The Callback Killer: Fast Edge® Paper in Commercial Construction
Here’s the problem: a whole lot of corner beads in commercial construction don’t make it through to the project’s completion. Whereas a residential drywall finisher is typically going to be a part of a small, tight-knit crew, on a large commercial jobsite you’re often just one among dozens of workers from all kinds of trades. And those other trades are loading heavy equipment in and out all day, every day, and if they’re not careful (when are they ever?), they're going to smack into those corners. For these reasons, and many more, a Pennsylvania contractor chose Trim-Tex’s Fast Edge® Paper in commercial construction projects.
For this project — a large office building outside of Harrisburg, Penn., three floors of which are being overhauled to house the new offices of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center — Paramount Contracting and its Project Manager Ryan Roberts were searching for something new for their drywall phase. They needed a drywall accessory that was much stronger than metal corner bead for their many high-traffic areas, and something more cost-effective than the paper-covered composite bead they used to use.
What attracted Ryan and the Paramount team to Fast Edge Paper was the strength of its Mud Locks: vinyl hooks that run along the inside of the corner bead, gripping into mud for a best-in-class bond to the drywall. And, since the bead is made from laminated paper over a vinyl core, you get all the resiliency and durability of Trim-Tex vinyl drywall accessories, making damage rare and repairs easy.
Together, what these mean for Fast Edge Paper in commercial construction is that, when and if another trade rams into that corner in high-traffic areas, the Mud Locks keep that bead held tight to the drywall, and the bead’s vinyl materials keep the nose of the bead sharp. If there is any damage, you’re typically only going to need to do a simple mud patch, rather than replacing the corner bead as you would with metal materials.
“[Fast Edge Paper] has the Mud Lock system that's ensuring your bead is going to stay — that's a plus for us,” Ryan Roberts told us. “There's not callbacks. As long as the mud is behind the product, it's going to stay. It can take more impact being PVC. It's inevitable that somebody, an electrician rolling a cart, some cleanup guys with a dumpster coming through, they're going to hit a corner. If it's going to stay and we have minimal repair — because it's going to happen — I'd rather use a product that's going to stay longer. Not to mention the price point: it's more cost-efficient of a product, and anywhere you can save a dollar these days works out.”
Fast Edge Paper in commercial construction is an ideal match — the PMs will love the lack of callbacks in high-traffic areas, and the finishers will love how quickly it’s installed, using less mud than any other corner bead. Thank you to Ryan and the whole Paramount Contracting team for inviting us to get a look at this project! (You can learn more about this UPMC retrofit job and how they tackled code compliance requirements using Trim-Tex here.) Find out where you can get a box of Fast Edge Paper at a drywall supply shop near you by using the dealer locator tool below!
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