Taper vs. coater debate: which side are you on for finishing corners?

I keep seeing guys on job sites who swear by taping inside corners by hand (you know, the old school method with a knife and tape). But then there's the other crew who uses a corner trowel and swears it's faster and cleaner. I've been doing this for about 8 years in Tulsa and I go back and forth. Hand taping gives me better control on uneven corners, but a trowel saves me like 20 minutes per room. Which way do you guys lean and why? Seen anyone mess up hard one way or the other?

4 comments

4 Comments

blair99015d ago

Ngl I'm gonna push back on this one. Hand taping inside corners is the way to go if you actually care about the finish lasting. I've seen too many guys with a corner trowel leave these thick mud lines that crack out after a season of the house settling and shifting. Yeah it takes an extra 15 minutes a room but I'd rather do it right once than go back for warranty calls.

cora_west514d ago

Anyone got a tape preference or are we all just procrastinating?

the_daniel15d ago

Alright, come on man is it really that serious? I get the idea of doing it right, but hand taping every inside corner in a whole house sounds like a recipe for going crazy. I've used corner trowels on a bunch of jobs and yeah you gotta be careful not to lay it on thick, but a good light coat and a quick sanding later and I've never had a callback. Plus that extra 15 minutes a room adds up fast when you're doing 15 rooms. You're talking like a whole extra day of just corners, feels like overkill when a little finesse with the trowel and some mesh tape does the job fine.

blake_kelly1914d ago

Anyone else try both ways and just stick with paper tape for inside corners? @blair990 is right about the cracking, I switched to paper after a few callbacks and it's way less headaches down the road. Took me a couple jobs to get the hang of it but once you do the speed catches up.