Switched from metal corner bead to paper faced bead on my last 3 jobs, night and day difference

I was always a metal corner bead guy cause thats how my old man taught me. Finally caved and tried the paper faced stuff after a buddy at the supply house in Denver kept pushing it. No more fighting with mud build up or worrying about rust spots showing through. Corners come out way cleaner with less sanding. Only downside is it costs like $2 more per stick. Has anyone else made the swap or found a specific brand that holds up better than others?

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morganj811mo ago

Hold on before you throw all your metal beads in the scrap bin. Paper faced stuff is way too easy to dent if a ladder bumps it or you drop a bucket near it, then you got a crushed corner that's a pain to fix. Metal takes a hit and you just tap it back with a hammer, good as new. Plus that paper mesh tears way easier than people admit when you're pulling it tight, and if you don't get it perfectly embedded in the mud it'll bubble up later and you'll be cutting it out. I've seen more nail pops and hairline cracks on paper faced corners a year down the road than I ever saw with the old school metal. The cost difference adds up fast on a big house too, and for what, saving a little sanding time? I'll stick with what's proven, my old man did it that way for thirty years and never got a callback.