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TIL why my butt joints kept cracking after I painted, and it was 2 inches of tape
Did a basement remodel in Boise last month and came back to hairline cracks along 3 butt joints I finished. I blamed the mud at first, but my old timer said I was only bedding the tape about 2 inches past the seam instead of the full 6. Started laying it wider and using a 10 inch knife to feather it out, and not one crack on the next 4 joints. Feels dumb that a small thing like tape width was the whole problem. How wide are you all bedding your butt joints, or is 6 inches overkill for you?
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jenniferwells15d ago
How did you figure out it was the tape width and not something else going on behind the wall? Hairline cracks along a butt joint can come from a few things, like the joint moving with the seasons or the framing shifting, so I'm curious what made you sure it was just the bedding. Also what mud were you using, because hot mud vs all purpose can act way different over a butt joint when things dry out. And on the 6 inch thing, are you talking 6 total with 3 on each side, or 6 past the seam on both sides?
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