What Causes Cracks In Drywall Seams

Usually the seams are invisible due to the use of drywall mud and tape.

What causes cracks in drywall seams.

Causes of drywall cracks. Most drywall cracks occur on the seams where two pieces of drywall meet. This occurs because there is a joint which gets drywall taped and then layered with two or three coats of drywall mud. 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.

These joint areas are weaker than in the center or field area of the drywall therefore some cracks may occur at these joints. One reason drywall cracks is because the wrong type of drywall mud was used when taping the seams. Additionally drywall cracks are often found where two pieces of drywall are butted together. 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.

Straight cracks at taping joints. The back to front dimension is 30 which means there are over 7 sheets of drywall. When a crack appears it is usually on a seam where two drywall sheets meet and it is easily fixed. Temperature fluctuations can cause the drywall to expand and contract creating stress that cracks the seams.

Drywall cracks in ceilings or walls. Most drywall cracks occur on the seams where two pieces of drywall meet. The long edge is 19 long. Here s how to determine the cause of your ceiling cracks and fix them.

Cracks in the ceiling can be cosmetic or indicative of a serious structural problem. Some drywall mud products are intended only for second or third coats. We have a crack at the long edge seam of the drywall in the ceiling. I installed the drywall in 2007 and the crack first appeared about 4 years ago.

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. Usually the seams are invisible due to the use of drywall mud and tape. The mud fills in the seam and the tape covers it up. 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.