# Paper Tape vs. Mesh Tape?



## WhatRnsdownhill (Jan 13, 2016)

use the tape, the mesh leaves furry stuff on the finished wall....lol..when you sand down the mud, the mesh tape gets soft and has fibers that stick out...


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## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

And also requires a wider joint to taper it out so the mesh does not show through.
99% of the time the reason it cracked is because the drywall was installed wrong.
There should never be a seam along side of any window, should have been cut so it ran near the middle.


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## ben's plumbing (Oct 6, 2011)

forget the mesh...use the tape...plain and simple its better..imo...


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## Twister (Jul 5, 2009)

joecaption said:


> And also requires a wider joint to taper it out so the mesh does not show through.
> 99% of the time the reason it cracked is because the drywall was installed wrong.
> There should never be a seam along side of any window, should have been cut so it ran near the middle.


1 - Tapering: I've got some "USG Sheetrock Paper Joint Tape" and some "FibaTape Ultra Thin Drywall Joint Tape" sitting in front of me. The thickness of each tape looks the same to me. Granted, I do have the "ULTRA" thin brand of the FibaTape. Anyway, I think the feathering distance should be the same.

2 - Agreed, drywall seams around a window are generally a bad idea but it is what it is. The 2 walls I need to repair each have 3 windows on each wall, and the 3 windows on each wall are fairly close together. Installing drywall without any joints near a window was not possible. For what it's worth, each wall has _one_ crack underneath the center of the _center_ window and the crack runs downward from the center of the window down to the floor about 20" below.


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## Twister (Jul 5, 2009)

ShtRnsdownhill said:


> use the tape, the mesh leaves furry stuff on the finished wall....lol..when you sand down the mud, the mesh tape gets soft and has fibers that stick out...


 Thx for replying but it sounds to me like you're sanding off too much mud.

Anyone else?


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