have a question on dry wall?

[waterbug]

we bought a forclosed house last year and for some reason in the ceilings all the joints are cracking and some have some chunks coming out. I was told its because it sat empty in the winter for at least two years and now with the heat and all everything is changing. Whats the best way to fix this so I dont have to do this again later? it has textured ceilings also so that makes it fun. Thanks!! I dont have anyone else to ask and figured someone here would have a good idea.

[Kregerdoodle]

Not good and not really a cheap way out. what I have done in the past is,

1. remove sheetrock, reinsulate, install USB board and then sheet rock over that. of coarse, if you do this on the walls, it will require that you add spacers to the door jambs to meet the thickness of the walls. I did my entire ceiling but didn`t do the walls, I should have, but funds where short.

 

Is it chracking above your doors also??

 

If it is due to settling, wet soil / dry soil type of thing, down here they will dig pretty good sized holes at the corners of the slab and fill with Pea Gravel, then they water it in the dry season this keeps the soil at a constant.

 

I hope this helps some, I am sure that there are folks on here with more expertise on this then what I have, and they will be glad to share with you.

 

Good luck and let us know what you come up with.

 

Kreg

[sarges46]

I had a spot on the wall that would crack every winter. This was due to the house shrinking I guess.... I used the fibreglass tape instead of the regular paper tape. Hasnt done it since.

[rod]

I think you have a "popcorn" finish on the ceiling. Strip the finish off and check for proper nail/screw pattern I bet there are not enough nails/screws to hold the drywall up or they broke the drywall with the fasteners. Good luck and don't go cheap fix it right. Rod

[BuddyRich]

Last time we had drywall coming down from the ceiling it was due to a leak in the upper floor. If its a 2 story check for leaks and if a one story have the roof checked by a pro.

[Mariner Fan]

Drywall is pretty easy to fix as long it hasn't gotten wet and ruined.

 

The main thing is to figure out why this is happening. Could be a poor installation or an underlying condition that needs attention.

 

Every house seems to have cracks in the wall as it settles. Our house is 10 years old and we can see them (actually, Ruth is the one who spots them). I'll fix those before we paint again.

 

Give me a call if you need help.

[eazyduzzit]

If the house has been vacant and the heat and air weren't on, then everything would expand and contract more than if it was running. You can probably just fix the bad places and be alright.

[waterbug]

Thanks for all the replys!! the house is around ten yrs old give or take a few, its a two story open concept and only the ceilings are cracking and not the walls and its at the joints with pitched ceilings and the texture is made with a brush or something so that makes it even harder to match. It looks like I am going to have to take the stuff out of the joints and do a repair that way I just dont want it to come back in a year as the ceiling in the main room goes into the loft and I only want to paint this once I hope. I am thinking of using some two part caulk I use on cars that flexes also and put in there but thats not cheap. any other idea? thanks again.

[painterman67]

forget the caulk , this will only make the problem come back quicker. The caulk wil shrink, bend , and expand with heat , cold and flex of the house. The Mud( usg sheetrock compound ) is rigid when cured. The mud wil not expand and contract with th caulk causeing compound to pop of.

 

 

Simlpe fix although never garaunted is to remove the original patch and drywall tape and reaply. Make sure the new tape( mesh preferable) is bedded well as this will fall of with time if this first ste[p is not done wright. Sand lightly in between coats of mud, usually 2 to 3 coats to get the desired finish. Prime the patched seem and then aply the finsh texture. Then put on finish coat of paint entire celing.

 

 

More complex fix and almost always a sure fire fix is to install expantion joints but this my not be a look that you can live with. My house is thirty years old and I patch and refinish ceiling every 2 or 3 years but this is what I do for a living so no big deal for me.

 

 

Now as for the texture finish. If you could get a pic posted of the texture itself I could probably look at it and give you an idea if not and exact way to duplicate this finish. Send i tto me on a pm so I can take a good looj=k at it.

 

 

Its a little long but I hope this helps.

 

David

[mechanic1]

Now there you go waterbug. The painterman does it for a living, I was going to suggest talking to someone experienced in that line of work like maybe a inspector from a neiboring town but sounds like he is the man you need to talk to. find 5 people who you believe to be knowledgeable about the matter and if most, if not all tell you the same thing then that is usually the way to go. The house sitting with no heat or air probably is what did it due to it sweating. These guys that have been doing that work for a long time have experience you can't get any where else. The education they have they usually payed for by hard knocks, so it is advisable to listen to them or it will cost you. Personally, I have done some of that stuff but been a lot of years and young at the time so my attention was focused on other matters, right?LOL

 

 

 

 

Roy

[Dano]

DId you check to see if the joints were taped when it was originally put up? I've seen tract houses where they put a finish over the joints but never taped 'em. Low money on the job, saved a lot of time per house. I've even seen that in half million dollar houses, that's why I quit doing electrical work for that builder. No ethics at all.

 

Just my 2 cents worth,

 

Dan

[autopilot]

Forget the caulk. Also, if you haven't done sheet rock finishing before, you would be money and time ahead to just hire it done. They'll have (or can readily get) a stipple brush and be able to closely replicate the texture of the ceiling. If the area where the stipple is coming off is stained and discolored, then you have a roof leak that needs to be fixed. If it's been wet it probably needs to be cut out and patched. They'll also have the stilts and will have or get the scaffolding necessary for the high open ceiling.

 

You can stipulate however that he use the fiberglass mesh tape instead of the paper tape, or just defer to his judgement. I he's a reputable guy, you have recourse if something isn't right when it's done, unlike if you do it yourself. Wide swings in temperature and particularly humidity can cause it to separate and come off in a house that has sat vacant a long time, particularly if the surface of the sheetrock wasn't properly prepared (it has to be primed). Sheetrock finishing.....there is a technique...an art to properly mudding and feathering out joints. (3 sanded, thin, progressively wider coats, ending with a 10 or 12 inch wide knife. There are also tricks that some guys use for smoothing (like using Joy liquid soap mixed in a finish coat to make it slick...of coarse it sucks when you have to sand it and get in your eyes...I don't recommend it)

 

I can't emphasize enough (IMHO) the idea that hiring it done would be preferred. That is not to say you can't do it yourself. Go watch it being done. I've done it before, for myself. Takes way longer and does not turn out nearly as good as a sheetrock guy that knows what he's doing can do it. If you do hire it out, don't get a slouch, get a pro.

[Mariner Fan]

The funny thing is that alot of "professional" jobs are done poorly. We can see all the joints in our ceilings because the drywall guys didn't take the time to do the job right. Alot of these guys slap the mud on and then texture over it leaving an indentation where the joint is.

[waterbug]

I knew there would be someone here that does this and can give me some much needed advise and I thank all of you! It is a job I can do myself and dont have a problem doing I just believe if you do it its worth doing rite the first time so you dont have to do it again, and being on comition doing bodywork and painting cars I dont like to do it once not alone more than that. Again thanks everyone for your info and have a great week.