A lot of folks think we’re crazy for using drywall for our tiny house interior- it’ll definitely crack as soon as it’s moved, right?? After talking to a builder who has successfully built and moved many tiny houses with drywall, we were let in on two secrets: use wallboard adhesive to glue the rock to the studs, and use flexible corners.
We’re using Magic Corner from Trimtex Drywall , and I am 100% sold on this solution both for tiny houses but also for getting crisp corners on anything as a relative beginner. Originally designed for cathedral ceilings, this corner bead features two plastic legs that adhere to the wall connected by a flexible gasket that they claim will absorb up to 3/8” of movement.
A 100-foot roll set us back about $35 plus shipping and was just enough for our simple 20-foot house. It came with its own proprietary spray adhesive and installation tool.
To install, you make an alignment mark on the wall (they recommend snapping a chalk line, we traced a rigid batten). Measure out the Magic Corner and cut any sections that will mate at a corner at an angle to avoid overlap. Spray the adhesive both onto the wall and the back of the corner bead and IMMEDIATELY apply the corner to the wall. There’s maybe 15 seconds of play to get the alignment dialed in before everything tacks up, and we found every one of those seconds valuable. Then use the included tool to apply pressure to the legs, wait a few minutes and repeat, and finally staple each leg to the wall.
Mudding is super easy: use all-purpose joint compound and a taping knife to mud over the legs up to the corner, cleaning any mud out of the gasket with the included tool. No messing around with corner tools. Our install went great, our corners look far better than I think I could have achieved with any other corner material and we have extra insurance against vibration and cracking.
x Liz
Update: we made a video walking through the installation process — check it out!
