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What would be the best drywall tape for drywall to plaster patch? The patch is on a non-insulated garage ceiling, so there will be temperature swings from 0 to 100 probably through the year.

I had to patch because of some water damage, the old material is plaster over rocklathe (3/4" total), and new is just a dual layer of 3/8" drywall.

I have setting type compound, but I'm not sure of which tape would hold up better for these circumstances.

enter image description here

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    Is there living space on the other side of that?
    – Matthew
    Commented Nov 12, 2013 at 17:04
  • Nope, just an attic.
    – Alex Moore
    Commented Nov 12, 2013 at 17:32

3 Answers 3

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I like the mesh tape for this sort of thing - because you can get material through it, and it seems less prone to peel.

The self-adhesive aspect is not all that significant - it's merely holding it (barely) in place until it's embedded in compound. The compound is what actually sticks things together.

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    +1. I recently had a bunch of this kind of work and used a special (blue) mesh tape that, i believe, was marketed for this specific purpose (or thereabouts). i bought it at Home Depot
    – amphibient
    Commented Nov 12, 2013 at 19:30
  • I'll see if I can find some of that wide tape, might have to go to a drywall store to get it though. I have time though, it's not going to be above 50 degrees in the garage until spring :)
    – Alex Moore
    Commented Nov 26, 2013 at 16:01
  • +1 Look for the thick blue tape - usually marketed as plaster tape (not drywall). Fibers are thicker, glue is super sticky, even on dusty surfaces, and it is a tad wider.
    – tahwos
    Commented Mar 8, 2016 at 0:46
  • menards.com/main/building-materials/drywall/drywall-tape/…
    – tahwos
    Commented Mar 8, 2016 at 0:48
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Fiberglass Mesh Tape

Fiberglass mesh tapes are usually self adhesive and easy to use, so tend to be the tape of choice for many DIYers.

enter image description here

Mesh tapes tend to be a bit thicker, and require more compound to cover.

Mesh tapes are self adhesive, so once they're stuck they don't tend to bubble or peal later.

Paper Tape

Paper tapes can be a bit more difficult to work with, which can lead to highly visible seams when used by inexperienced users.

enter image description here

Paper tapes are a bit thinner, so typically requiring less compound to cover. Though it must be set in compound, so may require more coats.

If paper tape is not set properly in compound, it can bubble and/or wrinkle as the compound dries.

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  • I've always found paper to be the way to go. I get a better finish with it.
    – Chris Cudmore
    Commented Nov 12, 2013 at 19:01
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Tape will not fix this mess. You need to first pull the sheetrock down and shim it so that it's flush and fits the hole. You should try to get 1/4" or lower gap. Then tape it and spackle.

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    This doesn't answer the question about which type of tape to use. FWIW it looks relatively flush in the picture.
    – Steven
    Commented Nov 19, 2013 at 0:17
  • Ceiling is RockLathe with Plaster coat, so it's near impossible to get a perfectly clean cut on. Patch panel does have extra framing behind it so it's not being supported by the existing plasterwork though.
    – Alex Moore
    Commented Dec 4, 2013 at 18:04

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