The simple corner bead trick that made me feel like an idiot after 6 years

I have been doing drywall for about 6 years now and I always fought with outside corners. I used the paper faced metal bead and I would get air bubbles or it would just not line up right. Last week I was working on a basement in Red Deer and I spent 3 hours trying to get one corner to look decent. My buddy came over and watched me for a minute and said why are you not using a corner float. I thought they were just a gimmick for the big crews. He let me borrow his and I finished that whole room in like 40 minutes. The mud went on smooth and even and I did not have to sand hardly anything. I have been wasting so much time and money on sandpaper. Has anyone else been sleeping on simple tools like that and felt dumb after?

2 comments

2 Comments

taylor1749h ago

Hold on, is it really that serious? You spent 3 hours on one corner without asking for help before that. I've used a corner float a few times and yeah it helps but it's not some magic wand. You still gotta be careful with the mud thickness or it cracks later. Plus some guys in my crew swear by the paper tape and refuse to switch. I think you might be overselling it a bit.

elizabethf856h ago

Oh man @taylor174 is right that it's not magic but dude I had the exact same moment with a drywall taping knife a few years back. I was using this beat up old putty knife for everything until someone handed me a proper 6 inch taping knife and I felt like such a moron for fighting with bad tools for so long.