Looking for thinnest possible drywall tape for repairing cracks in old plaster walls...
I would like to keep the feathering as narrow as possible since I am just doing repairs -- and I find the standard paper and mesh tapes to require a fair bit of build-up to cover the tape and then feather it.
So what do you all recommend based on experience?
Also which do you find allows for thinner/narrower coverage and feathering? paper or fiberglass mesh?
I only use paper tape and have never had any problems.
The mesh stuff is only recommended for use under the setting type mud per USG web site.
Some people believe it resists cracking better but I am not one of them.
Colbyt
Actually, for just cosmetic repair of non-growing cracks, I've had luck with priming the hell out of the crack, and filling it with paintable caulk.
P.S. This assumes that the crack width is fairly tiny.
I've tried that a few places myself as well. Works pretty good for those cracks that seem to keep coming back too. The flexibility of the paintable caulk stops them from recurring.
I've had luck with this as well. I take one of those 5-n-1 paint tools and run the point down the crack to remove anything loose then hit it with a bit of caulk. Wait for it to dry and prime right over it. Got one room I did this way about 10 years ago, holding up perfectly, don't even know the crack was there.
re: "I take one of those 5-n-1 paint tools ..."
5-in-1? Come on...Real men use 14-in-1 tools.
bottle opener?
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Google is our friend!
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re: "bottle opener?"
Yes, right next to the "H" in "Husky".
This stuff is by far the best crack repair stuff I've ever run across, and I've run across a bunch.
I am not aware of various thicknesses in drywall tape. I recommend the mesh tape--it makes the job easy and stays intact much better than the paper tape.
The product description talks only about exterior uses and doesn't mention plaster or drywall repairs -- talks mostly about sealing and waterproofing.
Is this really the product you recommend for plaster and drywall patching? It's also rather pricey at about 75 cents per lineal foot.
I'm indifferent to mesh tape, until there is a reason to go back into a section repaired with it, then I curse it to high heaven. With the paper tape you can make clean cuts and leave the old repair mostly intact. With the mesh it invariably tears and falls apart, making a small job huge. I only use paper tape.
Sorry, I was already on Amazon and gave you a link to another one of their products. Here's the correct one from the manufacturer's web site.
What's the big deal about cutting the fiberglass tape with a razor knife? Cut first, pull mesh tape after. If you're not using a sharp blade, or not going deep enough to cut all the way through the mesh, that's not a problem with the mesh.
R:
I normally use a new blade, & it doesn't matter, it wouldn't matter if you used a saw, unless it was a circular saw. That is just one of those things that seems like it ought to work but, doesn't. Still I don't care what others do, so long as I don't have to follow them. BTW the advise others gave on the paintable chalk, is a +1 that is the easiest and the best.
Ditto to what Colby said....Caulk will show with eggshell or semi-gloss but cover pretty good with flat paint if you go that route..Never used "roof patch kits" for drywall or plaster walls do I can't comment on that witch doctor fix......Sounds like feathering is something you can't do very well as paper tape covers VERY easily.....
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