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Installing and Finishing Drywall Corner Bead
This page contains taping and finishing instructions for outside drywall corner bead. Go to Finishing Inside Corners and Finishing Drywall Seams for help with those projects.
Outside drywall corners can be finished with either metal or paper drywall corner bead. Metal corner bead is the easiest to install and the best choice for durability. Paper corner bead has two strips of metal attached to the paper to protect the wall corner but this type of bead doesn't last or standup well to normal traffic.
A slightly irregular corner formed by the drywall sheets is more easily covered with metal corner bead because the bead forms the wall corner. Paper corner bead requires the drywall sheets come together to form a square to support the bead and form a corner.
For a more durable corner you can use setting-type joint compound for this job. Work quickly to be sure it doesn't set before you're done. Using ready-mixed joint compound works also but it's much softer, takes much longer to dry and will shrink more than setting compound. See Wall Finishing Tools and Materials for more information about drywall finishing tools and joint compounds.
Cut a piece of metal drywall corner bead the length of each outside wall corner. Use a pair of scissors to cut from each side of the metal and then bend the bead in the middle to break it apart. If you're using paper corner bead use scissors to cut the paper and then use tin snips to cut the metal strips one at a time. |
Hold metal bead against the corner pressing with a palm to flatten it tightly to both walls. Hold the bead tightly and drive a 1 5|8 or longer drywall screw thru the bead and into the framing. Drive a screw into the opposite wall, at about the same level, to hold the bead in place. Move along the length of the bead pressing at each point and drive screws into the bead and framing at about 12 inch intervals along both walls. |
Sink the heads of the screws deep enough to slightly kink the metal and make a small depression in the drywall. |
Use the techniques in Skim Coating to apply a thick coat of joint compound along both walls and proceed to the next step to finish metal corner bead. If you're using paper corner bead fold a crease in the center and lay it into the thick mud, pressing it tightly to the corner and both walls. Use a 6 inch joint knife to skim the excess mud from between the paper and drywall. Use horizontal strokes to pull the bead tightly against the corner. See Finishing Drywall Seams for more about finishing drywall tape. |
Work on one wall at a time and use a 10 inch joint knife to skim the excess mud from metal corner bead. Rest one side of the knife blade on the bead peak and rest the other against the drywall. Skim off the excess mud keeping the knife straight as it rides along the bead. Clean excess mud off the joint knife frequently to avoid buildup. When all the excess mud has been removed from one wall, run the blade along the whole length in one smooth stroke. Finish the second wall in the same way. Leave any buildup on the peak of the corner bead and scrape it off after the mud has set. Let the mud set for several hours and skim coat the corner a couple more times until the bead is no longer visible and the surface is level. Sand the dry joint compound lightly with medium grit sandpaper to smooth it. |
Go to: >Page 1: Finishing Drywall Seams and >Page 2: Finishing Inside Drywall Corners for more drywall finishing techniques.