Page 1 of 4 1234 LastLast
Results 1 to 15 of 54

Thread: Sheetrock problem

  1. #1

    Sheetrock problem

    Not exactly a woodworking question, but construction related.

    I did some sheetrocking. It has been taped, mudded, and painted this last fall. A few of the inside corners are now buckling and stretching apart. What did I do wrong? And Is there a tool that can fix it or what can I do to fix it or prevent it?

    I have heard of this before and seen that sometimes this gets better in the summer, but will bulge out again every winter.

  2. #2
    Above grade or in the basement ? what part of the world are you in ? What is the framing under the rock ?

    If you are dealing with an area prone to moisture (basement, etc) or didnt use an appropriate moisture barrier. ,or ??? I'm not sure I understand it when you say "buckling and stretching apart" Do you mean you have cracks forming in the mud joints or what ? SO many things could come into play. was is plaster based or just "drywall" what did you tape the seams with, what duid you use for mud, how long did you wait to paint, etc. ???? Something moved (most likely the framing) and took the rock with it. WHo did the work ?

    Need more facts to be able to make a better educated guess. without seeing it and knowing more thats all a person can do - is guess
    Elvis isn't dead, he just went home Yes, I am a joker - Take it with a grain of salt

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Sep 2009
    Location
    Three Rivers, Central Oregon
    Posts
    2,340
    Can you post some pics? From your description it's not clear what the problem is.
    Scott Vroom

    I started with absolutely nothing. Now, thanks to years of hard work, careful planning, and perseverance, I find I still have most of it left.

  4. #4
    Minnesota. Stick framed 2 x 6 walls. 1/2 sheetrock over a poly vapor barrier. Above grade. No moisture issues. Paper tape using all purpose joint compound.

    Not really a crack.

    More like the walls are pulling and causing the tape in the corner to stretch so that if you poke your finger into the inside corner then there is a void behind it. It wasn't this way when it was first finished. The job looked just like any other.

    I have seen this before and in the summer it will go back into shape.

    The framing is secure.

  5. #5
    Paper tape wasn't wet enough, especially if you used all purpose joint compund right out of the bucket. That stuff needs to be soaked with a thin mix on both sides.

  6. #6
    Quote Originally Posted by Joe Angrisani View Post
    Paper tape wasn't wet enough, especially if you used all purpose joint compund right out of the bucket. That stuff needs to be soaked with a thin mix on both sides.
    The tape isn't coming loose. It is tight and was wet enough. (not like letting loose or falling off)

    It is almost like the room is the inside of a balloon and the walls are stretching out and the seam is being stretched.

  7. #7
    Sorry... Your description (in your first post today) made it sound like there was a void behind the tape itself.

    Post a picture.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    Washington, NC
    Posts
    2,387
    Corner framing is not anchored properly or the wall board not properly attached to to both sides of the corner. It almost sounds like a floating corner. Try adding additional screws to both sides of the corner.

  9. #9
    Quote Originally Posted by Alan Schaffter View Post
    Corner framing is not anchored properly or the wall board not properly attached to to both sides of the corner. It almost sounds like a floating corner. Try adding additional screws to both sides of the corner.
    I feel pretty confident that the framing is secure. The sheetrock itself probably has a screw every 12 inches or so on the edge. If I were to make a guess, I would think that putting a screw every 6 inches would bind it to the corner and would have kept it secure. The sheetrock doesn't feel loose, but the extra screws would have kept it about as secure as possible. Is every 6 inches overkill?

  10. #10
    Untitled1.png

    I drew up a quick sketchup drawing because it would probably show it better than a picture. The red is the studs and how it was framed. The gray is the insulated cavity. The white is the 1/2 sheetrock. The arrow points to the inside corner. When this was taped and mudded, it was a perfect 90 degree corner. Over the last couple of months, the tape has pulled away from the back of the corner. (this is depicted in blue). And appears like it is stretching. Like I said, I have seen this before and it goes back into shape in the summer. I could clean out the corner and re-tape and mud and texture, but am looking for a cause so that it doesn't happen again to the repair.

  11. #11
    Have you seen it go back tight with the seasons? Or is this your first winter with the problem?

    If this is the first winter, perhaps the vertical corner stud in your drawing has cupped? (the left-most vertical 2x6) Did you actually check the corner for 90 before sheetrocking? If so, check it now and see if it's off.

    The sheetrock itself feels solidly mounted, right? Along both corner edges?

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    Washington, NC
    Posts
    2,387
    I hope the drawing (especially the sheetrock layer) is not drawn to scale. Otherwise the sheetrock would be about 7/8" thick or the framing 1" thick!n Often what happens is the short overlap doesn't get screwed properly or misses the stud. 12" is too far between screws- if one screw missed the stud, then you have 24" of the edge unsupported.

    Another possible cause- the corner studs aren't tied together (nailed) along their length, which will allow them to move at different rates- outside one will be affected by cold more than the inside one. Also, is the corner post positioned over a floor joist?
    Last edited by Alan Schaffter; 02-15-2011 at 12:01 PM.

  13. #13
    This is the first winter for this corner, but I have seen it on another corner at a different house and this goes back into place in the summer.

    I trust that the 2 x is good and the corner was 90.

    The sheetrock feels secure, but the back edge of the tape has a void behind it because of the pull.

  14. #14
    The 2 x wall was built with the crown out.

  15. #15
    Is the corner still 90?

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •