Install Outside Corner Bead
Category: Drywall ·
Difficulty: Intermediate ·
Time: 1.5h ·
Estimated cost: $25
Tools needed
- Tin snips
- 6" taping knife
- 12" taping knife
- Mud pan
- Drill/driver or staple gun
- Level
- Sanding sponge (220 grit)
- Work gloves
Materials needed
- Paper-faced metal outside corner bead (8 ft) (1 ea)
- Setting-type 'hot' compound (bag) (1 bag)
- All-purpose joint compound (box/bucket) (1 box)
- Drywall primer/PVA (quart) (1 qt)
Execution steps
Cut bead to length
Cut the corner bead to length with tin snips. Dry-fit it straight and plumb along the corner with a level.
Duration: 10 min
Bed the bead
Embed paper-faced bead in a wet bed of mud (or staple metal bead every 8-10"). Run your knife from the wall into the nose to lock it down and squeeze out air pockets.
Duration: 15 min
Build coat 1
Cover the flanges with setting-type mud, keeping the metal nose just barely proud so the finished corner stays sharp.
Duration: 15 min
Build coat 2
Apply a wider coat, feathering onto the wall. Dimple any fasteners below the bead's face.
Duration: 15 min
Finish coat
Skim a final wide coat with the 12" knife and feather hard so there's no visible ridge.
Duration: 15 min
Sand and prime
Sand the flats smooth with a 220 sponge (leave the nose crisp), then prime before paint.
Duration: 20 min
Safety first
- Cut edges of metal bead are razor-sharp — wear gloves when handling and trimming it.
- Wear a dust mask when sanding.
When to hire a pro
Bullnose (rounded) beads and long stacked corners on stairs or vaulted walls are fiddly to keep dead straight — a pro is worth it there.
Back to all DIY Guides ·
AyX Estimator — Take the guess out of construction.