Even true drywall pros can still run into problems on the job. Even top-quality drywall accessories can sustain unexpected issues. Even if you did everything right, things can still go wrong. But when this does happen, it helps to have a partner you know you can call to help you solve these problems. In this edition of “Jobsite Journals,” we’re sharing one such story, when drywall pro Kayla Beckett (aka The Taping Queen) received an unusual complaint from a client — and called up Trim-Tex to help her crack the case of a delaminated window return.
Last summer, Kayla — who is better known to her nearly 20,000 followers on Instagram as The Taping Queen — worked on a beautiful, modern house in Toronto on a cliff overlooking a valley. For this custom home, she installed Trim-Tex’s wide Giant L Bead on all the house’s many window returns. She installed the time-saving L Bead properly, using staples along the mud legs and adhesive caulk beneath the vinyl return legs. The client was happy with her work, as all her clients are.
However, as any drywall finisher knows, sometimes structural movement and/or temperature can negatively impact your finish over time, especially in a wood-framed house like this one. In this case, during the following summer after installation, the L Bead began to delaminate from the framing.
The most likely source of the problem was that, during these summer months, the sun was hitting the window returns all day long, causing the wood-framed window return — and the horizontal wooden sill the homeowners had added to the middle of the windows, with the Giant L Beads installed tightly under them — to expand, and the bead to slightly separate from it. This delamination resulted in either cracks or waviness in the finish. (Corroborating this theory, the Giant L Beads on all the window returns of the east side of the home, where the sunlight was less harsh, remained pristine.)
The homeowners called Kayla back to take a look at the issue, and she asked for Trim-Tex’s help to solve it without having to redo every return. Trim-Tex Product Manager Enrique Perez went above and beyond to lend a hand — he flew from Chicago to Toronto to personally inspect the problem and fix it, teaming up with Canada’s own Wallboard Trim & Tool Account Manager Mark Churchill.
The homeowners were hoping for a simple fix, and in the end, the team found one: Enrique and Mark recommended that Kayla make a slight trim to the L bead under the wood sill, and staple the return leg to the framing every couple of inches. Kayla would then finish the whole return leg with a light coat of mud, then sand and paint. This way, Kayla wouldn’t need completely remove all the Giant L Beads on this side of the house and replace them — a massive relief to both her and the homeowners.
This is the story of a drywall finisher who went the extra mile for her customer, and drywall accessory suppliers who went the extra mile for theirs. Our kudos go out to Kayla, Enrique and Mark for their dedication to a perfect drywall finish that will stand the test of time. Follow Kayla on her popular Instagram page to keep up with all her top-notch work here, and while you’re at it, hit the link below to visit our Instagram to find more stories like this one — be sure to hit that “follow” button on both while you’re there!
