The corner beading debate: Level 5 finish over it or bury it in mud?

Spent THREE HOURS last week fighting with a corner bead install on a kitchen remodel in Oak Park. I always pre-fill the bead with mud before taping to avoid air pockets, but a buddy swears by just stabbing it with a knife and letting the tape seal it. Which side is actually faster for you guys? I'm torn because pre-filling works but adds 20 minutes per corner, and the stab method left me with bubbles I had to sand out later. Anyone else find a middle ground that doesn't waste a whole afternoon?

2 comments

2 Comments

kellymurphy3d ago

Pre-filling is a total time sink, man. Stabbing the bead works fine if you actually push the mud through the holes instead of just poking at it. Your buddy's method is faster because you're not fighting extra layers of mud that just create more sanding later. Bubbles happen when you don't press the tape into the wet mud hard enough, not because of the stab method itself. Bet you could cut that 20 minutes down to five if you just stabbed, taped, and hit it with a quick skim coat. Why waste an afternoon on something that's supposed to save you time?

claire9923d ago

@kellymurphy Pre-filling stops bubbles 100% and saves me sanding time. Different strokes.