Drywall tape: wet or dry?

DaveBid

Anytime I've done drywall, I followed advice I'd been given to wet the drywall tape before applying it. However, I've read several do-it-yourself books and none of them have listed this tip. Anyone thoughts on whether it's a good or bad idea?

n0c7

I've tried, I find it gets too sloppy and heavy to work with. I always have used the dry method and haven't had any issues.

racebum

doesn't hurt if the mud is getting sticky but i've never set tape in anything but hot mud. with that i can get the texture of the mud a touch more runny than pre mix. on a 100deg day wet tape would make sense though since the mud flashes so fast when you lay it out

DangerMouse

Say what you will, but I love this sticky fiberglass mesh stuff!
I'm using it tonight! Po)

DM

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Jim F

I think there are varied responses to this question. I followed a tip I read here that involves laying paper tape in a sloppy wet bed of mud pressing it in and another layer of sloppy wet mud over that then squeegeeing out most of it from under the tape then letting that set and dry before mudding over. That works well for me. Some feel that wetting the tape does not allow enough mud to set it the pores of the tape. So dry tape is my vote.

DaveBid

Thank you for all for your responses! Sounds like it's more or less a matter of preference. I'm going to try it dry to see if it's any easier to work with.

bjbatlanta

You won't see any professional finishers wetting tape prior to applying it. Don't know where the advice comes from, but I'd ignore it....

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spaceman spif

I usually set it in dry, but if I find one spot of the tape isn't laying down nicely and keeps wanting to pop up a little, I'll spray it with a little water from a spray bottle to wet it just enough that it stays down long enough that I can go back with a second coat of mud.

epson

Here check this site out. This guy has a video on how he wets his tape;

http://www.drywallinfo.com/tapingjoints.html

jlhaslip

I have a mud box that puts mud on the tape then gets cut to length.

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oh'mike

Dry tape for me---

DIYtestdummy

Maybe our climate, but I've seen some sort of masking tape used here. I used the fiber mesh and it's wonderful if you don't have to sand it.

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Dusty1

Professional finishers also thin their first coat. The paper face of the drywall and the paper tape absorb water from the mud weakening the bond.

Dusty1

We use a hybrid system. Paper for the corners and mesh for the flats.

Willie T

Try it dry. If you are like the majority of first time drywallers, you will find that you didn't get a good bond everywhere. (Dusty's remark above is SO true.) Then you'll probably want to give it a shot with the tape moist. That is why I always suggest to novices that they give their tape about a half second dip in a bucket of water.

SeeTHIS post.

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