How to Apply Drywall Joint Tape

Video Transcript

"Hi I'm James with JNC Home Repair. Today I'm going to show you how to apply drywall joint tape. First thing you need to think about when you're applying drywall joint tape is you want to determine which type of tape you want to use. There's basically two kinds of tape. There's actually three or four different kinds but the most commonly used are the paper tape and the fiberglass mesh tape. The drywall paper tape, you have to actually apply a coat of drywall joint compound to the seam before you can actually apply the tape because the tape won't stick to the drywall. With the fiberglass mesh tape, it's actually self-adhesive so you can apply that directly to the drywall without even mixing your mud or even applying the mud. You can go ahead and just cut your tape to fit and go ahead and just stick it on your joint. And then you come back on top of it with your mud. There's pros and cons to both. Mesh tape tends to be a little bit stronger, it's used more for patches and you know door-knob holes. Door-knobs pop through the wall or something, or something like that. It's going to be a little bit stronger joint. But paper tape is the more common used, especially like in new construction. It's a little bit better like to use in corners and like taping your joints between the walls and the ceilings, and the corner where you have to actually fold the tape, the paper tape's going to be your better choice."