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View Full Version : *PICS* OT: BIG drywall problem in our home



Patrick Smith
02-18-2003, 12:00 AM
Our house is approximately 15 years old - it's a 'standard' development house in a suburb. We moved in less than two years ago, and the previous owners (elderly) were pretty open about the flaws that were in the house. One thing they made sure to point out was the peeling drywall tape at the joints in two places - the ceiling in the garage, and in the closet of our bedroom. It wasn't that bad in the garage when we moved in - perhaps a section of tape about 6' long had started peeling.

Since then it's kicked into high gear - more than HALF of the tape in our 2 car garage is peeling off, and there are a couple new spots inside the house where the tape is coming off the walls! What gives? This really has us spooked and waiting for more joints to go bad. I have two main questions:

First, how do we STOP any more of this from happening?
Second, would you recommend I repair the failing parts right now? Or wait for more to go bad?


My wife seems to think we should go after the builder even though we are the second owner. I told her they probably won't even know the drywall contractor who did the job and even if they did, he probably wouldn't be in business in the same name today. I've never repaired a ceiling before (just built and finished walls) - do you think the damage can be repaired without being too obvious?

Pics follow, they are highly compressed to save space.

http://www.driftwoodroad.com/images/dwall_garage.jpg
Here's the garage!


http://www.driftwoodroad.com/images/dwall_ceiling.jpg
This is the ceiling in one of my boy's room.


http://www.driftwoodroad.com/images/dwall_drwall.jpg
Here's the corner of our dining room. This is less than a month old!


http://www.driftwoodroad.com/images/dwall_closet.jpg
This is the closet of our bedroom. Looks like the tape popped off almost in a single piece!


http://www.driftwoodroad.com/images/dwall_bath.jpg
This crack in our upstairs bathroom is newer too.

This really has us freaking out. Seems every time we turn around we find something else...

Thanks for your comments.
Patrick

Howard Barlow
02-18-2003, 12:12 AM
Are you having slab problems? The tape problems could be several different sources. The crack across the wall at the door would indicate slab movement.

Patrick Smith
02-18-2003, 12:19 AM
Hi Howard,

Nope, no slab problems... That's what I thought about that crack too, but that's the only place (the bath on the 2nd floor) in the house with a crack instead of a peeling tape joint. The basement is extremely dry and the block is still tight.

I'll probably just sand and patch the crack, I can do that no problem. It's the tape I'm worried about :eek: !

Thanks for the reply,
Patrick

Howard Barlow
02-18-2003, 12:58 AM
Good news for the slab. Probably a substandard job on the original tape work. It's aggravating, but not the worst that can happen.

Ken Garlock
02-18-2003, 12:58 AM
Hi Patrick. Regarding your garage tape coming loose, I suspect that is because there is no insulation or moisture barrier in the attic of the garage. This is allowing damp air to work on the tape, and eventually it comes loose.

The picture of the crack leading into a door is another story. The crack appears to be a pressure crack. Does the door close properly? Has the door been trimmed to make it fit the casing? Something has put a compression force of the drywall which shows the crack.

The best way I know to get a real answer is to hire a house inspector to go over the house from footer to roof top. An independent inspector should give you an educated and impartical analysis of the problems with the house, maybe some things you didn't even know about.

Down here in the greater Dallas area, no one buys a house without a complete house inspection.

BTW, I grew up in SW Akron, went to Kenmore HS, then to UofA.

Good Luck in finding the answers....

Bob Boake
02-18-2003, 1:37 AM
cracks above doors or windows are the result of some movement in the structure. Not always a crack in the foundation. could be horizontal or vertical movement. A certain amount of movement is normal as the house settles and dries out. I have used a spray elastic coating over crack repairs called goodbye cracks. spray over repaired area and apply finish coat.
I havn't heard of anyone loosing paper embedded in mud before unless moisture is involved. I guess it is possible that the mud wasn't blended and has poor adhesion. The only remedy is to remove loose portions and retape and mud. It is all cosmetic and repairs can look as good as new.
Call a drywall contractor for an estimate first. He can tell you at that time if it was properly installed. A good finisher can do more in 1 hour than an avg homeowner can do in a day. the general contractor hires the subs and is responsible for their work, even if he can't remember which sub he used. good luck

Jason Roehl
02-18-2003, 6:53 AM
1. As others have said, the falling tape in the garage is probably moisture-related, or poor initial installation. Only thing to do is cut it out, patch and re-texture.

2. The meandering crack is due to house movement/settling/whatever. Fairly simple to fix by scraping it down, applying mesh tape, then patching.

3. The pulled corner tape is due to "truss uplift," as evidenced by the wrinkles in the vertical corners and the tape only stuck to one side on the horizontals. This is due to movement (shrinkage or expansion) in the trusses, which can pull on interior partition walls, and sometimes even load-bearing ones. Again, all you can do is cut out the bad and re-tape and patch.

I wouldn't waste your time going after the builder unless there is some sort of explicitly stated warranty. Most won't spend a dime to fix that after ONE year, let alone 15.

The good news is that since the house is 15, it is PROBABLY done moving, so once you fix the tape issues, it should be good to go. It's one of those things that once it gets started, it continues easily if you even look at it.

Jason

Self-employed Painter

Gary Hern
02-18-2003, 8:37 AM
I've patched alot of drywall but never seen tape coming loose that badly. The worst tape job I repaired was from the taper working too large of an area and letting his mud set up (glazed over) before applying the tape and bedding it. I'd suspect that moisture is one of the culprits in your home causing the severity. Did the builder use house wrap? Are your bathrooms vented? Do you have a hot tub or sauna in your home?

The problem and one that arouses suspicion is the texture on the surfaces that require repairing. Yes, these can be repaired, but it will not be easy to match perfectly. Texture like that is often applied on surfaces that had poor taping jobs. They're a good way of hiding poor workmanship. Also, if a contractor knows that the texture is being applied, it's not such a concern to get the tape/mud perfect. I've seen all kind of corners cut.

Now, in the fixing. When you go to repair it. Do "NOT" stick the old tape back up there. Pull it off and pull it at the ends till it feels very secure, not releasing. Get as much as possible prior to patching.

Good luck!:mad:

Patrick Smith
02-18-2003, 9:34 AM
Tthere are some good suggestions... and I'm a little more worried about that crack now. That door in the picture has never shut all the way. I just chalked it up to initial house settling that the previous owners never bothered fixing. Our basement door is almost directly below this one, on the first floor - last month it started dragging on the same side. At first I thought it was because of the cold snap, but then realized that it would have shrunk, not expanded. I've been trying to figure it out for a few weeks.
Both of these doors are almost directly over one of the walls in the basement that carries the steel beam supporting the rest of the house. I will check out the block very closely, but other than cracks and leaning, is there anything specific I should look for there? :confused:

As for the drywall, sounds like I should just get that fixed. Everyone is spot on about the lack of insulation in the garage - the drywall is screwed right up to the joists and there is nothing above it. The garage walls aren't insulated and it's not heated although it's attached. Should I blow some insulation into the attic above the garage? :confused:

Hey Ken, congrats on escaping Akron. I had a few job offers in Dallas and I'd love to live there, if my wife would let me do it. A little too far away for her.

Thanks everyone...
Patrick

Tired of snow and winter in Akron

Ted Shrader
02-18-2003, 9:49 AM
Patrick -

I have had similar problems in my house (circa 1978). They are due to two things - settling (as expected) and improper application. The bedded joints were too dry when the tape was applied. With the cycles of moisture here close to the ocean, the drywall compound just let go.

Good news, though. It is very easy to pull the old stuff off. I used fiber tape to replace the paper originally installed - a couple of layers of mud - you're done! Just have to re-paint.

Good luck,
Ted

Patrick Smith
02-18-2003, 9:55 AM
Thanks Ted - that makes me feel much better about the taping! I think I'll take a crack at fixing it first and if I mess it up too bad I can pay a professional to fix the original problem and my "repair" job :D

Phil Phelps
02-18-2003, 10:22 AM
Jason has some good advise, as usual, Howard. However, the upstairs closet crack will continue until you fix the settleing. You can patch it, but it will return. The bad news is it is up stairs. I have a pier and beam with the same closet problem. But, when a shim is placed under the pier, the crack literally dissapears. I think yours will be an ongoing problem. Garages are exposed to a the elements. Sooner or later the moisture will get to the joints in the dry wall. After repair, a good sealer and paint job will help prevent that problem. You do have a job on your hands. It is messy to repair. You might want to hire a reputable contractor .:(

Bob Boake
02-18-2003, 1:23 PM
EZ drywall repair.
Pull loose tape until you get to a point where it is firmly afixed. Go past that point and slice accross the joint deep enough to cut the tape.Remove tape and knock off anything loose. Use a spray can of oil based primer and paint the cut or where the drywall paper has been torn. It helps secure old work from coming loose.
Apply fiber tape to joint & cover with thin layer of mud. avoid heavy buildup. Between coats knock off any peaks with a drywall knife and sand lightly with fine grade sanding screen. Wider knives and a wetter mix help feather out repair.Change to extra fine screens for final 2 sandings to avoid "grid marks". Check your work by shining a halogen work light down a wall and look for shadows. BIG ISSUE:Dust control. Shop vac sanding attachments work well (cost 20$) but dust bypasses the filter. Use a second hose to route vac exhaust out a window. Experiment with different methods to match the texture on some scrap surfaces before applying..

Patrick Smith
02-18-2003, 2:53 PM
Thanks for the tips Bob. I have one of those "dustless" drywall sanding rigs with the bucket of water and hoses, picked it up when I did the drywall in my basement... it does an amazingly good job for the price. Only thing is you have to remember to ground the bucket... DAMHIKT bzzZZAAAPPP!! :eek:

Good idea practicing on the texture... drywall cutoffs and mud are cheap!

Jim Nardi
02-18-2003, 8:17 PM
Relax there are no major problems here. The door with the crack in the plaster you said does not close right. Take the trim off fix the frame rehang the door cut out the crack use fiber tape and cover it over. Almost all the other cracks in the house are just due to the truses expanding and contracting. Have you ever checked the attic to see if you have any ventilation? The garage has the similar problem don't waste your time fixing that until you have money to insulate and vapour barrier. Extreme climate changes cause these problems. Ask you neighbours they probably all have the same problems.

Jim Nardi
02-18-2003, 8:53 PM
Relax there are no major problems here. The door with the crack in the plaster you said does not close right. Take the trim off fix the frame rehang the door cut out the crack use fiber tape and cover it over. Almost all the other cracks in the house are just due to the truses expanding and contracting. Have you ever checked the attic to see if you have any ventilation? The garage has the similar problem don't waste your time fixing that until you have money to insulate and vapour barrier. Extreme climate changes cause these problems. Ask you neighbours they probably all have the same problems.