Home ImprovementWalls
Whether youre putting up new drywall or patching hole, you need drywall tape.
The question is which kind to buy.
It comes in different materials, with optional features, and in various sizes.
Lets start with the lowest quality but most affordable varieties and work our way up.
Drywall Tape Materials
1.
Paper Drywall Tape
Its cheap and easy to use.
Its nice because you’re free to smooth it out very easily without having any bubbles trapped underneath.
In this case, when the paper dries, it will peel right off the wall.
Metal Tape
Metal tape isnt fully metal like HVAC tape is.
Its a bang out of paper tape with metal lining the edges to reinforce it.
Unfortunately, the addition of the metal makes it more expensive.
It may or may not be self-stick.
If it is self-stick, the adhesive isnt generally as good as the fiberglass tape below.
When you use metal tape, be careful in how you unroll and apply it.
Rather, it has self-stick backing that will adhere directly to your drywall.
The issue is that you better cut this tape rather than tearing it like you would paper tape.
It means cutting a whole new length of tape.
The material and thickness of the tape makes it stronger.
Its not as strong, though, and comes at a higher price.
It will still stick to itself if youre not careful and tears more easily because its so much thinner.
Lets start with features that make tool easier, then move into those that help mitigate safety concerns.
The exception to this is metal tape.
You may want to buy this in flat strips rather than rolls to avoid bends in the wire.
This allows you to avoid messing in water to apply the tape.
Flexible
This is a quality of different brands of tape.
Some are thicker or use a stiffer material.
Itll be up to your preference which variety feels best to you.
Perforated
Instead of using scissors to cut the tape to length, you could buy tape with perforations.
The only downside is that the tape isnt strong leading into the perforation.
Think about using this near your furnace and around any heating ducts.
This should also be the choice around ovens.
In contrast, it doesnt work well in areas with high humidity.
Moisture-Resistant
On the other side is moisture-resistant tape.
In addition, tape that reacts negatively to moisture is much more likely to have issues with mold.
Mold-Resistant
All mold-resistant drywall tapes are moisture-resistant, but not all moisture-resistant tapes are mold-resistant.
Being moisture-resistant simply means the adhesive wont weaken, and the material wont break down in damp conditions.
It can still be wet on the surface with no ill-effects to the material itself.
It can still grow mold.
The added cost is worth it.
Drywall Tape Width
Size also matters when selecting your drywall tape.
It requires butting the drywall pretty close together and hanging the tape straight to fully cover the gap.
You dont want to have to overlap two pieces of tape.
Doing so just makes it more difficult to get a smooth finish.
Wide 6
Jumping up quite a bit in width is this large-sized variety.
Do be careful when using this wide of tape to cover an area.
This will ensure a more structurally sound will and longer lasting repair.
Conclusion: Which jot down of Drywall Tape to Buy?
