What Causes Cracks In Drywall Seams

Here s how to determine the cause of your ceiling cracks and fix them.

What causes cracks in drywall seams. Cracks in the ceiling can be cosmetic or indicative of a serious structural problem. We have a crack at the long edge seam of the drywall in the ceiling. The back to front dimension is 30 which means there are over 7 sheets of drywall. Most drywall cracks occur on the seams where two pieces of drywall meet.

Additionally drywall cracks are often found where two pieces of drywall are butted together. Causes of drywall cracks. Vertical cracks above the corners of a window or door indicate the builder placed a drywall seam at these corners. Most drywall cracks occur on the seams where two pieces of drywall meet.

Temperature fluctuations can cause the drywall to expand and contract creating stress that cracks the seams. Usually the seams are invisible due to the use of drywall mud and tape. Usually the seams are invisible due to the use of drywall mud and tape. This is the least noticeable of the vertical cracks and can often be repaired with a coat of paint.

These joint areas are weaker than in the center or field area of the drywall therefore some cracks may occur at these joints. 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. I installed the drywall in 2007 and the crack first appeared about 4 years ago. The mud fills in the seam and the tape covers it up.

Drywall cracks in ceilings or walls. Some drywall mud has more adhering ability and should be used when taping drywall whereas other types of drywall mud should only be used in finishing. This occurs because there is a joint which gets drywall taped and then layered with two or three coats of drywall mud. One reason drywall cracks is because the wrong type of drywall mud was used when taping the seams.

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. 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. Some drywall mud products are intended only for second or third coats. The shrinkage of the header causes a crack from the corner of the opening to near the ceiling.

Cracks that appear at the side of drywall joint tape used when mudding the joints between two pieces of drywall are often the result of two little joint compound being applied when taping and mudding the joints.