Drywall covers a large surface area of the visible interior of most buildings, which means details matter if you want to meet or exceed the customer’s expectations. Something as minor as a screw pop can raise concerns about the quality of the finished job. Similarly, corner beads cover a very small square footage of a drywall job and dramatically affect the overall appearance of the completed drywall work.
Thankfully there have been many innovations in corner beads over the last few years, presenting many options that offer superior performance compared to more traditional metal beads, and paper tape.
The “complexity” of drywall corners refers to the attention to detail that is necessary to complete the job. Corners are a focal point in a room, and often require a greater level of technical knowledge skill and persistence to finish to the customer’s expectations.
Outside corners in high traffic areas
You may not consider an outside corner in a high traffic location “complex”, but considering the challenges high traffic corners pose, they are far from simple. When considering outside corners we first think of corner protection and durability. As a professional installer, I want to install a corner that can endure moderate abuse and impact with minimal cosmetic damage—something that stays in place even when structural movement occurs. For best results, I typically look for a bead product that attaches to the drywall with joint compound or an adhesive and not to the framing underneath. The end result is a finished corner with nice crisp straight lines; this is especially noticeable on off angles. Your customer expects perfectly straight corners, and leveraging more innovative products will help deliver the corner protection and durability they need.
Long Soffit Runs
More than ever, floor plans are more open and often incorporate long soffit runs and outside corners on high walls. These areas are especially complex because they are very visible, they are designed to draw the eye up and showcase the grandeur of the space. Any waviness in the corner line will be noticed, and not in a good way. The challenge here is these soffit runs are often not framed perfectly straight and are longer than a typical stick bead in length. For this type of job, I recommend a roll type corner bead product. I have been using these products for years to finish this type of off-angle inside or outside corner, and I consistently get better results when installing one long piece of bead.
Always improving
I have been in the drywall business for over 30 years and I have seen a lot of changes in corner beads and I have tried them all. Corner beads today make my life easier and make my work look better by eliminating the complexity of corners.
For a complete line of corner solutions, please visit CertainTeed.com/Drywall/Products.
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