Tried patching drywall with mesh tape instead of paper, total mess

I was fixing a small hole in my basement wall from a doorknob hit, about 2 inches across. Used mesh tape and all-purpose joint compound like the guy at Home Depot told me. But the compound just bubbled up underneath the tape and never stuck flat. After three coats and two days of sanding, it still looked like a wavy pancake. Finally gave up and ripped it out, used paper tape with a thin pre-coat and it was dead flat in one try. What do you guys use for small patches that won't crack later?

2 comments

2 Comments

wright.lisa7d ago

That mesh tape is great for big seams but for small patches it just never seems to lay right... always floats up on you. Paper tape needs that thin bed of compound underneath to grab onto, and once you get the hang of it, it's way more forgiving. For a doorknob hole that size, I'd actually skip tape altogether and use a patch piece of drywall cut to fit with a couple of backer strips screwed behind it. That way you're just filling the seam around the edges with paper tape, not trying to float the whole thing smooth.

alicecooper7d ago

Man that floating tape drives me absolutely nuts too, you nailed it.