Mesh Tape

I've finished sticking the mesh tape to the joints of the wall boards; the next step is to trowel a thin layer of mortar (called thinset) through the mesh and into the empty corner spaces between the boards, with the intent of keeping the walls from expanding and contracting over time.

In the old bathroom, the builders accomplished this structural integrity with steel mesh and truckloads of mortar. Our new bathroom is what you might call disaster-lite--it probably would not survive an earthquake like the one in Japan, so we'll keep our fingers crossed.

I read that the entire country of Japan has shifted position: 8 feet to the east in some places, and 3 feet down. Now some towns are under water at high tide. Even the planet has shifted position, causing the days to become shorter, though apparently this type of shifting happens all the
time.

We use the same taping process for the drywall, only with different materials. Here I've put on some tape and an initial layer of drywall joint compound to hide the 1/4 in. edge of the backer board on the ceiling. I'll need a few more layered coats to make this all appear flat, allowing me to bring the ceiling tiles to a good stopping place (instead of all the way to the edge).

And this approach will allow me to line up the tiles so the joint lines go up one wall, across the ceiling, and then down the other wall in clean, unbroken lines. If the tiles don't line up, I will be punished by that fact forever and will be aware of nothing else when in the bathroom or any other room in the house.