Spackle question

I'm in spackle phase of fixing up the house, and I have to be done by tomorrow night so DH can take time off work and get the painting done.

I have some areas where the previous spackle tape is seperating from the wall. I know I'm probably supposed to rip it down and tape it again, but can I cut a corner and just put the new fiberglass spackle tape I bought over it?

We're not looking for perfection here. Just not glaring cracks. It would make my life a lot easier if this isn't going to look stupid over the long haul.

Thanks ladies and gents! And btw, if you ever need to work our your bi- and triceps, get on a ladder and spackle the wall above your kitchen cabinets.

Signed,
Sore and tired but loving the house fixing process.

Re: Spackle question

Ok, here is DH's response to your question...

It really depends on what caused the cracks. Are the cracks in an old house that has long since completed settling or are the cracks in new construction. If it is old or there was no recent new construction, I would say that you could cut the corner the way they described with fiberglass tape, but there is no guarantee this would work, especially if the person making the repair is not proficient at spackling and also fiberglass tape is thick and will need to be covered with a lot of spackle to have it really blend into the wall. If you use fiberglass tape over existing drywall tape that is already seperating from the wall, it will just eventually seperate again. I would probably attempt to make a repair like this with the same type of tape that is already there, carefully cutting away as much of the seperating tape as i could. In the end, since it is the same thickness, it will be easier to do the finish work

If it is new construction, it will probably continue to settle. What I would do with this is to cut (not rip) the existing tape out with a utility knife a couple of inches past where it is seperating. Then, depending on the thickness of the crack and the remaining spackle surrounding the crack, I would try to fiberglass tape it because this will ultimately be stronger and since it is new construction it will probably continue to settle for a couple of years. I hope this helps. you can have the person email me if you want. Pictures always help.

HTH!!!

Re: Spackle question

Wow Carolyn, thanks SO much for getting me such great info! It's an old construction, so it looks like I can't cover up the existing tape.

BUT he gave me a good tip - cutting the existing tape instead of ripping it all down. That just saved me a lot of time and aggrivation. I haven't opened the fiberglass mesh tape yet, I don't know how thick it is.

And no, I'm not very proficient. But I'm getting better, the more I do it and I started with walls that aren't seen much so I could get the technique down.

Please thank your husband for me, that was very sweet of you to ask him for me!

Re: Spackle question

No problem, he is really good with that stuff and I knew he could help!

Good luck -