Paper tape vs. Mesh tape vs FibaFuse tape
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- Опубліковано 4 вер 2024
- In this video I test some of the most common drywall tapes for crack resistance.
I'm testing fiber tape, otherwise known as fiberglass tape or mesh tape, also paper tape, FibaFuse Drywall tape, and Straight-flex.
There is a long standing argument about fiberglass tape, otherwise known as mesh tape vs paper tape for crack resistance. This video answers that argument.
Cracks happen as a building settles, moves, sinks, as timber ages and shrinks, or as temperature fluctuations cause timbers to shrink and expand. Among other causes.
I'm using a technique to simulate this type of pressure tension on the drywall and taped seams.
What type of drywall compound the tapes are imbedded with makes a significant difference in their crack resistance.
I'm imbedding each Drywall tape with a different compound to demonstrate that difference.
Feel free to leave a comment, like, share, or Subscribe.
For anyone wondering why I didn't just summarize the results at the end - I knew most people naturally just skip to the end searching for the final tally/ summary on a video like this - and even this videos analytics show a huge spike at the end - that's from people searching for the summary, which actually isn't there.
I made the video in such a way that anyone wanting to see the results actually has to watch the video in full and take notes.
The reason I had to do this is because the algorithm sees the value of a video by its watch-time. - if watch time is low the algorithm determines the video wasn't good and buries it.
That's just how it works.
In all likelihood, the very fact that the algorithm has shown you this video is because I didn't provide a summary.
I had to make it that way because this video took a long time to produce and costed at least $100 in material, and I wanted the video to be successful.
Fantastic video thank you so much for investing your time and money to preform and share this test!
Strongest to weakest:
Tied for first place:
1. Fibafuse with taping compound - no crack in joint, (joint stronger than gypsum board and does not fail)
1. Fibatape with taping compound - no crack in joint, (joint stronger than gypsum board and does not fail)
1. Straight flex with taping compound - no crack in joint, (joint stronger than gypsum board and does not fail)
1. Fibatape with hot mud - no crack in joint, (joint stronger than gypsum board and does not fail)
1. Fibafuse with hot mud - no crack in joint, (joint stronger than gypsum board and does not fail)
1. Striaght flex with hot mud - no crack in joint, (joint stronger than gypsum board and does not fail)
Paper tape set with hot mud - Hairline crack at 20 lbs (joint stronger than gypsum board and does not fail)
Paper tape set with taping compound - Hairline crack at 17 lbs fail at 18
Mesh tape set with hot mud - Hairline crack at 16 lbs (joint stronger than gypsum board and does not fail)
Mesh tape with taping compound - Hairline crack at 13 lbs (joint stronger than gypsum board and does not fail)
Fiba tape pressed on then topcoat - Failed at joint at 12 lbs
Mesh tape pressed on then topcoat - Failed at joint at 8 lbs
Notes:
Boards failed around 21 lbs on average
Takeaways:
Hot mud makes joints less prone to cracking compared to taping compound. But taping compound is still more than adequate.
Straight flex, and Fibafuse are stronger than paper tape, but paper tape is still more than adequate for many cases.
This is epic. After 30 yrs plastering I’ve never seen tests like this. Awesome!!!
I use fibrafuse and fibratape red. With all purpose. I love that you have done this. Drywallers have been talking trash on my videos for months. I've never had a call back in my career. They are the 2 best tapes period. Especially embedded and prefilled
So do you use fibrafuse with the green top regular compound or hot mud?
A summary paragraph or statement at the end of such a video is always helpful.
As a UA-cam creator I have a dilemma regarding these specific types of videos.. if I put the answers in an ending summary, viewers simply jump to the end, read the results, and leave, that leads to a very low audience retention rate, which tells the YT computer algorithm that the video must not be any good, and therefore it would be buried by the algorithm and get no views.
This is a dilemma commonly discussed by YT creators.
The paradox is that if I make the results easy to find in summary, then nobody is recommended the video to get the results anyway.
Not to mention the $120 I spent on material is wasted. (I still haven't broken even)
The analytical data shows this: it's a very zig-zag graph around the end from people searching for a summary.
Did I do the right thing or no?
Hi...i m drywall pro from croatia. Few notes from this part of world. We are always v grooving those but joints, than we do prefill with a gypsum based material, or hot mud how you call it, than on butts we apply fibafuse coated again in gypsum based material. Third coat is not gypsum based material, we are doing that coat with a mud which is softer just because of easier sanding.
Since drywall sheet itself is gypsum made than the best joint is if you use gypsum based coat.
You have made great video. We need more like this on you tube.
Final note...if you ever have enoufgh time made a few tests on dynamic pressure, since theese were just static pressures.
Getting ready to use FibaFuse for the first time and wanted to know if the marketing was for real. Seems like it is so this is cool. Also, wasn't sure about hot mud with it, your test shows no problems, so I'm excited to use it. Thanks for your efforts.
Great video, love the Dexter Destructive testing you did here. I've seen similar in fiberglass testing. I like the Fibafuse 15:47, it looks like CSM fiberglass that will be omnidirectional in strength opposed to the mess. Very thin to lay down even though they all worked well for their task.
Again very interesting and great job.....
Always wanted to use this new fibafuse tape was skeptical though, thanks for all your hard work sir this is critical info you have done a great deed for all drywall finishers
I have a vaulted ceiling with collar ties up top and the 135 degree angle joints that keep splitting. Thus the reason I'm here. Structure is less than 5 yrs old. 2x12 rafters. Has nothing to do with load but everything to do with extreme cold temps during the winter. 2 inch closed cell followed by 8 inch open cell. Well insulated. I'm not a fan of mesh but my drywaller claimed it would hold just fine. My plan now is to scuff it up good and use the fibafuse with the Durabond 90 and Strait-Flex Super-Bond Joint Compound.
Great video. Thank you.
You should be using N0-Coat 350 or 450. It’s made for the off angles like you have. It’s similar to the Straight flex that he was using but it’s 3.5 or 4.5 inches wide respectively
I did 3 layers. 2 of FibaFuse, 18 in (9 either side of the joint) followed by a 6 in layer, and lastly standard paper tape all set with Durabaond 90. I'm fairly certain this was overkill but I watched it crack twice after two separate wall board pros did their best to fix it. Looking at two 25 ft long cracks in an otherwise beautiful structure took me to extreme. Made it through the winter with no cracks. My OCD is happy.
@@5broadcast5 I’d buy no-coat 450. It also makes keeping that joint line straight. If that doesn’t work, nothing will.
just went fully auto with fibafuse and joint compound. used to use mesh and Sheetrock for everything then finish with joint compound so this video makes me feel a bit better about using fibafuse. great video. thanks for your efforts.
For myself, the results of this stress test was a green light for me to begin using fibafuse on my own projects as well. Another bonus of fibafuse is on smaller jobs I can tape and coat on the same day with joint compound with no issues. Could never do that with paper tape. Still use paper tape on the corners of course.
@@Interior_Works good to know. it was recommended by a supplier and I was skeptical to try it, but on the first job I used it I was impressed. yes still paper in the corners. I saw in another video fibafuse has a corner tape now but I'm not sure how well it works vs paper. based on your tests paper may be better because of it's rigidity.
Really well thought out and thorough test...thank you!
FibaFuse user since 2014!
Great video. I was thinking a control was missing but in the end the drywall failed before many of the joints. I would love to see another test that tests all joints to failure. Either replacing the drywall with plywood or gluing some plywood to the back of the drywall preventing the drywall from ever breaking anywhere but at the joint.
Yes, I was dismayed when the drywall cracked. I'm thinking that soon when I have time, I'll do a quicker re-do of this test, but next time with 5/8 drywall, or plywood reinforced if need be. If anything, I think this current video shows the weakness of fiber/mesh tape and the strength of paper tape, and especially the strength of FibaFuse tape.
Great test. Thanks for taking the time to make this video.
This test and the comments from others gives me more confidence in using the fibafuse for other than small repairs. I'm repairing ceiling cracks down the long seams and I want to minimize the chance of the cracks returning. Fibafuse and quikset seem like a viable option.
I use fibafuse with setting compound. Sheetrock 20/45/90 etc awesome video
This is "Project Farm level" testing... thanks very much.
gotta appreciate the science you've done here!
good effort... not so sure that a bending load is the load that causes most drywall cracks though. Could be shear or tensile during cycling/fatigue.
Thanks. I agree it's not a perfect replication of what causes cracks, but does at least give some indication for stress resistance, and does correspond with what I've seen doing repairs and warranties.
In Germany, you usually buy the FibaFuse like tape (although it doesn't have that brand-name here) but I have seen people use the fiber mesh tape. I have never seen paper used here. FibaFuse like tapes are very strong and very easy to apply - it's porous, so there is no danger of blistering like with paper. The only thing you need to look out for with it, is not to sand through it. Since it is so thin and so interwoven with the mud, it is easy to overlook it and sand right through it. And then it is obviously completely useless.
Thanks for making this comprehensive video comparison.
I’m confused about the first couple of tests. You said “no compound” was used for the mesh and fine mesh tapes, but it looked like the tapes were mudded over. Did you mean that you didn’t embed the tapes in compound but topped them with compound? If so, what mud did you use in these specific tests?
If my understanding is correct based on the rest of the video, you didn’t test the performance of the regular and fine mesh tape using self-adhesion topped with setting compound.
Thanks again for the video!
Regrettably, I didn't use setting, my rationale at the time was most diy'ers seem to just use a tub of all-purpose and mesh, even though it's not advised, and also I wanted the compound to be a control. I think that mudding the paper tape with setting-compound would also add additional strength to that joint too, and then the tapes would still fail in the same order.
I think that if the mesh were imbedded or coated over with the stronger/harder setting compound, and the paper or fiba-fuse with weaker/softer all-purpose, then the failure pattern would have been more equal.
Tldr;
I just wanted to replicate how diy'ers commonly tape, and wanted the compound to be a control factor.
-edit, spelling
I was thinking about doing a quicker simpler test again, just against mesh+setting vs paper+all-purpose for brevity
I question the basic idea here. Homeowners don't generally experience cracks in drywall due to weight on the drywall. In the real world, cracks occur with movement of the surfaces the drywall is attached to.🤷
Ever since me and my work partner found fibafuse we've been using it for all except corners (which we'll do with paper, because we can't get the creased fibafuse here). Much better than paper tape, and mesh is homeowner garbage.
I wish you did some with the joint prefilled with Durabond before taping
Not sure if you have one. Can you do an extension on this video. Do a test with 90 min and mesh and fiba mesh with own adhesion. Great video, goid information. Thank you
That's an interesting overview.
What kind of drywall are you using? 5/8 type X (regular weight)? the stronger the drywall the better you can tell apart strong vs weak joints.
Good comprehensive test 👍
Very informative! Thank you sir.
Great work love the fibafuse.
thanks for your hard work sir
Great test
Very interesting test. The results didn’t seem to be that much different overall between the various tapes. Will you be providing a summary of your findings?.
Thanks man, I wasn't sure what to expect when I made this, it at least gave me evidence to give customers questioning my usage of FibaFuse on their jobs, and answers the fiber mesh tape vs paper tape question, and mesh tape with it's own adhesion vs with setting compound.
These type of videos, people just skip the video and go straight to the end minute looking for the results, which is fine with me, but this particular video I put a lot of time, money and effort to produce and edit, so I just figured for written results, just for this one video, I would make it so only people who watch the whole test, or extract that data, can have that.
Interior Vids. It solidified for me that using taping mud and paper tape is just as good as anything. Although now, I might give fibafuse another look.
I’ve been using fibafuse for the last 2.5 yrs and love it. We do heaps of maintenance and renovation work and I find that it melts into the plaster rather than sit on top of it. So it doesn’t build the join higher when matching into existing. Also another benefit is you will never get a delaminates name with fuse. Even if applied with air behind it you can force plaster through it later which you can’t do with paper. Thanks for all the effort. 👍👍👍
Y'all gunning on mesh can go eat some drywall. I've been finishing for 18 yrs and use mesh all the time and have never had a call back or a problem. I mean this guy put 20 lbs on the mesh and the joint didn't even crack on his cut.
Nice vid . Fibafuse performed well.
Great comparison
Thanks
Do you have a link for that sanding vacuum thingy? Is it an attachment?
Thank you very much for showing this. I've never done drywall before. My house has all wood paneling from the 70s but I need to add something to the walls in the bathroom and was trying to figure out what to use and what tape to use and how to apply it. Any recommendation on what to use behind glue-up shower walls as well as around direct-to-stud shower walls?
Can fibafuse be installed without a taping compound underneath? I wasn't clear on that. So, a compound is just put over it?
Was the drywall cut completely in half and separated and then taped and muddled or just scored down the middle? Also drywall will never be under that kind of stress? Maybe in ceilings with blown-in insulation that got wet and is pushing on drywall that way. Usually drywall shifts with the structure side to side or up and down. Not pushed against it but i mean i guess any test is better than no test 👍🏼
ok now do this with thermal expansion/contraction!
When you used the mesh tape directly on the wall, what compound did you use over it? Mesh tape requires hot mud. It won't bond with drying mud, causing your joint to fail prematurely.
Just finishing compound. _"Mesh tape requires hot mud"_ -A large part of this video was to demonstrate that very fact. Here @ 13:51 I'm even pointing that out on the product packaging.
I will do something the wrong way to make a comparison to the right way, so the viewer can see the difference.
Beautiful work. Best tape test on youtubd...Randy S
Ima use the fibafuse. I like that it lays thin. No need for excess building
Ya the way it lays thin is a huge advantage, also I find I can tape and coat at the same time with it, with paper if I coat it immediately after it sometimes blisters.
is fiba fuse the strongest in terms of joint strength?
Awsome man! I have a question, what is your step by step sequence for each days when you are doing a big job. (from taping to finish and sanding)
Thanks, on a job that I can stage up completely each day, the stages are this, in order:
Day 1. Pre-fill any gaps, apply flat tape, corner tape, corner-bead.
Day 2. Coat flat joints 10" or 8" box, coat butt-joints, coat corner-bead. Coat screws. This is a heavy coat day.
Day 3. Dry
Day 4. Coat flat joints with 12", butt joints, corner-bead, screws. 2/3 sides of the 3-way inside corner.
Day 5. Coat all inside 90° corners, finish 3-ways, if smooth ceilings I'll do 14" box coat on ceilings over the 12. Another coat on the butt-joints. Check everything, all the little refinements.
Day 6, if dry, Sanding. Then I use a handheld light and slowly examine everything, searching for anything that needs refined with a sponge-sander or marked and touched up with tinted mud.
@@Interior_Works Cool thx for sharing this. Last question. On day 2...do you fill the bevels on flat joints before coating with 10'' box. Or do you simply 10'' box your flat joints right away?
@@redemptiondesnations running the 10" box over an unfilled bevel will sometimes not fill it 100% on the first pass and might leave little pock marks. I always double pass on the first coat, I go one way, then turn around and run the joint the opposite way. The second pass leaves it fully filled and smooth. That might be a reason some people fill their bevels before boxing because they didn't know to double pass.
Double pass the 10" immediately, then after dry 1 pass with the 12". Setting dial ~#3 on both boxes, the joints turn out fully filled and flat without filling bevels.
Either way works and is just personal preference.
I'm always happy to try and answer questions.
@@Interior_Works I see, thanks for your tips it is appreciated!
Excellent prep and presentation on your part. I'm a DIYer out of necessity and my house is 60 yrs old so I'm beginning to see various settling cracks. I watched hundreds of videos to learn about which material I should use on a repair for a vertical corner-bead crack and decided fibafuse was the best. Will be using a setting compound/hot mud. Am I doing the right thing?
I believe that would be the best combination. If you're taping over a painted surface, adhesion can be an issue. Try scuffing the surface first with sandpaper. Also for extra insurance, I put some white glue (PVA) into a half full water bottle, shake it, and use it to mix the Hot mud. (PVA is the bonding agent drywall compounds are manufactured with)
@@Interior_Works Thank you for that input. I'll add the glue. Great advice.
Awsome man! would you mind if i attack my sequence video. I want to explain in another language
Great comparison. What is the most cost effective ?
Thanks, the paper tape is the most cost effective per linear foot. Roughly speaking, FibaFuse is about twice the cost of paper. Mesh/ fiber adhesive tape is 50% more expensive than FibaFuse.
Straight-Flex is 15x as expensive as FibaFuse.
I realize this is 2 years ago, but I purchased fibrafuse tape. Do I then use the regular compound with the green top?
Green is just for top coats, doesn't have enough glue for imbedding tapes or corner beads. It'll blister. Use Blue lid(all-purpose) for imbedding tapes, then either continue with the blue for the top coats, or then use green. (Green/topping just sands a bit easier than blue/all-purpose, but if it's a small project, the difference isn't worth using 2 different types of mud).
@Interior_Works // thank you so much. This has helped me more than you know. Thanks for the reply.
FIBAFUSE: THE FUTURE IS NOW! 😂🎉
For everyone wondering what the summary is: they ALL work, OBVIOUSLY! FibaFuse is just the easiest! Paper takes way more time and skill for nothing.