Chose fiberglass mesh over paper tape for a drywall job on a 12-story hotel lobby and now I'm fighting cracks along every seam

Picked the fiberglass because I thought it'd hold up better with the humidity in that Phoenix building but the guy who bid the job next to me used paper tape and his corners are still tight at 6 months while mine are splitting has anyone else run into this with the mesh stuff on big projects?

2 comments

2 Comments

wright.jesse2d ago

Man you're really sweating this cracks thing but I've seen fiberglass hold up fine in way worse conditions than a Phoenix lobby. Sounds like the problem might be how you bedded it or maybe the mud dried too fast in that desert air. Six months isn't that long for a building that size, give it a year then see who's laughing. I'd say you're probably fine unless the whole ceiling starts peeling off which it won't.

blake_cooper1d ago

Ha! Right on cue with the "wait a year" defense. I swear that's the construction equivalent of "check back in the morning" after a bad hangover. I'll be right there with you in twelve months eating crow if that ceiling's still tight. But until then I'm gonna enjoy watching that tape job slowly look more and more like a road map of downtown Phoenix. At least if the whole thing does peel off you'll have a great story for the next guy.