Drywall Taping and Finishing

To Tape or Not To Tape A Small Hole Repair?

 Menu Home Page Questions? Email Me! Tools You Will Need Cut and Install Drywall Taping Recessed Joints Watch The Video! Taping Non-Recessed Joints - Watch the Video! Taping Inside Corners Outside Drywall Corners Repair Large Drywall Holes
Easy Video Instructions!
Repairing Doorknob Holes How to Retape Cracks Cracks at Window Corners Wide Angle Drywall Taping Building Drywall Arches Previous Bad Drywall Job? Bathroom Mold on Drywall How to Apply Texture Repair Textured Drywall More Drywall Tutorials New Products & Methods

QUESTION: I just repaired a small hole in my drywall.  Do I need to tape the joint before finishing it?

ANSWER: There is somewhat of a debate on this. To really answer this question, however, you should determine why exactly the tape is being applied. In a wall joint where two sheets meet, there can, and often is, foundation shifting that can place considerable pressure along the joint. Without taping, there would be a crack at the joint in less than a season with near guarantee. For a small fist-sized hole in the middle of a wall, however, there is no way for stress to be placed on the joint, since it is contained entirely within the middle of the sheet. For such a small hole, taping is not needed and in fact I have made such repairs without taping and they have never cracked. If, on the other hand, the hole lies on an edge meeting another sheet, you should tape.

Some folks will want to tape this type of small hole repair for the purpose of covering the rough edges along the perimeter of the repair. This allows mudding and finishing without snagging the edges where the patch piece meets the wall. It's not a problem to tape for this reason, and if it aids in finishing, then tape the joint. Just don't overlap ends of tape (making a higher profile to cover) but cut the ends of the tape 1/8" short of where they meet the next piece of tape. And I recommend paper tape by the way.


Search Drywallinfo Using Search Box Above!

Copyright 2014 - Michael Sakowski - More Info  - Privacy Policy  - Decorative Wall Art