Knauf Reinforcing Tape For Drywall: Application For Gypsum Plasterboard Joints, Paper Version 75 M Long For Joints, Corner Forming Tape

Recently, almost no renovation in an apartment, office, cottage or country house is complete without the use of drywall. In addition to its correct installation, much attention is paid to the processing of gypsum board joints, especially in the corners.

Reinforcing tape is widely used to strengthen the material and prevent cracking of the putty. Knauf produces several types of plasterboard reinforcing tape.

What is it for?

Drywall is a material that is highly susceptible to fluctuations in temperature and humidity in a room. This is due to the fact that at the edges it has an unprotected bevel cut. Particularly negative environmental conditions affect the joints of the GK sheets. If a special tape is not used for sealing the seams, then over time cracks form on them, which can disrupt not only the appearance, but also the strength of the structure erected from drywall.

The use of reinforcing products avoids these negative aspects, and also facilitates subsequent puttying and finishing.… The use of tape smoothes out irregularities and roughness that form at the joints and makes the surface even, which makes it possible to better carry out the subsequent painting of the material.

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Knauf manufactures several types of reinforcing tapes for GK structures.

Consider the options most popular with builders

Paper with perforation… Perforated tape is made of cellulose with the addition of fiberglass, which provides the required strength of the product. The perforation applied on the adhesive side is needed for better adhesion to the surface

Knauf offers several types of paper tape:

ALux (corner forming) - paper tape with metal inserts included. This reinforcing product can withstand stretching and other mechanical stress well. It increases the strength of the structure and strengthens the seams, allowing you to subject the gypsum board to significantly greater loads. For the convenience of pasting the seams in the corners, the tape has a gap in the center along its entire length, which makes it easy to lay it in the necessary places.
Knauf kurt is a product made of cellulose with the addition of synthetic fibers. It is used for reinforcing gypsum board joints with any type of edge edges. It has high strength, is easy to fit and does not give a "wave" when puttying. Width 50 mm, available in rolls of 25 m and 75 m.

Among the disadvantages of paper reinforcing tape can be noted the laboriousness of work with it. Therefore, it is not recommended to use such a product without experience in working with drywall: there is a high risk of getting poorly processed seams.

Serpyanka… It is a self-adhesive mesh with dimensions of 45 mm or 50 mm. It is made of fiberglass and is produced in rolls of 20 m, 45 m and 90 m

Does not require special preparation of the surface for pasting. Can be used by people with no experience in construction work.

In addition to the obvious advantages, the serpyanka also has disadvantages. So, the level of its strength is inferior to paper tape, and to fix the product, you should carefully select the appropriate type of putty. In addition, you should carefully monitor the uniformity of applying the putty over the entire width and length of the plasterboard joint treated with serpyanka.

Damper … Used when laying drywall on the floor. Consists of foamed polyethylene and has excellent waterproofing properties. Its main advantage is that it compensates for the expansion of gypsum plasterboard floors. In addition, it is easy and convenient to work with it.
Sealing … "Knauf-Dichtungsband" is a self-adhesive polymer tape used for tight mating of metal profiles that are used in the installation of gypsum board. Provides a tight fit as well as excellent sound insulation.

It is important to know that a putty must be carefully selected for each reinforcing tape. To do this, you can use the manufacturer's recommendations, as well as the Knauf line of putties, designed specifically for working with drywall.

The sealing process

After connecting the gypsum board, they begin to putty and reinforce the formed joints.

This requires the following tools and materials:

chamfering planer;
putty knife;
putty;
reinforcing tape;
construction mixer;
container for mixing putty;
water;
scissors;
sandpaper;
construction knife.

The most suitable for Knauf reinforcing tapes is Uniflot putty from the manufacturer of the same name. According to the masters, it is durable, well applied and ideally combined with both paper tape and serpyanka.

Consider the sequence of sealing the seams of drywall structures:

The surface is carefully prepared. To get rid of construction dust, a vacuum cleaner is used, and the remnants of the solution or irregularities are removed with a spatula.
On chamfers, bevel is performed using a planer. Only cut sheets are subjected to such actions, but if the cut is factory cut, then there is no need to prepare it. The cut angle is 25-45 °. It is important to bevel the chamfer on both sides, this will facilitate the application of the putty.
The joints are primed.
After the soil has dried (the time depends on the type of primer, as well as on the parameters of temperature and humidity in the room), the joints are putty with a mixture of a suitable composition. It is applied evenly along the entire length of the joint and carefully leveled with a spatula.
After that, a reinforcing tape is glued. It is important to apply it to the filler, which is still wet, to ensure a stronger bond. The surface is leveled with a spatula.
After drying, the seams are rubbed with sandpaper.

Some builders and manufacturers of reinforcing tapes advise, after processing the joints with sandpaper, once again prime the already processed seams.

Tips from professionals

When carrying out work to strengthen the joints between the gypsum boards, it is necessary to take into account certain nuances.
The heads of the self-tapping screws must be recessed 1 mm into the drywall sheet. Otherwise, the output will be irregularities that will be impossible to smooth out.
To avoid the appearance of cracks, before reinforcing the joints, make sure that the drywall sheets are installed correctly and the metal frame is carefully fixed.
If there is no chamfer at the joints, it must be applied independently, otherwise both the tape and the seam will burst after sealing.
In order not to form microcracks in the corners, it is necessary to fill them with putty very carefully and evenly.

If a special tape is not used for the corners, then the usual one must first be folded in half, and then glued to the seam.
It is important to read the information on the putty packaging or follow the recommendations of the manufacturer of the reinforcing tape. Some compounds are simply incompatible with the reinforcing tape and will not be able to keep it at the junction.
When bubbles appear on the paper tape, they must be pierced with a needle, and then carefully glue these places.
If the plasterboard joint is very long in length, then it is possible to facilitate the gluing of the reinforcing tape. To do this, it is cut into small pieces, usually no more than 1 m, and gluing is carried out in stages.
Some drywall fillers dry very quickly. Please take this information into account and do not apply the putty over the entire joint length at once.

If you follow all these tips, as well as the manufacturer's recommendations, you can get high-quality plasterboard joints that will not crack and spoil the appearance.

How to choose?

The choice of the required type of Knauf tape depends on several criteria:

Skill level. In the absence of experience, preference should be given to the serpyanka, and to refuse the paper tape, since it is more difficult to install.
For corners, it is better to use paper tape, preferably angled.
Do not use a serpentine for seams that will be subjected to significant mechanical stress, since this material has the ability to stretch, which negatively affects its reinforcing properties.

The tape for strengthening the seams between the gypsum board is a necessary element that, if used correctly, can increase the service life of the structure up to 10 years.

The main thing in working with Knauf reinforcing tape is strict adherence to the instructions and then you can safely hope for an excellent result and durability.