Wonder if any one can help. I’ve done quite a bit of taping, and like to think of myself as somewhat proficient. But I find that on my finished outside corner, with metal bead or metal/paper bead, that when I later install baseboard that the corner sits “proud” of the wall. In other words, if I nail the base tight to the drywall right to the corner, I have a sway in the base.
One way that I’ve dealt with this is to let the base determine the staright line (shim with a piece of thin cardboard, etc.) and then neatly caulk before I paint. But sometimes this gap can be up to 3/16″.
What am I doing wrong, Friends?
Replies
First, a disclaimer...I'm no drywall guru. I'm not even a hack. I'm less than a hack. Drywall is the one thing that I absolutely refuse to do...unless in a total bind.
Two things...either your corner bead is not being set tight enough over the outside corner, and/or
Your bead is set correctly, but you're not feathering the mud far enough back from the corner and into the drywall field to level the gap.
Best bet is to set the bead correctly...which you may already be doing...and then the next time you mud, carry a 4-foot straight edge. Feather the corner well, and use the straight edge to gauge how well you're blending the corner into the field. While I've not measured it, I'd guess my mud guy feathers the corners back 18-24"
It's not uncommon to have a slight gap...say 1/16th" or so...and with those small gaps the one-piece base can normally be sucked tight to the wall, or if running multi-piece base, the cap will cover the gap.
Still, 3/16ths" is quite excessive, and it can even make a multi-piece base look uneven depending on the level of detail in the trim.
One option for the existing 3/16th" gaps would be to float a secondary layer of mud to fill the gap. Feather the fill back into the field. This gives a much better final appearance than filling the gap with caulk, and if running stain-grade trim it may be your only option in a caulk-less world.
One of the more common problems with less experienced drywallers is using too much mud. Haven't an idea how much you use, but that could cause what you're describing. But you'd have humps at all your tape joints then too, wouldn't you? Agree with trying to feather it out farther as well. 3/16 is enough of a gap to reassess how it's going on.
If you follow Mongo's advice, you should have no problems with base fitting outside corners. Or you can do the corners and leave the base to the trim carpenter, make sure you are not there when he *^$%*# :)
Tom
Im going to assume you are talking about right angle metal bead . [not rounded corner bead ] On the metal bead you are not bringing it in enogh where it is tight , or ,.. You are not spreading it out enough. This is my system ; Tape the sides of the metal with a six, Float with an eight , float again with a ten , finish out with a twelve. If you have a bad corner , float out side the 12 inch mark with a twelve , thus building out to 24. But that is really rare except in the case of a proud stud .
Tim Mooney
maybe , you pressing in on the knife, creating a "dish"
listening for the secret.......searching for the sound...
If it is just in the feathering back, you can correct that by holding your wide knife more perpendiclar to the wall, say at 60°. Laying it too flat and putting too much pressure on it will put a curve into the blade, crowning down in the middle to creat the space you describe, actually not leaving enough mud in the void.
But I am suspecting that it may be a combination of this and improper placement of the corner itself because you mention having the same trouble with the modern corner tape. That stuff is almost impossible to screw up once you get the hang of it. There is a method and technique to it that I feel inadequate to describe with words. I hated it the first times I tried it. My SR guy hated it until I showed him what I had learned. This was from watching at a JLCLive demonstration of the stuff which was very impressssive. Maybe the manufacturer has a video of how to. Or maybe someone else can use the right words to describe it. They do have a roller tool that sets it perfectly in place too .
Nailing in the metal corner bead right comes from experience too. Like Goldiloks found out, Not too much and not too little, you've got to get it Juuuuuusstt Riiightt!
Hold your mouth right, squint one eye, balance on the ball of your left foot,....Naw, just practice!
Excellence is its own reward!
That is a good thought , but I didnt think if he knew the difference between floating and skimming. If he is skimming all three coats , that would do it . Now if we could have some feed back.
Tim Mooney
Thanks to all for your input. I am a stickler for setting my corners straight and tight- on metal, use and crimper and then nail, with paper use a rasp to true the corner before setting the paper/metal bead in mud.
It sounds to me like I need to float out to 18-24", which I haven't been doing. And I will start checking the corners with a straight edge periodically, too.
Taping is an art form, for sure, and it always amuses me when someone who has never even attempted it thinks that there's nothing to it. And because I only do it on my own projects, and not on a daily basis, I am continually learning and improving as I go along.
Thanks again for all the advice.
TD