Drywall 101: Corner Bead Basics

I THOUGHT CORNER BEAD WAS MADE OUT OF METAL?

More than 50 years ago, Trim-Tex made a big J-Bead-shaped dent in the belief that corner trim needed to be made out of metal, and these days, more and more people have caught on to the fact that vinyl corner bead is more durable, more adaptable and easier to use.

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As Dan Tuer shows in the video above, there’s a good chance you won’t even have to wait until something bumps into your corner to see how much more durable vinyl is than metal — a lot of damage can happen as early as transportation to the jobsite. And where a little bit of damage can permanently ruin a metal corner bead, a vinyl corner bead can easily spring back into shape after even extreme impact. When you take this durability and add to it that vinyl corner bead is rustproof, highly flexible and easier to install (and, in Trim-Tex’s case, made from at least 70% recycled materials), it’s clear: metal just can’t measure up. Learn more about the benefits of using vinyl corner bead here.

If you're new to the drywall trades, we hope that this has helped shed a little light on the solutions we're so passionate about here at Trim-Tex. For more helpful, hilarious how-to videos like this one, do yourself a favor and follow Refresh Home Improvements here. And, as far as corner-bead options go, you've only scratched the surface. Hit the button below to grab a full Trim-Tex catalog to get a peek at what's possible in drywall finishing.

When it comes to taping outside corner beads, I like to use a corner bead that is held in place with joint compound. If you’re used to using a corner bead that’s metal, this is a nail-on bead usually attached before you do any taping. But with the corner bead that I like to use, you tape all your seams and your inside corners, and then you attach the bead.

I don’t put the compound on very thick, probably less than 1/8 in., which is very similar to the amount of compound you would put on when you’re embedding tape. Essentially, that’s what you’re doing here—embedding this corner bead just how you would paper tape.

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I place a bead over the corner and then I make sure it’s tight up against the ceiling. There’s going to be a gap along the floor that doesn’t matter because that’s where the baseboard is going to be. Then square it up by hand.

There’s a couple of ways to embed this. I can use a taping knife or a roller made for embedding this bead. I like to use a roller because I think it does a better job—it helps square it up and it really embeds those edges nicely into the joint compound. So I start out with light pressure just to square it up, and now that I like it, I put more pressure on it, embedding the edges nice and tight. And that’s really all I have to do to embed it. If I continued to roll and roll and roll, I’d force too much compound out from behind it. Now that it’s embedded, all I have to do is take my taping knife and remove the excess compound. You have to let that dry for 24 hours and then apply your finish coat.

I like this corner bead because it’s definitely faster to install than a nail-on corner bead. Also, because it’s embedded in the joint compound for it’s entire length, I’m a lot less likely to get any edge cracking or loose corner bead.

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