# Drywall tape: wet or dry?



## n0c7

I've tried, I find it gets too sloppy and heavy to work with. I always have used the dry method and haven't had any issues.


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## racebum

doesn't hurt if the mud is getting sticky but i've never set tape in anything but hot mud. with that i can get the texture of the mud a touch more runny than pre mix. on a 100deg day wet tape would make sense though since the mud flashes so fast when you lay it out


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## DangerMouse

*I hate paper tape!*

Say what you will, but I love this sticky fiberglass mesh stuff!
I'm using it tonight! Po)

DM


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## Jim F

I think there are varied responses to this question. I followed a tip I read here that involves laying paper tape in a sloppy wet bed of mud pressing it in and another layer of sloppy wet mud over that then squeegeeing out most of it from under the tape then letting that set and dry before mudding over. That works well for me. Some feel that wetting the tape does not allow enough mud to set it the pores of the tape. So dry tape is my vote.


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## DaveBid

Thank you for all for your responses! Sounds like it's more or less a matter of preference. I'm going to try it dry to see if it's any easier to work with.


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## bjbatlanta

You won't see any professional finishers wetting tape prior to applying it. Don't know where the advice comes from, but I'd ignore it....


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## spaceman spif

I usually set it in dry, but if I find one spot of the tape isn't laying down nicely and keeps wanting to pop up a little, I'll spray it with a little water from a spray bottle to wet it just enough that it stays down long enough that I can go back with a second coat of mud.


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## epson

Here check this site out. This guy has a video on how he wets his tape;

http://www.drywallinfo.com/tapingjoints.html


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## jlhaslip

I have a mud box that puts mud on the tape then gets cut to length.


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## oh'mike

Dry tape for me---


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## DIYtestdummy

Maybe our climate, but I've seen some sort of masking tape used here. I used the fiber mesh and it's wonderful if you don't have to sand it.


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## Dusty1

bjbatlanta said:


> You won't see any professional finishers wetting tape prior to applying it. Don't know where the advice comes from, but I'd ignore it....


Professional finishers also thin their first coat. The paper face of the drywall and the paper tape absorb water from the mud weakening the bond.


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## Dusty1

We use a hybrid system. Paper for the corners and mesh for the flats.


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## Willie T

Try it dry. If you are like the majority of first time drywallers, you will find that you didn't get a good bond everywhere. (Dusty's remark above is SO true.) Then you'll probably want to give it a shot with the tape moist. That is why I always suggest to novices that they give their tape about a half second dip in a bucket of water.

See*THIS* post.


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## Willie T

Above all, remember this. There is a world of difference between pros and beginners. And in the ways they best approach certain tasks.

I have developed great respect for many contributors on this forum. Bj is at the top of the list. BUT he is a pro. You are not. He, and others, can do things differently, often seeming to skip steps, and turn out excellent work. This seldom works for beginners.

Those of us doing our trades for a long time tend to forget that we very often do things without even giving them much thought. Novices have to think hard and deliberately about each and every step along the way.

If you did nothing more than listen to a good finisher 'slapping' mud on a wall, you would get the idea that drywall finishing is to be done in a reckless and haphazard manner. "Slap", "Bang", "Bam"! Nothing could be farther from the truth.

He can do it that way, but if you try what you think is the very same thing, you will likely end up with a total mess. That's why you had to take a fairly long time to learn to ride your bicycle. Had you not, you might have broken your neck.


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## danrb007

I agree with the above. I have always dipped the paper tape in a bucket for just a second. Actually what I have found works for me is I put a coat of mud on the seam I am getting ready to tape. I cut the tape to length, roll it up and put it in the bucket of water. I grab an end and squeegee it through 2 fingers together as i pull it out of the water. I lay the tape on the seam, Then draw a 6" knife down the seam. I have tried dry before and found I get more areas that don't seal or bubble up. So i just give it that little bit of water to make sure.


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## Axecutioner-B

Willie T said:


> I have developed great respect for many contributors on this forum. Bj is at the top of the list.


Totally agree :thumbup: If Bj posts i almost always check to see what he has to say.


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## oldrivers

when i hand tape patches using setting muds quicksets i do wet the tape first . it doesnt hurt anything cause the mud is wet ... but sometimes my quickset is sort of thick not soupy enough like regular taping mud is . never had any problems doing this .


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## speedtree

ok, let me see if I get this right.

If the theory that the drywall and tape absorb water from the mud thus weakening the bond is true then I assume that thinning the first coat of mud puts more water into the equation solving the problem. 

Since thinner mud is maybe harder to work with for a beginner our alternative is to wet the tape.

I guess Bj assumes the OP is a pro since he told him to ignore the advice to wet the tape. 

If I am a novice about to drywall a bedroom would Bj and others advise me to wet the tape over thinning my first coat or just use the tape dry without thinning?


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## Willie T

speedtree said:


> ok, let me see if I get this right.
> 
> If the theory that the drywall and tape absorb water from the mud thus weakening the bond is true then I assume that thinning the first coat of mud puts more water into the equation solving the problem.
> 
> Since thinner mud is maybe harder to work with for a beginner our alternative is to wet the tape.
> 
> I guess Bj assumes the OP is a pro since he told him to ignore the advice to wet the tape.
> 
> If I am a novice about to drywall a bedroom would Bj and others advise me to wet the tape over thinning my first coat or just use the tape dry without thinning?


He will probably say what I said..... "Try it dry first." It may work just fine for you.


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## epson

Personally myself whenever I have done dry walling I have always put the dry tape into the mud and never had a problem.


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