Finally figured out why my corner beads kept popping

For like 3 years I was just nailing them in like every 8 inches like the guy who trained me showed me. Then last spring I had a job over in Arlington where the homeowner was super picky about every little thing. He watched me work for like 10 minutes then asked why I wasn't using those little vinyl clips instead. I told him I always just used nails and he just shook his head. He showed me a box of clips he bought from Home Depot and I tried them on one corner. That stuff holds way better than nails ever did. Now I use a mix of clips and a few screws on the really tough spots. Has anyone else switched over and noticed less callbacks for cracks?

3 comments

3 Comments

lilya7623d ago

Yeah I switched over about two years ago after a job in Falls Church where the GC literally made me rip out a whole corner I'd nailed because he could see the dimples through the paint from the hallway. The clips are solid but I still hit the very top and very bottom with a 1 inch screw just to keep everything tight while the mud dries. Also found that the clips work way better if you push them all the way flush to the corner bead lip before you snap them in. One thing nobody tells you is that some of those cheap clips from the big box stores are brittle so I started buying the orange ones from the drywall supply house and they snap in way cleaner.

ray35623d ago

Totally get what you're saying @lilya76 but man, I gotta respectfully disagree on the screws at the top and bottom. lmao. Been doing it with just clips for the last four years and never had an issue with anything pulling loose while the mud sets. If the clips are snapped in all the way flush like you mentioned, that bead ain't going anywhere. The trick I found is letting the mud set up a bit before you trowel it smooth, so you're not pushing the clips out of whack with the knife. Also, I think the brittle clip thing is hit or miss. I've used the cheap white ones from Home Depot on probably 20 jobs and maybe broke two total. The orange ones are nice but for the price difference I just don't see it being worth the extra trip to the supply house.

betty_wells23d ago

Totally agree on letting the mud set up first, that's the REAL game changer right there.