How to Drywall a Bullnose Corner Bead

Learning and applying drywall bullnose techniques is well worth the effort for those of you tired of rooms with square corners. The bullnose corners can add a great architectural touch to your room with a relatively easy effort. If you are selling your home, bullnose corners will give your home an updated modern look, which hearkens back to a more elegant time. Like many architectural fashions, this enhancement is a recycling of earlier architectural styles. It will smooth out the look of any room and provide a calming, elegant atmosphere for the home. 

 Step 1 – Preparation 

Smoothly spread the joint compound with a drywall knife in a 6 inch wide base of plaster to areas where you will be placing the bullnose corner beads. A helpful technique is to scoop the joint compound out of the bucket with the 3 inch drywall knife onto the larger drywall knife. Then you will use the larger knife as a mortar board for holding your joint compound (mortar board is the name professional dry-wallers use for the knife they use to hold the plaster or joint compound).  

If you are right-handed, hold the mortar board in the left hand and the application drywall knife in the right hand. Scrape some of the plaster onto the application knife. Only fill about two-thirds of the knife in the middle of the blade, so when you spread the plaster it won't spread over the edges of the tapping knife. Start at the top of the wall and spread down. For the ceiling, start at the edge of the ceiling and then spread out. 

Step 2 – Tapping the Joints 

Run the drywall tape along the areas where the two sheets of drywall meet.  Line up the fold mark of the tape along this line. Then spread another layer of joint compound over the tape and smooth out the two layers.  Feather out the outside edges. 

Step 3 – Measuring out the Bullnose Beads 

Measure the length of the wall in which you are going to place the first bead. Cut each end at an inside 45 degree angle with the tin snips.  Push in the bullnose beads into the joint compound, letting the compound ooze through the holes of the beads. Spread the joint compound smoothly over the outside of the beads. 

Step 4 – Wet Sanding 

Once compound is dry, go over lightly with a sponge. 

Step 5 – Dry Sanding 

Once the joint compound drys again, sand it with number 80 sandpaper. 

Extra Tip 

Turning up the heat and putting fan in the "on" position instead of "auto" will speed up the drying process. The compound is ready for drying when it feels bone dry.