Cracks in dry-wall tape! Help

[Relie]

Hi everyone! Been lurking around this site for a couple of weeks and figured it was time to join in.
Got a problem with my drywall tape in my garage. It cracks in the winter. I have a heater but, don't use it all the time. (just when I'm out there) Is there some special compound that I can use to stop the cracking? I'm in the northeast, so it gets cold.

Thanks for any insite you may give.

Dave

 

[ddawg16]

Are the walls painted?

 

[Relie]

No John, the sheetrock seams have just one coat of compound on them. I got discusted last year and gave up on it.

 

[csp]

Paper tape or fiberglass mesh tape?

What kind of compound?

 

[ddawg16]

I think that is your problem. Without paint, the drywall and seams soak up moisture....then when it gets cold, it drys out and shrinks....

I would mud the seams....get everything smoothed out....toss on a coat of drywall primer...and then paint with a good semi-gloss "Exterior" paint. I bet that will end your cracking problem.

 

[Relie]

Thanks for the advise John, I think you already know what my winter project will be. LOL

Thanks again! Nice forum, by the way.

Dave

 

[28HopUp]

I had the same problem with the ceiling in my garage. So I tapped into the center outlet for the garage door opener and ran surface-mounted plastic conduit along the seams with staggered outlets at each end for drop lights and power strips.

View media item 5605

For the most part, it hides the seams nicely.

 

[NUTTSGT]

Cheater !! lol

 

[iowaowb]

It could help to prime, paint, seal the gypsum board however if it is not a controlled environment inside the structure (so there is not big temp or humidity swings) it is likely to crack again if you repair it. Unfortunately that is how it seems to work in our climate of Ne Iowa.

 

[billspit]

My garage was finished and painted with contractor grade flat paint by the builder. Over 20+ years, the seams have started cracking real badly. On only a few ocaissions over that time we have had atmospheric conditions that caused a very heavy dew inside the garage. I think that is probably what caused my problem. Wish I had thought of painting it with a better type paint before ti happened.

 

[east_tn_emc]

Same thing has been happening to me....I had two seams along the wall crack and nearly all the seams in the ceiling.

On the walls, I got the screw-gun out and screwed everything down TIGHT....I saw the edges move a little so I guess I did not get them screwed down tight when I originally put the wallboard up. (hey, I am learning...made a few mistakes along the way and keep moving forward )

On the ceiling, I am planning to go back into the attic area with some 2x4 cut to length to fit between the rafters and screw down the seams along the length of the garage. None of the ****-joints have cracked, but they are screwed down tight. I am hoping that screwing down along the seams will hold the two boards tights and not allow movement.

 

[Falcon67]

We looked at two houses here, buying one - both have the center seam in the garage ceiling cracking off the drywall mud and the tape splitting. Both garages are fully finished (tape, bed, paint). The joists in both are 2x10 at 16" OC. I think some of this has to do with building settling and with no insulation over the garage, allowing the ceiling to expand and contract more than it would if the space were insulated and part of the conditioned building envelope. Hows them fer $10 words.

 

[robs400]

Relie, I live in western mass myself. I finished the inside of my garage this past late summer into early fall. I had three coats of mud on there, paper tape, not mesh, and applied 2 coats of primer and 2 coats of ceiling paint. I already have cracks on the ceiling. Its definitely not damp in my garage, but something certainly has cracked mine too.

 

[Relie]

I'm seeing a trend here. It seems like the changing temps have a whole lot to do with the cracking. I know now that the first mistake was to use the mesh tape and I think I may have used to much compound. I finally got so fed up with it that I left it unfinished. Oh well it's going to be a long winter and I need a project anyway.

Checked out 4'x8' sheets of beadboard at Home Depot and may dress some of the walls with that. If I do, I'll send along pictures. Thanks for the coments guys.

Dave

 

[scott37300]

Changing temps create shrinking and expanding of all construction materials at different rates which is what causes the cracking.

You still haven't answered the big questions, what kind of tape and what kind of compound did you use? Paper or fiberglass mesh? powder mix compound or premixed bucket?

 

[Relie]

Scott I used premixed compound (the stuff you get at HD in a 5 gal pail and I used a paper mesh tape. The tape was self adhearing so I thought it would save a step. Naaaaa it didn't and I'll never use it again.

 

[csp]

Mesh tape works with hotmud, but not with the premixed stuff. It will eventually fail if you mix the two. Stick with paper if you use premix.

That's why I asked the questions to begin with.

 

[Weedwaka]

We had cracking issues with expansion and contraction from the walls tying into big beams below and the roof.

The fix: CGC DURABOND 90 high strength repair compound.

Take a heavy duty ulfa knife and cut out a big V grove right through and take out all of the crack / old seam. Do it so that you still have just a bit of backing ( or screw a piece of wood for backing if a small crack ). You want about 3/4 inch at the fat part.

Clean the crack good with a vacuum and a brush. Take your blade and load up the crack with the CGC 90 and push it in really really good. Cut it off flush, do not load it up so you have to sand. Wait a couple days or more depending on temps to allow it to dry thoroughly. It will sink a tiny bit. Scratch off any access and finish with drywall filler.

I tried all that other stuff , mesh tape yadda. Cracks right through it with the expansion forces of a 48' long wood beam and posts. CGC 90 holds up. Badass stuff

 

[scott37300]

Scott I used premixed compound (the stuff you get at HD in a 5 gal pail and I used a paper mesh tape. The tape was self adhearing so I thought it would save a step. Naaaaa it didn't and I'll never use it again.

You just answered why it cracked! Mesh tape has to have a powder hot mud like easysand or durabond or it WILL crack. Hot mud is a lot stronger than the premixed all purpose stuff. When I do taping(just did some this week) I will use easysand for the setting coat and also the first two coats of feathering. Then will use the lightweight premix for the final coat, after watering it down a bit. I use paper tape also, I don't really care for the mesh. I use special corner tape in the corners, it is heavier and helps form a perfect corner. Then just regular paper on the seams.

 

[Relie]

Thanks again guys. I'm going to try and pull the split tape out and re do the whole job. (Do you think it will hold if I just tape and mud over what I've got?)

 

[happy]

Years ago I used a product that was designed to patch a crack in a plaster ceiling. It had fine mesh fiberglass tape and a solution that you painted on over it. It was called
Krack Kote I think. It solved the problem. T
he only reason you are getting cracks is that something is moving period. Could be expansion and contraction it could be natural shrinkage. But something is moving. I did my garage which is a stand alone structure 3 years ago and have no cracks. I do keep a minimum temp of about 50 F during the winter. In Western NY we get a wide fluctuation in weather. If you have a garage door opener you may have excessive vibration, look at all the possible causes.