What Causes Cracks In Drywall Seams

When a crack appears it is usually on a seam where two drywall sheets meet and it is easily fixed.

What causes cracks in drywall seams.

Wall cracks are fairly common in both new and older homes and are often the result of normal house settling that can quickly inexpensively be remedied by re taping the joints the seams. Usually the seams are invisible due to the use of drywall mud and tape. Straight cracks at taping joints. These joint areas are weaker than in the center or field area of the drywall therefore some cracks may occur at these joints.

We have a crack at the long edge seam of the drywall in the ceiling. Most drywall cracks occur on the seams where two pieces of drywall meet. Some drywall mud products are intended only for second or third coats. This occurs because there is a joint which gets drywall taped and then layered with two or three coats of drywall mud.

Here s how to determine the cause of your ceiling cracks and fix them. This article describes the common causes of all types of cracks that appear in drywall or gypsum board or plasterboard walls ceilings in building interiors. Cracks in the ceiling can be cosmetic or indicative of a serious structural problem. Additionally drywall cracks are often found where two pieces of drywall are butted together.

Drywall cracks in ceilings or walls. Most drywall cracks occur on the seams where two pieces of drywall meet. The mud fills in the seam and the tape covers it up. Causes of drywall cracks.

I installed the drywall in 2007 and the crack first appeared about 4 years ago. Temperature fluctuations can cause the drywall to expand and contract creating stress that cracks the seams. The back to front dimension is 30 which means there are over 7 sheets of drywall. If the crack is on a vertical or horizontal seam carefully widen the crack with the corner of a paint scraper utility knife or chisel to determine if the crack extends completely through the paper that is covering the seam image 1.

Illustrations show where cracks are most likely to appear explain why and suggest both repair approaches to drywall cracks and how to prevent cracking in plasterboard or gypsum board. One reason drywall cracks is because the wrong type of drywall mud was used when taping the seams. Usually the crack will be very straight because it is at the edge of the tape. Usually the seams are invisible due to the use of drywall mud and tape.