Which Drywall Tape is Better: Paper or Mesh?

hi everybody leaves See Jane trail in today's video it's about this here now what is it well this is mesh drywall tape and this is paper tape now here's the thing I get this question all the time folks wanna know Lia what's better mesh tape with the paper drywall tape and so here's the thing it seems like a really simple question to answer but it really isn't so let's start with paper tape right now here's the thing I use paper tape 99.9 percent of the time and there are three reasons why number one paper tape is just cheaper it's three times less money than the mesh tape so that's that's number one number two is paper tape let me take off a piece here okay paper tape does something superior that mesh tape can't do if you notice there is a crease going right down the center I'm gonna flip the tape over because you may be able to see it a little bit better on the other side see that crease but this crease is here because it allows you to create a perfect corner we call them angles but when you need to tape a corner it creates a nice sharp crisp line that mesh cannot equal so number three why do I use paper tape well it allows me to do production work and it allows me to take a roll of paper drywall tape and load it in to the tools that I use now maybe you're thinking we'll load it into the tools that you're using are we just talking about a drywall knife well here's the thing we're not there's there's two tools okay one's called a banjo and what's called a bazooka and both of those drywall tools allow the user to do production work and what it does is it allows you to lay on the paper tape in the joint compound all in one motion so that's why I prefer paper tape because yet cannot load a roll of mesh tape into those tools it really requires paper tape next let's move on to mesh tea remember when I said to you that I use paper tape 99.9 percent of the time well what about that point one percent well let me tell you the advantage of mesh tape this is what paper tape can't do okay it tries to do it but it just doesn't do it as well so this is what mesh tape can do that paper tape really struggles at you see this hole here all right mesh tape can mend this a lot better let me show you what I mean so here's where mesh tape is superior to paper and how I use it on small holes in drywall okay not in high-traffic areas you wouldn't want to do this in a high-traffic area like behind a doorknob where there's a doorknob hole this repair technique is really intended for areas that don't get a lot of traffic okay now if I tried to do the same thing with paper tape right here where the hole is you would get a puckering whereas mesh tape it maintains its form and allows you to plaster or the joint compound over it and it won't pucker in the center and that's why mesh tape is superior for these kinds of repairs there's another advantage to using mesh tape it allows you to skip the bedding coat because it adheres to the surface you're applying it to it sticks right so normally when you're using tape paper tape and you're not using a bazooka you're not using a banjo you've got to do a bedding code you got to put a coat of joint compound and then you cut off a piece of paper taping us stick it on there so when you use mesh tape it eliminates that step it's kind of like well having a banjo without having one right so this tape is also popular with DI wires when it comes to taping ceilings because well it adheres now there are a couple of disadvantages to using mesh tape and I've got to mention them right and here it is number one if you over sand mesh tape you reveal this waffle pattern and your eye goes right to the tape and the whole idea of taping is to disguise the seam so it looks like a continuous wall right well when you over sand it lets everybody know that that's where the joint is where with paper tape if you over sand it fuzz this up a little bit but that's really about it it doesn't give away the joint like mesh tape will so here's an issue that mesh tape has that paper tape just will never have and that is a shelf life mesh tape loses its tackiness over the years and then you just can't use it we're a paper tape you can own paper tape for years and years and years and years and it's always going to tape the same so here's my quick tip for using mesh tape if you're going to use mesh tape before you store it after you use it fold that end over because when you use it again you'll know exactly where the start of the roll is if you don't do that boy you're gonna go crazy trying to find it and my last tip is to store it in a plastic bag and just make certain that you seal it and that's gonna help prolong the life of the roll in terms of its tackiness so did I answer the question I hope I did so here's the thing I use paper tape balls at the time but I keep mesh tape Andy so it's a personal choice right now if you prefer mesh tape just keep paper tape Andy because you never know when you might need to use it on a corner this is Lea saying you can do this see you next time

Channel: seejanedrill

Views: 1,173,822

Rating: 4.8728142 out of 5

Keywords: drywall, drywall tape, paper drywall tape, mesh drywall tape, paper tape, mesh tape, paper, mesh, bazooka, banjo, advantages of mesh tape, advantages of paper tape, drywall for beginners, tutorial, beginner's guide to drywall, taping drywall, drywall tips, drywall tip, how to use drywall tape, drywall taping, use mesh or paper, joint compound, beginner's drywall, hanging drywall, installing drywall, using drywall tape, paper or mesh tape

Id: vXJwgtd2uY8

Length: 6min 39sec (399 seconds)

Published: Thu Oct 05 2017