairs you want to finish in one day.
- Skim coats over patches and tape, and feathering repairs wider. Sands easily.
- Bedding tape, first coats over patches and cracks, and most repairs up to about 4" wide.
- Wide final coats that feather a patch or seam into the wall so it disappears under paint.
- Holding a working amount of compound so you can load and clean your knife on its edge.
- Cutting loose paper, scoring drywall, trimming torn tape and opening cracks into a shallow V.
How to apply paper tape
- Spread a bed of mud. Lay a band of compound about 4" wide and ⅛" thick along the joint with a 6" knife.
- Press in the tape. Center the tape over the joint and press it into the mud.
- Squeeze it out. Pull the knife along the tape at about 45° so mud squeezes out both edges. Leave a thin film under the tape, not a dry joint.
- Coat over it. When dry, add a second coat 8–10" wide and a third about 12" wide. Full details are in taping and mudding drywall.
Paper vs mesh tape compared
| Paper tape | Mesh tape | |
|---|---|---|
| Strength | Stronger. Doesn't stretch, so it holds joints that move | Weaker. Can stretch, which lets cracks come back |
| Ease of use | Needs a full bed of mud. Can bubble if bedded dry | Self-adhesive. Stick it on and mud over it |
| Inside corners | Best choice. Pre-creased down the middle | Hard to fold neatly. Avoid |
| Compound for the first coat | All-purpose or setting compound | Setting compound (hot mud) |
| Cracks | Best choice, especially recurring cracks | OK for small, stable cracks with setting compound |
| Patches | Good for seams around a new piece | Good for small patches and around repair clips |
| Bubbles and blisters | Can happen if the bed is too thin | Rare. No paper to lift |
| Thickness over the joint | Very thin, easy to bury | Slightly thicker, needs a wider coat to hide |
Why mesh tape cracks with premixed mud
Mesh is fiberglass with open holes. It adds little strength on its own, so the compound around it carries most of the load. Premixed all-purpose compound dries by evaporation and stays a little soft. Over a seam that flexes, the soft mud and stretchy mesh let hairline cracks open along the joint.
Setting compound (hot mud) hardens by chemical reaction and is much harder when cured. Push it through the mesh on the first coat and it locks the joint. After that, you can use all-purpose or lightweight compound for the finish coats, which sand more easily. More on mud choices in types of drywall mud.
How to apply mesh tape
Before you cut, scrape or sand: in a home built before 1980, old joint compound and texture can contain asbestos, so have them tested by an accredited asbestos professional first (EPA). If the home was built before 1978, test the paint for lead before you sand or scrape it (EPA). Before cutting into a wall or ceiling, turn off power to nearby outlets, switches and fixtures and check for wires and pipes.
- Stick it on dry. The wall must be clean and dust-free so the adhesive holds. Press the tape flat over the joint or around the patch, overlapping at corners.
- Mix setting compound. A 20 or 45 minute powder gives you time to work. Mix only what you can use before it hardens.
- Force mud through the mesh. Press compound into the mesh with a 6" knife, then scrape back across so the coat is thin and the mesh is just covered.
- Finish with wider coats. After it sets, about 1–2 hours, apply two wider finish coats of all-purpose compound.
Corner tape options
- Paper tape handles most inside corners. Fold it on its crease and bed it like a flat seam.
- Metal-reinforced corner tape is paper tape with two thin metal strips down the center. It makes a crisp, straight line on outside corners and off-angle corners, such as where a sloped ceiling meets a wall, and it can stand in for corner bead on small repairs.
- Flexible composite corner tape is a stiffer plastic or laminated tape that bends to any angle. It's good for long off-angle corners and inside corners that keep cracking.
For a dented outside corner with metal or vinyl bead, replace the damaged section of bead rather than taping over it.
Which tape for each repair
| Repair | Tape | Guide |
|---|---|---|
| Crack in a wall or ceiling | Paper | Crack repair |
| Crack that keeps coming back | Paper with setting compound | Crack repair |
| Doorknob-size hole | Self-adhesive mesh patch | How to patch drywall |
| Seams around a new drywall piece | Paper, or mesh with setting compound | Large holes |
| Inside corner | Paper | Taping and mudding |
| Off-angle or outside corner | Metal-reinforced or flexible corner tape | Taping and mudding |
| Bubbled or loose tape | Paper, cut out and re-bedded | Tape bubbles |
| Ceiling seam that sags or cracks | Paper | Ceiling repair |
How much tape to buy
For repairs, one roll of each is plenty. Rolls are typically sold in lengths from about 75' to 500'. A small roll of paper tape and a small roll of mesh cover dozens of patches and cracks.
For a full room of new drywall, measure every seam and corner and add about 10% for waste. A common estimate is about 375' of tape per 1,000 square feet of drywall, counting seams, butt joints and corners. A 250' roll is about right for the walls and ceiling of a 12' × 14' bedroom.
Tape keeps for years if it's stored dry. Mesh adhesive can weaken in heat, so keep the roll out of a hot garage or truck.
Common tape mistakes
- Paper tape bedded dry. Too little mud underneath and the tape bubbles. See drywall tape bubbles.
- Mesh with premixed mud only. It cracks more often. Use setting compound for the first coat.
- Mesh in inside corners. It won't fold cleanly and leaves a lumpy corner.
- Overlapping tape too much. Stacked layers make a hump that's hard to hide. Butt ends together or overlap by about an inch.
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