Warning: I keep seeing guys skip the second coat of mud on inside corners

Just finished a punch list on a big condo job where every single inside corner was cracking after 6 months. The other crew only did one coat with paper tape and called it good. My old boss in Tampa drilled into me that you need two thin coats minimum, letting each dry fully, or the tape just pops. How many of you actually do the second coat versus trying to save time?

3 comments

3 Comments

felixlane19d ago

Used to think one coat was fine until my own corners cracked.

nelson.wren19d ago

My first house flip in Austin had the same problem. Every inside corner split open after the first hot summer. I had to go back and redo every single one with two thin coats of mud over paper tape. It added a week to the project, but that was ten years ago and those corners are still perfect. Now I never skip it, even on small jobs.

ross.christopher19d ago

My crew in Phoenix has been using mesh tape with a single heavy coat for years. Never had a callback for corner cracks.