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Discussion Forum

To bullnose or no…..

tuolumne7 | Posted in General Discussion on March 25, 2008 05:11am

I am debating bullnose corners for my drywall to commence next week.  I assume I will need to hold the sheets back 1/2″ or so at the corners?  Does this technique result in a more durable corner?  Ours will see high speed collisions from dumptrucks, heads, etc.  They certainly seem to be friendlier on heads.  Concerns:

1.  Not sure I like the look, only because I can only remember seeing this in one house ever.

2.  How to transition wallpaper etc. between rooms (not sure this applies anywhere)?

3.  What happens at baseboard/crown molding?

4.  Should I do skylight “niches” in this fashion also?

If we don’t do this, tacky wood corners will be applied up to 4′ in the crash zone.

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  1. ChicagoMike | Mar 25, 2008 06:03am | #1

    Why not use 3-4' spindles with a quarter taken out of the back and applied to the wall? I have seen it in some victorian and colonial homes with great success. The plastic bullnose is hollow, it will dent or crack unless backed up. Unless there is another type of bullnose out there that I am unaware of.

     

    "It is what it is."

  2. Riversong | Mar 25, 2008 06:36am | #2

    I assume I will need to hold the sheets back 1/2" or so at the corners? 

    Yes, for 3/4" bullnose, just bring dw to but not over corner of framing.

    Does this technique result in a more durable corner?

    No.  TrimTex recommends stapling with divegent leg 1/2" staples, so it's attached only to the dw, not to framing. 

    View Image

    View Image

    Concerns:

    1.  Not sure I like the look, only because I can only remember seeing this in one house ever.

    It's a nice look.  Softens the appearance of corners.  I use it only on drywall door and window returns.

    View Image

    2.  How to transition wallpaper etc. between rooms (not sure this applies anywhere)?

    Forget transitions around corners.

    3.  What happens at baseboard/crown molding?

    TrimTex makes wooden bullnose corner blocks for baseboard up to 5-1/4"

    View Image

    4.  Should I do skylight "niches" in this fashion also?

    Why not?  There are 2-way and 3-way corner transition pieces:

    View Image

     
    Riversong HouseWright
    Design *  * Build *  * Renovate *  * Consult
    Solar & Super-Insulated Healthy Homes



    Edited 3/24/2008 11:38 pm ET by Riversong

    1. tuolumne7 | Mar 25, 2008 02:19pm | #3

      Thank you for a very detailed reply.  I think the skylights would look good this way.  I will have stained baseboard, it looks like the prefab models are designed to sit proud of the baseboard at the corner and be painted???  Looking through our whold house mentally last night, I only have 4 full height outside corners (2 walk in closets and 2 shower coves) and there are 4 shorter outside corners leading into the two dormers.  Can these be flexed to 135ish degrees for the angled (forehead whackers) at the dormer sloped ceilings?

      1. Riversong | Mar 25, 2008 06:03pm | #6

        Can these be flexed to 135ish degrees

        Probably, but I haven't tried it.

        Edit: TrimTex makes a 3/4" splayed bullnose for corners up to 135°

        View Image

         

        Riversong HouseWright

        Design *  * Build *  * Renovate *  * ConsultSolar & Super-Insulated Healthy Homes

        Edited 3/25/2008 12:49 pm ET by Riversong

  3. robinpillars | Mar 25, 2008 04:43pm | #4

    I'm debating this on my own house.  I'm still not sure how I'm going to go.  I've always used galvanized bullnose in the past and it has been surprisingly durable.  you can bend it to angles other than 90.  It is pretty easy, but a lot of care has to be taken to make sure the radius turns out in a pleasing manner. 

    I really am torn on the look, lots of people love it, I think in many houses it looks great, but it softens the look of the corners a lot, and in smaller houses I'm not a huge fan.

    As far as trimming it goes the corners above look pretty nifty.  I have always done it one of two ways in the past.  I have either made corners myself like the ones above, but usually simple designs, basically a block drilled to fit tight on corner that sits 1/4" or so proud of the trim and is 1/2" or so taller (all depending on trim size), and usually just square w/ chamfered corners.  I like this method for base, but it could work successfully anywhere.  The other way I've done it is to use a third piece.  One piece running to the corner from each wall, and a third small piece of trim that sits on the bullnose so the trim wraps around it if that makes sense.  This works well with chair rails and smaller trim.  I've never done crown with round corners so I can't really comment there. 

    I think the skylights are probably a personal preference, or are more site specific.  I think they would most likely look good this way.

    Rob

    1. jesse | Mar 25, 2008 05:48pm | #5

      Am I the only one who thinks houses full of bullnosed corners are a fad, and in the future, will date a house like a popcorn ceiling does now?

      1. Riversong | Mar 25, 2008 06:05pm | #7

        Am I the only one who thinks houses full of bullnosed corners are a fad

        Well it was commonly done with plaster walls years ago, using rounded wooden plaster grounds.

        What I hope is a "fad" that will pass is the use of PVC in almost all consumer goods, including many building products such as these corner beads.

        PVC is one of the most environmentally damaging materials that we produce, and stays perpetually in the environment after disposal. 

        Riversong HouseWright

        Design *  * Build *  * Renovate *  * ConsultSolar & Super-Insulated Healthy Homes

      2. DougU | Mar 27, 2008 03:44am | #13

        Am I the only one who thinks houses full of bullnosed corners are a fad,

        I dont know if it's a fad or not, sorta think so but I do hope it goes away! I dont like it. Unlike Riversong, I have never seen it in older plaster houses, that might be a regional thing though.

        In all the higher end homes I've been in I've yet to see it.

        Doug

        1. mike_maines | Mar 28, 2008 04:35am | #14

          A lot of the Victorian-era homes around Boston have it, a piece of wood bullnosed on three sides, toenailed to the corner of a stud and used as a ground for plaster.  After the plaster went on they'd scrape off a bit where the plaster met the wood so the plaster wouldn't crack where it was thinnest.

          Aren't there Victorian-era homes out your way? 

          1. DougU | Mar 28, 2008 04:56am | #15

            Mike

            piece of wood bullnosed on three sides

            I must have missed something! I thought that they were referring to bullnosed plaster, which is something I have never seen in old homes! I didn't see the wood part, and yea, I've seen plenty of them.

            I don't like the bullnosed sheetrock corners, just doesn't look as nice as smooth plaster walls to me, but that's just my opinion - which doesn't seam to go as far as I would think it would!

            Yea, we have plenty of Victorians, more so then any other style. That's probably the time when this area did most of its growing. Federals/colonials are to far and few between. 

            Doug

          2. mike_maines | Mar 28, 2008 01:12pm | #16

            Maybe I missed something too then.  I haven't seen truly plastered bullnosed corners, except in Adobe-style buildings.  I do like the look of the softly rounded corners, but I can see it looking dated after the plastic starts cracking in a few  years.

            I thought you guys had Victorians out there!

             

            Mike

        2. Pelipeth | Mar 28, 2008 01:22pm | #17

          I think it's fairly popular in Fla. A contractor did it in a condo of mine in Fla. without talking to me about it first, I think it looks like cacapoopoo.

          1. DougU | Mar 28, 2008 01:33pm | #18

            without talking to me about it first

            Thats seams odd that they'd do that, I thought the bullnose was an extra. Maybe he(contractor) just did it so much that he assumed you'd want it to?

            Hard to say if it will stay around forever, I never thought textured walls would and look around!

            Doug

          2. mike_maines | Mar 28, 2008 06:25pm | #19

            You guys have textured walls there?  I'm sorry....

            ;-)

          3. Pelipeth | Mar 28, 2008 06:50pm | #20

            Yes, it was part of a kitchen remodel and the two OS corners are the ONLY billnose in the unit.Maybe it was the only cornerbead he had with him???

          4. mike_maines | Mar 29, 2008 12:39am | #21

            Maybe it was the only cornerbead he had with him???

            I think you're onto something there....

             

  4. User avater
    CapnMac | Mar 25, 2008 06:23pm | #8

    1.  Not sure I like the look, only because I can only remember seeing this in one house ever.

    Personally, I think it's best with deeper walls and door/window bays, and with the details carefully considered in advance (like how base or crown works, head casing over windows--that sort of thing.

    The other thing to find out is how the windows will be "dressed" too.  If there's to be three layers of "soft furnishings" (swag, drapes, frufru stuff) of the window, the details can be much more modest than if it's jsut 1" miniblinds or a shade.

    2.  How to transition wallpaper etc. between rooms (not sure this applies anywhere)?

    If paper is a certainty, a reveal at the tangent point of the radius can be handy.  Skinny bit of moulding can suffice, too.  Otherwise. you need a sharp paperhanger who will address those changes first and get them exactly right first. 

    3.  What happens at baseboard/crown molding?

    Depends on the job.  Maybe theres no base.  Maybe it's "plaster" details instead of wood.  If wood base is used, I like stopping the bull nose above it, and chanfering across as a bit more elegant (and simpler for the trim man).

    4.  Should I do skylight "niches" in this fashion also?

    Probably depends upon the proportions, but "likely" seems an apt answer.

    Occupational hazard of my occupation not being around (sorry Bubba)
  5. BUIC | Mar 25, 2008 06:33pm | #9

      "How to transition wallpaper etc. between rooms"

      This has happened on many jobs I've been on.

      The paperhangers call what they do a "french corner".  They will wrap the paper around to the adjoining surface 1/2" to 1".  Depending on the material, whatever they feel is enough that it will bond properly, stay put, and not lift up at the edge.

      Sounds awkward / terrible, but when done cleanly and carefully it looks good.

      "What happens at baseboard/crown molding?"

       One simple solution is to transition the bead back to a square profile a half inch before the molding starts.

      As I've redone my house over the last 20 years, I've replaced the square corners as I went.  We like it, all that really matters....buic

    1. Riversong | Mar 25, 2008 07:42pm | #10

      One simple solution is to transition the bead back to a square profile a half inch before the molding starts.

      TrimTex actually makes a plastic transition piece that goes from round to square for the baseboard.

      View Image View Image

       

      Riversong HouseWright

      Design *  * Build *  * Renovate *  * ConsultSolar & Super-Insulated Healthy Homes

      Edited 3/25/2008 12:51 pm ET by Riversong

      1. BUIC | Mar 25, 2008 09:28pm | #11

          That's what I was referring to.  Thanks for adding the pictures, always clearer that way...buic

      2. tuolumne7 | Mar 26, 2008 02:06pm | #12

        Thanks for the picture, that clears up a few questions. 

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