Edges, Seams and Corners Some of the most intriguing components of a drywall finishing system are the reinforcing tapes and beads that are used at joints and corners. These elements should be invisible after walls are finished, buried beneath layers of joint compound. But they play and important role in the long-term performance of your walls.
On flat seams, reinforced tape forms a bridge between drywall sheets, keeping the joint from cracking. The finishers have a choice of tape: perforated paper tape or fiberglass mesh tape. The great thing about the fiberglass tape is that it’s self-sticking, and therefore doesn’t require a first coat of joint compound between it and the drywall panels. This saves a lot of time, but it must be used with a setting-type joint compound. If your finishers are using a drying-type compound, which is much more popular, they must use paper tape.
On exposed corners, paper tape with special metal strips or perforated metal trim pieces give finished corners sharp, straight lines while protecting them from occasional bumps. There are other corner options, too. Builder Greg McCaffery’s million-dollar homes in southern California often feature bullnose beads at every drywall corner. These beads create a gentle curve around the corner that gives the interior a soft, sculpted look. McCaffery’s team also uses new composite beads that bend to follow the outside curve of almost any type of archway.
Textures and Special Effects After tape has been applied to the joints, successive coats of joint compound are applied, each with a broader knife than the last to feather the joints flush with the wallboard surface. Some tapers thin the compound for the later applications to allow it to flow on more smoothly. Typically, finishing requires at least three coasts of joint compound; each must dry for at least a day before the next coat can be applied. Tapers often sand lightly between coats.
Once the final layer of joint compound has been sanded smooth, the finished walls have a crisp, contemporary appearance. If traditional spaces are more your taste, a good painter can customizes drywall surfaces to simulate almost any look. You can even achieve the illusion of slightly uneven old plaster-and-lath walls, at significantly lower cost than applying the real thing. Other options include grainy sandstone textures or a rough, broken plaster treatment that resembles old-fashioned whitewashed plaster over stone walls.
Several new gypsum products make other special effects much easier to achieve. Drywall crews now use layers of ¼ inch-thick drywall to create curved walls and perfect archways. In the past, ½ inch panels had to be scored with a knife or saturated with water to make them flexible enough to bend around curves. The challenge today comes in getting all of the baseboards and moldings to follow that curve. Fortunately, a number of companies now offer flexible, pre-primed moldings in many different styles.

Skim-Coat Plaster Systems
An alternative to the now nearly ubiquitous drywall finishing systems, skim-coat plaster systems offer some distinct advantages. Instead of drywall, similar panels known as gypsum lath are applied to wall and ceiling frames. Tape is applied to bridge the joints, then a thick coat of plaster is applied over the entire surface and finished with a trowel. The result is a shell-like finish that is cool to the touch like conventional plaster. The surface texture may range from silky-smooth to uneven and rustic, depending on the trowel technique. While more expensive than drywall, skim-coat plaster finished may hold more appeal for traditionalists.