Corner Bead Impact Test | Family Handyman

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What to know about outside corner beads

There seems to be a lot of opinions and misinformation going around about outside corner beads. To help clear up any confusion, we spoke with several professional mudslingers and picked the brain of a USG Product Manager. What we found is that there really is no “best” or “worst” corner bead overall; each has their pros and cons. For many of the experienced pros we talked to it all came down to personal preference in the end. That said, some beads are definitely better suited for certain scenarios and different experience levels.

We are only discussing 90-degree corners in this story, but most of the information here applies to splayed (larger angled) beads as well as beads with decretive profiles. For more information on everything else having to do with drywall, click here.

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Our test

To test the durability of each corner we slammed a 30-pound wood slab directly into them. Setting up the rig was simple, attaching the slab to a plywood base with a hinge so the distance from each corner would be the same. We did not have to push the slab forward because gravity alone was enough of a destructive force. All we did was hold the slab up, let it fall directly onto the corner bead, and then recorded the results.

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