A drywall corner bead protects the outside corners of walls and can be made of vinyl or metal. The term “bead” is frequently used to describe it due to the thin, straight line that is formed with the material’s corner. The substance takes the shape of a tiny, spherical bead that extends the whole length, whether it is made of vinyl or metal.
Because one component has the appearance of a long, inflexible stick, it is known as a stick of corner bead. Corner bead is typically installed by drywall hangers, however occasionally drywall tapers are requested to do so.
Steps to Install a Corner Bead in Drywall
Step 1 : Selecting the type of corner bead to use
Corner bead types come in a wide variety. The most popular types are definitely the vinyl bead installed with spray adhesive and the metal bead installed with screws or drywall nails. This image illustrates the application of vinyl corner beads on green board, which are moisture-resistant drywall panels.
Another excellent choice is a metal corner bead that is taped on. It is packaged as a paper drywall tape-wrapped metal corner bead. The paper tape continues past the metal on both sides for about a quarter of an inch. Similar to how drywall joints are taped, this type of corner bead is applied.
After drywall mud has been applied, tape is pressed into the mud. The drywall mud glues it securely to the corners after it has been smoothed down.
Step 2: Verify that it is straight
It must be applied straight and firmly attached, regardless of the type of corner bead used or the method of application. There are occasions when straight bead application is ensured by using lasers or drywall crimping equipment.
Lasers are the greatest way to ensure that a corner bead is installed properly, but because of the inherent risks, they should only be used by professionals.
Tools for Crimping Drywall
When putting corner bead, some individuals like to utilize drywall corner bead crimping tools. These tools are meant to maintain the stick’s outside corner bead square and straight. They are made so that when you hammer the trigger, tiny metal pins in the tool punch the corner bead to place it into crimp on the drywall.
When utilized correctly, corner bead crimping tools can be useful. But since crimping tools are just 16 inches long, don’t expect them to hold the bead stick straight the entire way through. It’s important to periodically step back and check the installation of a long corner bead stick to make sure it’s straight. It could easily rotate gradually over its length if you are not careful.
Corner beads should not be firmly attached to exterior corners using crimping tools. Until a different method is employed to secure it to the structure below, they simply crimp it into place. The methods listed below include a few of these.
Step 3: Install it square to the walls
Corner beads must be installed squarely on both sides in addition to straight. Not only should you check that the bead is straight over its whole length, but you should also make sure that it doesn’t fold over excessively on one side, leaving the other side too shallow.
If you place a straightedge at a 90° angle to the bead and observe the space that is generated, you can quickly determine if it is applied squarely.
On both sides, there should be an equal space between the bead and the drywall. Slid the bead toward the shallow side if you have a deep cavern on one side and the bead is hitting the straightedge on the other.
The drywall finishers will find it extremely challenging if the bead is left shallow on one side because it will flash through the drywall mud.
Step 4: Verify that it is securely fastened.
The drywall corner bead needs to be securely fastened to the supporting framework. You must make sure that the bead won’t move in the future, regardless of the installation method. The drywall mud won’t hold it in place, don’t expect that.
On its own, drywall mud has very little holding ability and will easily crack if the bead moves in any way. It is unlikely to improve if coated with drywall mud if the bead is not firmly affixed before applying the mud.
Setting Up a Vinyl Corner Bead
Spray adhesive is typically used to install vinyl corner bead. To make the spots with no glue easier to see, corner bead spray adhesive has been particularly created with tinting. On the inside side flanges of the corner bead, adhesive should be sprayed, and it should be allowed to set for ten to fifteen minutes.
Meanwhile, the exterior drywall corners can be sprayed with adhesive and allowed to set. Make sure not to overlook any spots. After being coated, any vinyl spots without glue are likely to flash or fracture.
Place the vinyl bead on the corner when it is ready. It will stick rapidly with spray adhesive, so you won’t have much time to make sure it’s square and straight when installed. When applied correctly, spray adhesive is so powerful that pulling it off the drywall would require tearing the paper.
Although a compressed air staple gun is occasionally used to provide additional strength, spray adhesive is typically sufficient on its own.
Setting Up a Metal Corner Bead
Installing a metal corner bead requires nails, screws, or staples. Use of nails or staples is the simplest method when working with wood studs. On metal studs, screws are required. The propensity of metal fasteners to push metal beads in one direction or another presents a problem when using them on metal beads.
Despite the fact that the metal corner bead has holes all over it. It could be necessary for you to screw straight through the bead’s metal rather than through the pre-punched holes. Although it is rarely used, drywall tape is another option. Nevertheless, we have discovered that metal beads attached with drywall tape hardly break.
Paper-faced metal corner bead installation
Similar to taping drywall seams, paper faced metal corner bead is applied using beads. On the drywall, mud is applied. The paper is then pressed into the mud on both sides of the metal bead. To ensure a uniform adherence, excess drywall mud is smoothed out from the edges. It can be coated normally once it has dried.
Installing a paper faced metal corner bead requires the use of specific tools. Corner bead hoppers simply pull the bead through the hopper to apply drywall mud on the paper fast and evenly. When combined with outside corner rollers, hoppers can assist make metal beads with paper faces install as quickly as or even more quickly than ordinary metal or vinyl beads.
Corner bead with a bullnose
With the exception of a curved radius rather than a sharp corner, bullnose corner beads are extremely similar to square corner beads. Instead of using square corners, it is utilized to create rounded outer corners on walls.
Similar concepts apply to bead bullnose corner beads as detailed here. The manner that drywall is hung on outside corners is one distinction. Instead than hanging one sheet of drywall to the edge of the other, bullnose requires both sheets to be hung to the stud.
This creates the impression that both sheets are somewhat regressing in their set. In order to prevent the drywall from holding the bead away from the corner, this allows space for the bullnose’s curvature. What type of baseboard will be used while employing bullnose is an important consideration.
It is advisable to prepare beforehand rather than relying on luck when the finish carpenter arrives to install the molding because some baseboards can be installed around curved corners.
Vinyl Corner Tearaway Bead
Where drywall meets other finish materials like metal or wood, a tearaway vinyl corner bead is used to make clean edges. With a six- or eight-inch drywall knife, it is applied and completed with ease.
Flexible, composite, reinforced with metal, etc.
Additionally, beads marketed as “flex beads,” “flex composite paper beads,” “metal reinforced paper beads,” etc. are readily accessible on the market. The optimum uses for these goods are on curved, inner, or off-angle corners. They don’t work well on the typical straight outside corner.
Wrapping Up
Drywall corner bead installation is best done after hanging but before drywall taping starts. Corner bead types come in a variety of shapes and sizes. No corner bead type has a significant benefit over any other. It takes practice to install it squarely, firmly, and straight. To make lovely exterior drywall corners, the installed side is coated with drywall mud.
tag: # How to Put in a Corner Bead in Drywall
