Drywall finishing accessories include structural drywall corners as well as systems used to create smooth drywall butt joints. Structural drywall corners can be used by professionals as well as do-it-yourselfers to save time and labor. The highly workable inside and outside corners can correct hanging and framing imperfections and withstand movement and impact. The manufacturer offers a variety of designs and specifications. Drywall butt joint systems provide slightly inset drywall butt joints that require less finishing and sanding, and result in flat, seamless finished butt joints that are also less prone to cracking due to framing movement because the butt joints are allowed to float.
Structural drywall corners are made of bonded paper faced and joint tape copolymer plastic. They are self-straightening, do not crack, bend, tear, wrinkle, or fuzz. The corners can be classified according to their basic characteristics: flexible and fixed. The different flexible corners are applied on inside angles greater than 90° and all outside corners for walls, ceilings, doors, windows, skylights, and 3-foot minimum diameter arches. The bullnose and fixed corners are designed for economical 90º installations.
There are two types of drywall butt joint systems. One consists of a long piece of wood with regularly attached metal braces. The other system consists of a long, thin piece of metal that is flat down the major width of the centerline and has a triangular section along the lengthwise edges. Both function the same way: the centers provide the backing for the drywall butt joint and the braces/edges provide the resistance against which the drywall assumes the proper inset shape along the butt joint.
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For the structural drywall corner, according to the manufacturer, labor can be cut by a third, and joint compound can be cut by a third, compared to traditional techniques.
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The highly workable inside and outside corners can correct hanging and framing imperfections and withstand movement and impact.
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Drywall structural corners are sold by distributors throughout the United States and Canada.
The drywall butt-joint backers are available through local drywall suppliers.
The learning curve to use the structural drywall corners efficiently and economically may take some time initially.
The backer products are simply not standard practice and therefore their use may encounter resistance from drywallers who are comfortable with their work routine.
For the structural drywall corner, according to the manufacturer, labor can be cut by a third, and joint compound can be cut by a third, compared to traditional techniques. The manufacturer claims that this reduces drying time from days to hours. A 100' role of flexible drywall corners costs from $29 up to $49. The 90° bullnose and fixed corners come in 10-foot lengths and cost about $.36 per linear foot.
Not Applicable
Impact and racking tests, in accordance with ASTM Standards, were conducted by the NAHB Research Center, Inc. for the structural corners.
Drywall butt-joint systems are not addressed by current code standards, and their use should be checked with local code officials. The manufacturer states that these products are to be tested further for code approval purposes. The function of butt-joint backer systems is to effectively connect two pieces of abutting drywall, a nonstructural application, and therefore problems due to code issues appear to be unlikely.
Carl Franklin Homes: The Vista at Kensington Park, Dallas, Texas
K. Hovnanian Inc: College Park Estates. Freehold Township, New Jersey
Model reMODEL: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
The plastic drywall corners are placed in pre-applied taping joint compound, which acts as an adhesive between the drywall and the corner itself. Using standard tools and joint treatment to "feather" the edges, the structural drywall corners can cover up to 1.5 inch voids, require no top coating or finish sanding, and accept all paints, according to the manufacturer.
The butt joint systems (here referred to as "backers") are installed by cutting the backer to the desired length. One board of the drywall is mounted so that the butt edge lands approximately midway between framing studs. Next, the backer is slid behind the drywall butt edge so that the centerline of the backer coincides with the drywall butt edge. The edge of the board is then screwed to the backer. If there is a drywall sheet above or below the butt joint, it is also attached to the backer with one screw, centered on the backer. Lastly, the backer is adjusted if necessary (i.e. the braces are rotated to a horizontal position) and the second drywall board is conventionally mounted to the wall studs while its butt edge adjacent to the other drywall butt edge is screwed to the backer. The joint is then taped and spackled as usual.
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The manufacturer of the drywall butt joint finishing systems state that they can save time because less precision is required in the cuts and that the result is a seamless butt joint, that once painted is not visible even under reflective glare conditions. Also, it is claimed that they save material, minimizing waste drywall. The greater distance allowed from the butt edges for fastening to the backer results in less drywall edge failure/deformity at those connections as well as less precise drywall butt edge locating due to the width of the backers (which is significantly greater than a 1 ½" stud). These products cost approximately $6.75 each for the wood backers and $5.75 each for the metal backers.
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