Anyone have this problem? There is no heat in the detatched garage I'm building. Drywall contractor hung drywall, and as it was cold at the time ran a propane heater when taping and mudding the joints. Did 2-3 coats, sanded, and all appeared OK. Painters came and did their thing, then it got real cold for a couple of nights - down in the teens. I now have cracks in the tape joints across the ceiling in three rows, and up the walls in several spots. What causes this? I've had plenty of other unheated and un-uinsulated garages get real cold/hot and never saw cracks like this develop.
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drywall joints - cracking mud
- Thread starter mshedb
- Start date
Piper
Well-known member
I'd say likely it was the wood beneath the drywall that is shifting and causing the cracking. Was the drywall finisher a trade guy or a weekend warrior? There are important steps in drywall prep and finish that are critical. Also, was the fiberglass mesh tape used or the paper tape? Fiberglass while convenient doesn't work to maintain cracks as well as paper. Paper is the only way to go for ceiling, wall work that's flat. Imagine a lattice grid stapled together. Go to one corner and push and your square becomes a parallelogram. A little shift like this and your joint cracks.
Sorry. I've had this happen before and successfully managed to repair once all the cracking was done (a season in my case) patched carefully with more mud, sanded slightly, primed and repainted. Still looks good today and that's 4 years ago.
Piper
Sorry. I've had this happen before and successfully managed to repair once all the cracking was done (a season in my case) patched carefully with more mud, sanded slightly, primed and repainted. Still looks good today and that's 4 years ago.
Piper
almost every joint in my 2nd story cracked both horizontal and vertical but I used the self sticking paper tape and think mine is more of a product issue. Of course it didn't crack until aftger it was primed and painted....oh well nothing like doing things twice.
as Piper stated did he use standard joint tape? could be a similar issue
as Piper stated did he use standard joint tape? could be a similar issue
It is everythng trying to reach an equal moisture cocntent.
Those heaters the drywall guys use throw a lot of heat, but the are unvented and dump a whole lot of moisture as well. They get away with it in the living space because when the furnace comes on the humidifier see the extra moisture and dosn't kick it untill the house drys out.
In a garage I would just wait a year or two for it to get itself rright, then re-tape.
Those heaters the drywall guys use throw a lot of heat, but the are unvented and dump a whole lot of moisture as well. They get away with it in the living space because when the furnace comes on the humidifier see the extra moisture and dosn't kick it untill the house drys out.
In a garage I would just wait a year or two for it to get itself rright, then re-tape.
It is everythng trying to reach an equal moisture cocntent.
Those heaters the drywall guys use throw a lot of heat, but the are unvented and dump a whole lot of moisture as well. They get away with it in the living space because when the furnace comes on the humidifier see the extra moisture and dosn't kick it untill the house drys out.
In a garage I would just wait a year or two for it to get itself rright, then re-tape.
I will agree, I've got a new house and have had a couple of joints in my attached garage crack. I will repair them this summer. Wood nowdays isn't as dry when bought new. It takes a while for the moisture to dry out. I'd wait until this summer and repair. You might check with your drywall guy to see if he's be willing to come back to repair....just a thought?
Sometimes when the "dry" mud freezes it will swell (the volume of retained water increases when it freezes) and then crack. It happens all the time here in Maine in an unheated garage. Wait until spring to repair the cracks and then they should dry sufficiently over the summer if the garage is adequately ventilated.
I suggest you contact your drywall installer to see what he says about it and what he can do about it?
I suggest you contact your drywall installer to see what he says about it and what he can do about it?
snorvet
Well-known member
Ceiling drywall joints typically crack in areas of large temperature and humidity swings. My attached garage has ceiling cracks with temperature ranges from 35 degrees to 90 degrees, 40 pct to 95 pct humidity. I heat and dehumidify my detached garage and I have no cracks there (temp 60 - 80, humidity 40-65).
V-10 Killer
Well-known member
I was looking at drywalling my garage around early November last year. The drywaller was a friend of the family and is very good at what he does. He WOULD NOT mud the garage until I could make sure it would be constantly kept above freezing from then on. According to him, drywall is just like siding and most other things, it expands and contracts a little from large temperature swings. Glue helps, but large temp swings will crack joints from behind the tape, out.
6768rogues
Banned
It is from shrinkage in the lumber. The propane heater made it worse. New houses get it in the first year, especially in two story foyers where the drywall crosses over the band joist at the second floor. That joist can shrink a quarter inch over the first year.