Fiberglass Mesh Drywall Tape

Fiberglass mesh tape is used for its simplicity, because it eliminates the step of embedding the tape in drywall compound.

Fiberglass tape is self adhesive, allowing you to stick the tape directly to the drywall. Because it is not embedded in drywall compound, mesh tape does not have the blistering problems which can happen with standard paper tape.

Stronger than paper tape

The fiberglass strands which form the mesh of the tape are stronger that the paper fibers of standard paper tape. This helps in preventing cracks from re-appearing. On some cracks you may want to tape with fiberglass mesh tape, then mud, then re-apply the tape in a diagonal direction for added strength, then re-mud.

Note: Some cracks are hard to eliminate for good, and require bracing the framing behind the drywall to prevent stress cracks from re-occurring.

Taping

Fiberglass mesh tape is self adhesive, all you need to do is lay it down flat on the drywall seam. This is done by pressing the tape down with a 4” or 6” drywall knife. You can place your roll of fiberglass mesh tape on a tape dispenser (the same type used for standard paper tape), and it will hold the roll as you affix it firmly to the wall using a drywall knife, smoothing it into place.

Tape everything that needs to be taped -at the same time

Timing can be an important issue with drywall repairs. You don’t want to have to wait a day or two because you are out of sequence with the inside corners were not taped with the flat seams. Therefore, tape all the joints, seams and cracks at the same time, then mud everything etc… this will get the job done in a timely manner.

Mudding

You will need two or probably three coats of mud over the mesh tape to completely conceal the tape. Each coat of mud should be progressively wider than the previous one. Start with a width of about 6” with the first coat of drywall compound over a flat seam. Float this coat on smoothly, the thickness of this coat would be about the thickness of the mesh tape itself. After the compound is totally dry, apply the second coat about 2” to 4” wider than the first coat. You will want to feather the edges of this coat tight to the drywall. Apply the compound as smoothly as you can while so doing. Repeat this process with the third coat. The third coat normally will be a thinner, tighter skimmed coat than the second.

The goal of mudding is to bury / hide the tape, and create a smooth taper that does not have a noticeable “hump”. The farther out the taper, the more gradual and smoother the seam will be.

Sanding

Once the drywall compound is dry on the finial coat, you are ready to sand. Sanding drywall compound creates a lot of fine dust. I strongly recommend using a shop vacuum with a fine dust filter and a good vacuum sanding attachment. This type of system is virtually dust - free. It eliminates having the dust, not only all over the floor, but prevents (or GREATLY reduces) airborne dust from floating and migrating all over the house.

Dry sanding preparation

Turn the furnace or A/C off and block off the cold air returns (and hot/cold air vents too), and wear a drywall sanding respirator when dry sanding drywall compound. Cover up everything that you don’t want dust on with plastic. Enclose openings (doors, archways etc) to the room with plastic to prevent dust from traveling throughout the house.

Clean up the sanding dust with a shop vacuum filtered with a fine dust filter (preferably HEPA).

Note: You can eliminate MOST of this dust mess by simply using the vacuum sander with a HEPA filtered shop vacuum.

Related Links: Repairing Drywall Cracks

Taping and Mudding Drywall Repairs

The tape can be cut by placing the end of a drywall knife tightly on the tape and pulling the tape against the knife in a tearing manner.

As a rule, you will butt the tape rather than overlapping it where you have intersecting seams. Overlapping will create a hump that will be harder to conceal. See fig. 1.1.

Corners

One of the downsides to mesh tape is that it is a little harder to use on inside corners. The mesh design can cause a rippled effect when mudding over mesh tape on inside corners.

To overcome this tendency, you need to hold your mudding knife blade a bit flatter than you would with smooth paper tape. Some contractors will use paper tape on the inside corners when they are using mesh tape elsewhere, to avoid this problem.

Fig. 1.1

Mesh tape with intersecting seams - butted together.

Fiberglass Mesh Drywall Tape

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