Why I will never again use fiberglass mesh on drywall seams

Well, my previous slow progress on the master bedroom may have saved me in the long run. The walls stayed unfinished so long that when I was ready to start sanding the seams I noticed that they were cracked or cracking. What in the world had happened? I took such care in hanging, taping and mudding the drywall that I couldn't believe the seams were coming apart. And then I learned, too late, that fiberglass mesh tape was not a good choice for seams. In his book Sheetrock and Shellac, David Owen says, "Amateurs (and a few misguided professionals) sometimes use plastic-mesh tape, rather than paper tape, with ordinary joing compound, but they shouldn't." Of course I read the book after I drywalled the room. I also Googled the use of mesh tape on seams and some drywall guy posted in a forum that people who used fiberglass mesh for their drywall seams kept him in business. The mesh doesn't have the strength that paper tape does.

When I finished the kitchen, I was a rookie and followed the "rules" listed in my copy of Drywall: Pro Tips for Hanging and Finishing and used paper tape. Having zero problems in the kitchen, of course. So why did I switch to fiberglass mesh tape for the bedroom? It was easier to use. I'd also been fooled into believing that it would hold up the way paper tape did. To heck with the "rules".

Now, I'm tearing out the fiberglass mesh, sanding and will be installing paper tape in the seams. Nothing like doing work twice. I'm mad at myself for not sticking to the tried-and-true rules. But I've learned my lesson. Not only about drywall tape, but about paying attention to expert advice.