Drywall Mesh Joint Tape Defined

When two sections of drywall are joined together, the joint must be covered up and filled in with joint compound. This joint compound is allowed to dry and then sanded down until a smooth surface is achieved and the joint is no longer visible.

There are two main ways of taping the joints prior to the application of the joint compound: Flat paper tape or mesh joint tape.

Mesh joint tape is made of super-strong fiberglass strands arranged in a grid-like fashion. It comes in small rolls typically 300 feet long or less, with one adhesive side and the other side non-adhesive.

The sticky side is applied to the drywall joints.

The mesh joint tape is not, by itself, strong enough to provide structural integrity to drywall joints. In fact, some homeowner/remodelers are often surprised that the tape isn't as "sticky" as other types of tape, such as duct tape or packing tape. But when combined with successive layers of drywall joint compound, the combination provides a very strong joint.