Had to pick between paper tape and mesh tape on a big ceiling job last Friday

I was doing a 1,200 square foot ceiling in a new build outside of Akron and couldn't decide. Paper tape is stronger but slower, mesh is faster but prone to cracking in big spans. I went with mesh because of time pressure and now I'm seeing tiny hairline cracks along the seams. Should have just stuck with what I know. Anyone else run into this on bigger flat ceilings?

3 comments

3 Comments

david_walker974d ago

Yeah, my buddy did mesh on a big ceiling and regretted it too.

corap614d ago

Yeah the "regretted it too" part really hits home lol. My cousin did a whole mesh overlay on his living room ceiling thinking it would look like a cool industrial thing. Took him like three weekends and by the end his neck was killing him, plus the pattern was totally off in the corners. Now he just stares at it every time he watches TV and talks about tearing it down. Honestly sometimes I think we get too ambitious with these projects and forget how annoying ceilings actually are to work with.

the_lucas4d ago

Wait, you used to think mesh was the way to go for big ceilings? Man, that changes everything for me. I always figured mesh was faster and that was the whole point, but seeing those hairline cracks pop up makes me rethink it. @corap61 mentioned their cousin's mesh project going south, and its wild how many of us have that same regret. Paper tape might be slower, but at least the finish stays clean and you dont have to stare at cracks every time the light hits it wrong.