How to Install a Metal Bullnose
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2-3 hours
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Beginner
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- 45-100
If you want smoother corners around your home, you might consider installing a metal bullnose, or corner bead, as some call it. This is a piece of metal that has been folded down the middle with a 45-degree angle. They also can sometimes have rounded corners or even holes already drilled in them. The metal bullnose is drilled into the wall with dry screws and then a type of putty is put on with a putty knife which can be sanded smooth. Below, you will find the materials needed and an in-depth installation guide.
Cut the Bullnose
Measure the wall where the bullnose will go, cut the metal bullnose to fit the corner of the wall, and also cut the tin strips the same as the bullnose metal. Make sure to make a clearance between the wall and the floor with about ½ inch space.
Fasten the Metal Bullnose
Put the bullnose flush with the wall. Now hold in place while you take your drill and the drywall screws to fasten the bullnose in place securely. You will need to make sure that it is drilled into the bullnose, wall, and studs about every five inches or so. Drill the screws below the surface of the bullnose. This is considered countersinking the drills.
Cover with Putty
Take the putty knife and begin putting a thin layer of mud or compound on the bullnose. You will start at the nose of the bullnose and then work your way out to onto the wall itself. Use the kind of strokes that will leave the compound kind of feathered out onto the walls. Let this first coat dry completely before doing anything else. Once you are sure that the compound is dry, take the sandpaper and sand the area smoothly.
More Coats
The next thing you will do is put on a second layer of the compound and feather this coat out onto the walls about 2 or 3 inches farther than the first layer that you put on. Let this coat dry as well and then sand this coat the same way. You will do the same thing with the third coat making sure that you make this third coat go about 2 or 3 inches farther out than the second coat. Once this coat is dry, sand it, and then it is ready to paint.
If you want the job to look professional, it is wise to prime the wall prior to making the finishing touch with paint.
