The Ultimate Guide to Soft Profile Corner Beads

While, these days, Trim-Tex has a thick catalog of finishing solutions of all different shapes, sizes and colors, we made our name on one thing: vinyl corner beads, made to protect the vulnerable edges of drywall. And Trim-Tex’s calling card is a corner bead with a smooth, slightly rounded nose; these are our Soft Profile corner beads, and they’ve been among our most popular products for decades. Learn all about this tried-and-true kind of trim, and how they’re installed, in this ultimate guide to Soft Profile corner beads!

How to Install Soft Profile Corner Beads: The Ultimate Guide | How to Trim-Tex

What are Soft Profile corner beads?

As opposed to our Sharp Profile options, which feature a sharper nose, Soft Profile beads are somewhat rounded at their tips, for a smoother, gentler finish. They are installed with a standardized glue-and-staples method (more on this later), and are known for their durability, so your finish stays looking great for many years to come.

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Which Soft Profile corner bead should I choose?

While there are several Soft Profile beads to choose from, easily the most well-known of these is the standard Trim-Tex Corner Bead, the go-to choice for generations of drywall finishers. It’s trusted by drywallers of all skill levels for its simple installation, resiliency and flawless final look. When it comes to 90-degree corners, you cannot go wrong with a box of classic Corner Bead. Learn more here.

A notched version of the standard Corner Bead, Archway Corner Bead has also been a touchstone for drywall finishers for many years — and will be for many years to come. Why? There may be no better way to enhance the “wow factor” of an interior space than an archway, and this makes finishing these curved edges easy, affordable and reliable. Learn how to create an arched drywall opening from beginning to end here!

This bead is a supersized spin on the classic Corner Bead. Its wider mud legs go the extra mile to prevent cracking and correct for slightly uneven framing. Plus, with just one Jumbo Corner Bead, you can tackle up to two full sheets of 5/8” drywall at once. Also features a notched Archway version. Learn more here.

Not every corner is exactly 90 degrees, and for obtuse angles anywhere from 120-140 degrees, there’s Outside Splayed Corner Bead. Like the standard Corner Bead, this splayed option is available in a Jumbo size, with extra-wide 1 ¾” mud legs. You can learn more about Splayed Corner Bead here and here for Jumbo Splayed Corner.

For uneven, warped and just plain poorly installed framing, there’s one sure-fire way to make sure your corners come out looking perfectly straight: Closed Angle Corner Bead. This bead is a new twist on a classic — it features a tighter 81-degree angle, and this increased rigidity means it can form a straight line on framing that’s anything but. It also features a unique hole pattern, designed to save you time and material installing it.

We’ve also found that, if you’re a lifelong metal corner bead user, this is a great set of training wheel to using superior vinyl materials; that higher level of rigidity also means it behaves more like a metal bead, with none of metal’s many drawbacks. Learn more here.

How to install Soft Profile corner beads

As mentioned above, all Soft Profile beads are installed the same way (with one notable exception), which we call the spray-and-staple method.

To install a Soft Profile corner bead, first apply a coat of 847 Spray Adhesive to the bead and the drywall, or two coats to just one or the other. (Why should you specifically use our 847 Spray Adhesive? We’ll explain it all for you here!) Wait for the glue to get tacky, then press the bead into place. Apply pressure evenly along the entire length of the bead’s mud legs — we like to use one of our handy little installation tools, included with boxes of 847, to make this easier.

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Next, grab your staple gun and shoot ½” staples into the bead, every 6-8”. If, for some reason, you did not use 847 Spray Adhesive — not recommended, but not a dealbreaker — double up on staples, every 2-4”. Now, apply two or more layers of joint compound, sand and paint!

NOTE: For Closed Angle Corner Bead, it may be difficult to install this bead using spray adhesive: especially if your corners are uneven, its tighter angle may mean that it pushes off the drywall when you let go of it, even with glue. In this case, just install Closed Angle Corner Bead with staples, applied every 2-4” along the length of the bead.

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Hopefully, this ultimate guide to Soft Profile corner beads has given you the guidance you need to tackle your next drywall job armed with a box or two of these time-tested solutions. Want to give our standard Corner Bead a go for yourself? We’ll send you a free sample! Hit the button below to get started.

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Trim-Tex’s standard Corner Bead & Archway is our touchstone for finishing 90-degree corners, while the bendable archway variety is the perfect choice for curved surfaces.

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