# Mesh Tape & Durabond



## Mstrlucky74 (Jan 19, 2013)

The guy who might do my drywall said he uses mesh tape except on corners where he uses regular tape. Is mesh tape okay to use? He also said he will do most all of the job with Durabond.


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## Nailbags (Feb 1, 2012)

I would not use sticky mesh tape to many problems. Remember you are paying him to do work for you. Spec out what you want on your walls. If your ok with fiberglass tape. Use it. It you want paper tape use it. You are the one that has to live with his work.
Here is the FYI on durabond http://www.usg.com/sheetrock-durabond-setting-type-joint-compound.html


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## ToolSeeker (Sep 19, 2012)

I don't like mesh tape, OK why lie I hate mesh tape. Having said that I know there are some pro's out there that use it. Although I don't know why. I would be more concerned about the dura bond I think he is just using the generic name but means the easy sand. and that is fine.


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## unionmember78 (Mar 31, 2013)

Durabond is not the same as easy sand. Durabond comes in a brown bag. Easy sand comes in a white bag. Is not easily sanded. Mesh tape is fine for wood framing, if you are taping over metal framing then I would use paper tape.


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## Nailbags (Feb 1, 2012)

garywade78 said:


> Durabond is not the same as easy sand. Durabond comes in a brown bag. Easy sand comes in a white bag. Is not easily sanded. Mesh tape is fine for wood framing, if you are taping over metal framing then I would use paper tape.


Mesh tape why it is junk let me tale the ways. 1 It is to thick. 2 it can stretch and cause cracks when the house settles. 3 if you have any dust on the dry wall or it does not stick right. your going to have problems. 4 it leaves a ridge on the seams, refer back to number 1. 5 it cost way more then paper tape. 6 it really cost way more then paper tape going back and fixing the problems.
Lastly no pro I know worth his salt would use mesh tape.


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## unionmember78 (Mar 31, 2013)

Every job I have ever been on we use mesh tape on wood frame paper tape on metal framing. I've plastered 20 million dollar houses and 300 million dollar projects. Mesh tape is fine. Cracks happen when whoever hangs the sheets do A piss poor job leaving gaps, butting joints against cut sides etc. Is paper tape better of course but in residential, mesh is fine for the do it yourself.


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## princelake (Feb 19, 2012)

i know of some pros that use it only on the tapered joint. i've used it in the past. your first coat of mud has to be easy sand or durabond to have a less chance of cracking. i would definitely not use durabond for the whole job. i would recommend paper over mesh. you have way more problems with mesh and if you let this guy mesh your place your taking a higher chance of having your place messing it up.


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## funfool (Oct 5, 2012)

I use mesh on the flat and paper in the corners. 
Most of my work will be a 1 room addition or smaller. If it is any bigger, then would call in a crew of professionals to do the taping and texture. They will not use mesh, they will use their bazooka or whatever is called now days, and apply paper and mud at the same time.

I use mesh where I can because it really saves time, stick it on and mud over it.
I have never had any problems or call backs from all the years I have used it.
Applying paper tape by hand is a pain in the arse and takes 3 times longer then mesh.

pro's with thousands of dollars worth of tools use paper. The rest of us use mesh:wink:


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## princelake (Feb 19, 2012)

i dont think mesh saves any time. you have to go around the room applying your mesh. mix up your mud(20,45,90,etc.) and then go around filling. 
paper you just use the green premixed mud. apply your mud, stick the paper then run your knife along it a couple times and move on. 
for ceiling or butts going to the ceiling or drywall hung vertically im up and down the ladder twice as many times. 
you could do mesh faster if you have a little monkey helper. get your helper to run around applying the tape and you could be lay on the mud right behind him.


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## funfool (Oct 5, 2012)

The Monkeys name is asus, the kid is 6'7" and looong arms :laughing:
Is a great helper and very detailed oriented. Is actually a artist and does oil paintings and murals on buildings and such. This actually makes him slow because he makes everything perfect and is just his nature to do things this way.
I will not hold it against him for striving for perfection.

And yes, is how it works, he goes around and applies the tape while I come in behind him with mud. He then grabs his mud pan and jumps in.
And to be fair, since I am only using paper on corners, and corners take longer then butt joints.
Maybe I am equating the longer time of corners to paper?


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## Nailbags (Feb 1, 2012)

garywade78 said:


> Every job I have ever been on we use mesh tape on wood frame paper tape on metal framing. I've plastered 20 million dollar houses and 300 million dollar projects. Mesh tape is fine. Cracks happen when whoever hangs the sheets do A piss poor job leaving gaps, butting joints against cut sides etc. Is paper tape better of course but in residential, mesh is fine for the do it yourself.


I live by the rule the joy of a cheap quote and fast work. Does not out last the bitter taste of a poor quality job. Sorry I have hung plenty of dry wall have used both paper and mesh. I have had zero! zero! Call backs with paper tape. Mesh I have been called back got a crack showing it popped lose. Sorry Mesh tape is fine for a small patch job or your wood shed. On a million dollar home? don't think so. You can't put it in bango or a bazooka. I can by myself mud and tape a hole house faster then some one using mesh tape and a mixing durabond. Also I have tapered butt joints as well using the right materials on the job so there never is a wide mud seam or ridge to worry about.


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## unionmember78 (Mar 31, 2013)

PLASTER not tape. I would never ever ever use Sheetrock and tape. Plaster is the only way to go. No million dollar house or high end project is drywall. All are plaster. Any spec book for level 5 finish requires paper tape. With that said wood frame house sheets around across studs not standing mesh level five finish would never crack done right.


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## Mstrlucky74 (Jan 19, 2013)

garywade78 said:


> Every job I have ever been on we use mesh tape on wood frame paper tape on metal framing. I've plastered 20 million dollar houses and 300 million dollar projects. Mesh tape is fine. Cracks happen when whoever hangs the sheets do A piss poor job leaving gaps, butting joints against cut sides etc. Is paper tape better of course but in residential, mesh is fine for the do it yourself.


Ok i hear you. Well me and some friends did the sheetrock and there are a few gaps. How can we prevent cracks on those? Thanks


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## ToolSeeker (Sep 19, 2012)

garywade78 said:


> PLASTER not tape. I would never ever ever use Sheetrock and tape. Plaster is the only way to go. No million dollar house or high end project is drywall. All are plaster. Any spec book for level 5 finish requires paper tape. With that said wood frame house sheets around across studs not standing mesh level five finish would never crack done right.


MESH TAPE HAS NO STRENGTH VERTICAL Simply hold 2 opposing corners and pull. If you like more work because it of it's thickness you can use it on flats, but why would you. Don't see any way it can be faster then you get to change back to paper for your angles. And yes there's that wonderful feeling when your almost done sanding and those little squares show up. As I stated in another post in the last couple weeks I have done crack repair in 2 different houses. What did they have in common, all 7 cracks were vertical and all 7 were taped with mesh tape. Would I put my reputation on the line in a million $ house and trust mesh tape NO would I put my reputation on the line in a $50,000 home with mesh tape NO. There is a reason 95% of pro tapers won't use mesh. Don't you think they would want the easy way with as much taping as they do.
RANT OVER This stuff belongs on the same shelf as all in one paint.


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## sixeightten (Feb 10, 2009)

garywade78 said:


> PLASTER not tape. I would never ever ever use Sheetrock and tape. Plaster is the only way to go. No million dollar house or high end project is drywall. All are plaster. Any spec book for level 5 finish requires paper tape. With that said wood frame house sheets around across studs not standing mesh level five finish would never crack done right.


Ridiculous:

Plaster is not done here anymore. I have seen many million dollar (and up) houses that have used drywall. The only plaster work I have seen was in a few dome ceilings.


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## ToolSeeker (Sep 19, 2012)

garywade78 said:


> PLASTER not tape. I would never ever ever use Sheetrock and tape. Plaster is the only way to go. No million dollar house or high end project is drywall All are plaster. Any spec book for level 5 finish requires paper tape. With that said wood frame house sheets around across studs not standing mesh level five finish would never crack done right.


HUH


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## Nailbags (Feb 1, 2012)

garywade78 said:


> PLASTER not tape. I would never ever ever use Sheetrock and tape. Plaster is the only way to go. No million dollar house or high end project is drywall. All are plaster. Any spec book for level 5 finish requires paper tape. With that said wood frame house sheets around across studs not standing mesh level five finish would never crack done right.


Wow thanks for letting me know that dry wall is not used on million dollar homes? I better get my hawk and trowl back out and start ordering up lath. I am getting ready to sheetrock a 4,000 square foot home with sheet rock that will be worth over a half million dollars. I will inform the Home owner and GC that only Plaster is to be used. and mesh tape too.:whistling2:


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## coupe (Nov 25, 2011)

wait! let me inform the owners of the Paris Hotel casino in Las Vegas NV. their $760 million dollar hotel/casino has no plaster or mesh tape, anywhere.http://www.parislasvegas.com/?creat...=LAV&cmp=LAV_PLVOcc.Top&adg=Branded_LV&kw=las Vegas Paris
and that their actual costs should be upward of a Billion dollars?

also the CEO of Cannibals soup's mansion in Princeton New Jersey and Westinghouse' CEO mansion in Pittsburgh PA. both of which took over 5000 sheets of 4'x12' drywall again with paper tape, aren't worth the multi-million dollars they'd expected them to be?

no wait! maybe " *garywade78" will want tomake them aware?* if you like? I'll go through my records and get addresses to write to.

Let me know I must have read the spec sheets all wrong? not impossible but not likely.

as always "jus my thoughts"


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## Mstrlucky74 (Jan 19, 2013)

coupe said:


> wait! let me inform the owners of the Paris Hotel casino in Las Vegas NV. their $760 million dollar hotel/casino has no plaster or mesh tape, anywhere.http://www.parislasvegas.com/?creat...=LAV&cmp=LAV_PLVOcc.Top&adg=Branded_LV&kw=las Vegas Paris
> and that their actual costs should be upward of a Billion dollars?
> 
> also the CEO of Cannibals soup's mansion in Princeton New Jersey and Westinghouse' CEO mansion in Pittsburgh PA. both of which took over 5000 sheets of 4'x12' drywall again with paper tape, aren't worth the multi-million dollars they'd expected them to be?
> ...


Sweeeeeeet:laughing:


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## Mstrlucky74 (Jan 19, 2013)

Nailbags said:


> Wow thanks for letting me know that dry wall is not used on million dollar homes? I better get my hawk and trowl back out and start ordering up lath. I am getting ready to sheetrock a 4,000 square foot home with sheet rock that will be worth over a half million dollars. I will inform the Home owner and GC that only Plaster is to be used. and mesh tape too.:whistling2:


Niiiiice:laughing:


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## unionmember78 (Mar 31, 2013)

No wonder my union plastering company has to travel all over the country doing plaster jobs. I've plastered every Cheesecake Factory, Peabody Essex museum, MFA museum, Mandarin Oriental hotel, 20 million dollar homes on Martha's Vineyard. In Boston all the new editions to the Simon malls, both of Tom Brady houses in Boston, numerous schools, Penn State, Boston College etc. I'm sure you could name a few commercial jobs that have Sheetrock but I haven't traveled the country plastering cause the trade is dead. My company has had a ton of jobs awarded because you could count the number of sheets after a taping job. 
I've used mesh tape at my house and have never had it crack. Like I said paper tape is better any spec book requires paper tape. But to say mesh tape causes cracks is false. Cracks are caused due to poor hanging of blue board/Sheetrock, leaving gaps are what causes cracks. We have gotten off track in this thread, but mesh tape over wood framing in my experience is perfectly fine to use. It's just my opinion not fact.


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## ToolSeeker (Sep 19, 2012)

Just one question since it bad drywalling that causes cracks not movement in the framing or any settling issues. When you go in an old plastered home almost all of them have visible cracks or crack repair I guess thats from bad plastering?


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## Mstrlucky74 (Jan 19, 2013)

garywade78 said:


> No wonder my union plastering company has to travel all over the country doing plaster jobs. I've plastered every Cheesecake Factory, Peabody Essex museum, MFA museum, Mandarin Oriental hotel, 20 million dollar homes on Martha's Vineyard. In Boston all the new editions to the Simon malls, both of Tom Brady houses in Boston, numerous schools, Penn State, Boston College etc. I'm sure you could name a few commercial jobs that have Sheetrock but I haven't traveled the country plastering cause the trade is dead. My company has had a ton of jobs awarded because you could count the number of sheets after a taping job.
> I've used mesh tape at my house and have never had it crack. Like I said paper tape is better any spec book requires paper tape. But to say mesh tape causes cracks is false. Cracks are caused due to poor hanging of blue board/Sheetrock, leaving gaps are what causes cracks. We have gotten off track in this thread, but mesh tape over wood framing in my experience is perfectly fine to use. It's just my opinion not fact.


If I have a few areas where the drywall is not butted up tightly against each other and there is a small gap can the tape/spackle guy do anything to prevent it from cracking? Thanks.


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## Nailbags (Feb 1, 2012)

garywade78 said:


> No wonder my union plastering company has to travel all over the country doing plaster jobs. I've plastered every Cheesecake Factory, Peabody Essex museum, MFA museum, Mandarin Oriental hotel, 20 million dollar homes on Martha's Vineyard. In Boston all the new editions to the Simon malls, both of Tom Brady houses in Boston, numerous schools, Penn State, Boston College etc. I'm sure you could name a few commercial jobs that have Sheetrock but I haven't traveled the country plastering cause the trade is dead. My company has had a ton of jobs awarded because you could count the number of sheets after a taping job.
> I've used mesh tape at my house and have never had it crack. Like I said paper tape is better any spec book requires paper tape. But to say mesh tape causes cracks is false. Cracks are caused due to poor hanging of blue board/Sheetrock, leaving gaps are what causes cracks. We have gotten off track in this thread, but mesh tape over wood framing in my experience is perfectly fine to use. It's just my opinion not fact.


Oh Man I better go back to the seattle Cheese cake factory an tear out the sheet rock. must have read the spec sheet wrong:whistling2: just my way of tossing the BS flag out.


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## unionmember78 (Mar 31, 2013)

Every Cheesecake Factory in the last 7 years has been done by Shawmut design and construction, every store has been plastered on the inside and STO stucco on the outside. Done by the company I work for.


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## ToolSeeker (Sep 19, 2012)

Mstrlucky74 said:


> If I have a few areas where the drywall is not butted up tightly against each other and there is a small gap can the tape/spackle guy do anything to prevent it from cracking? Thanks.


Yes he can by using dura bond hot mud.


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## ToolSeeker (Sep 19, 2012)

Just saying http://www.awci.org/cd/archiveArticles.pl?id=399 Go down to where it says sidebar then go up 5 paragraphs


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## Nailbags (Feb 1, 2012)

ToolSeeker said:


> Just saying http://www.awci.org/cd/archiveArticles.pl?id=399 Go down to where it says sidebar then go up 5 paragraphs


very nice reading thanks for sharing. Iteresting on the dry wall work don't you think:thumbup:


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## unionmember78 (Mar 31, 2013)

www.bizjournals.com/.../shawm...


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## sixeightten (Feb 10, 2009)

garywade78 said:


> www.bizjournals.com/.../shawm...


That link doesn't work.


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## unionmember78 (Mar 31, 2013)

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sour...toDwDg&usg=AFQjCNFyys3-kf5J6H0GuDQkkMHJPJFsVA


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## unionmember78 (Mar 31, 2013)

ToolSeeker said:


> Just saying http://www.awci.org/cd/archiveArticles.pl?id=399 Go down to where it says sidebar then go up 5 paragraphs


Nice 2005 article. The one I posted is from 2013 not last decade.


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