Metal Corner Beads: Issues You Need to Know About

Metal Corner Beads: Important Installation Tips & Techniques

For decades, experienced drywall contractors, motivated DIYers and homeowners have used metal corner beads to finish the outside corners of their drywall projects. However, the fact that something has been used for a long time does not necessarily mean it is the best product for the job.

Although a common choice, metal corner beads have some significant issues that prevent them from being the optimal choice for today's top professionals. Rust, durability and installation issues are just a few factors that prevent metal corner beads from being the best option for your drywall project.

Ready to learn more? This article discusses the downsides of using metal corner beads and some superior products that can turn you from drywall zero to drywall hero.

What is a Corner Bead?

A corner bead is a drywall product used to finish and protect the fragile outside corners of your walls, typically coming in 8- to 12-foot lengths and producing a clean finish for outside corners.

Corner beads also guide your taping knife when applying joint compound to help ensure smooth, flat finish work.

Types of Corner Bead

Traditionally, metal has been used for corner beads. However, a multitude of corner bead types exist today, including vinyl and paper-faced varieties.

Metal Corner Bead

Traditionally, metal is the most common material for corner beads. Metal corner beads are sold in 8- to 12-foot lengths and come in a minimal amount of sizes and profiles.

Paper-Faced Corner Bead

Paper-faced corner beads are typically made of two distinct parts; a metal corner profile and paper attachment flanges. The paper flanges attempt to remedy some of the problems with metal corner bead installation but, unfortunately, often provide their own issues.

Vinyl Corner Bead

A hand is holding a piece of vinyl corner bead and getting it ready for installation.

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Made entirely from durable, flexible vinyl, this corner bead provides the best resistance to cracking and separation at your outside wall corners.

Metal Corner Bead: The Bad and The Ugly

Although drywall contractors have used metal corner beads for decades, most high-quality professionals have moved on due to the myriad of issues that it can present.

Rust

Whether used in parts of your house where moisture is often present, like your bathroom or basement, or humid parts of the country like the Southeast, rust can plague metal corner beads.

In addition to compromising the strength of the material, which can result in the failure of your outside corner, rust stains can penetrate through your paint and create unsightly discolorations.

Durability Issues

The outside corners of your walls stand solemnly in the blast zone of your chaotic life; kids, pets, grocery bags and moving furniture all bludgeon and batter this stoic section of your wall.

Many of these powerful impacts can dent and damage metal corner beads. While this wouldn't be an issue for its vinyl counterparts, it can be catastrophic for metal corner beads.

Once a metal corner bead is dented, it cannot be repaired and must be replaced.

Additionally, metal corner beads can often be damaged in transit, whether from manufacturer to supply house or supply house to jobsite. During transport, corner beads are often bent, dented and flattened and can become extremely difficult, if not impossible, to use on your project.

On the rare occasion corners need to be repaired, watch here to see the benefits of vinyl corner repair vs. metal corner repair:

Vinyl vs Metal Corner Bead | Durability Test #shorts
Vinyl vs Metal Corner Bead | Durability Test #shorts

Problems with Installing Metal Corner Bead

Because of its rigid and often damaged nature, metal corner beads are commonly attached with screws through the nailing flange and into a stud. Using screws helps to straighten and flatten out a corner bead that would most likely be otherwise unusable.

Unfortunately, screwing a corner bead into a stud is a common cause of cracking along your outside corners. As your home's framing settles, expands and contracts, your corner bead will move with it instead of with the drywall.

Use Trim-Tex Vinyl Corner Bead as a Superior Alternative to Metal Corner Bead

Use Trim-Tex Vinyl Corner Bead as a Superior Alternative to Metal Corner Bead

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Although metal corner beads have had a long and storied history, the dawn of a new era in corner bead products has arrived. Enter the age of Trim-Tex vinyl corner bead.

  • Trim-Tex vinyl corner bead products are all but immune to damage during transportation and can be bent, twisted and flattened only to spring back into form to provide a straight, easy-to-work-with product ready for installation.

  • Even the most powerful impacts render Trim-Tex vinyl corner beads undented and undamaged to save you time and money on wall repair.

  • Trim-Tex vinyl corner beads will not rust or discolor, no matter the conditions.

  • Want the best product for the planet, as well as your walls? Trim-Tex vinyl corner beads are primarily manufactured from recycled plastic.

  • Trim-Tex vinyl corner beads will save you time and money.

    • Enjoy an easier, less time-consuming install.

    • Feel confident in ordering less material, and know that your vinyl corner bead will be straight, flat, and undamaged.

    • Save money on future repairs by not replacing ugly, dented metal corner bead.

Choose Trim-Tex for Hard-Working and Durable Drywall Products

Choose Trim-Tex for Hard-Working and Durable Drywall Products

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Are you sick and tired of dealing with endless headaches over metal corner beads? Trim-Tex has just the medicine you need.

In 1969, Trim-Tex began manufacturing a single type of drywall corner bead, and while their catalog has expanded to include over 200 unique drywall products, some things remain the same. Trim-Tex still manufactures its products in Illinois with the same mindfulness and innovative spirit that founded the company all those years ago.

If you have drywall problems, Trim-Tex has drywall solutions. Contact the award-winning Trim-Tex customer support team, or find a retailer near you.