Drywall Nail-Pops & Cracks

DRYWALL NAIL-POPS & CRACKS

Drywall nail-pops and cracks in either the ceiling or corners is almost always a symptom of other, hidden problems. The issue could be the construction of the house or the installation and finishing of the drywall. In any case the repairs are not difficult just time consuming. Depending on the extent of the damage the homeowner should be prepared to spend a couple of days repairing things, including filling and painting, and possibly up to a week.

Lets look at some of the reasons this could be occurring and what, if anything, the homeowner or potential buyer should worry about.

Brand New Homes

If the potential buyer, or new homeowner, has seen nail-pops, cracks and other flaws in a new home there are two main reasons:

The structure is changing for some reason. All brand new homes will have some settling issues, structural material drying and even weather related problems. The relative humidity in a new home is much higher for the first year or so because of the moisture contained in structural wood components, drywall mud, paint and other things used to build and decorate the house. Roof rafters can "lift", wall studs can "twist", and floor joists can "cup" or "warp" depending on their quality and dryness at the time of use. Building codes do dictate things like moisture content and the way rafter systems are installed but it is not a perfect world and things can be missed. Weather may have been wet and windy during construction thus introducing more moisture into the mix. A properly built house shouldn't have many, if any, of these problems though.

Poor or improper installation of wall board or substandard finishing could be at the root of the problem. Drywall is not installed and finished by the same trades, there are installers and there are tapers and mudders and the two rarely share each other's jobs. With that said there are certain techniques used by both that ensure a nice finished job. Sloppy work will lead to a sloppy finish and the kind of pops and cracks we're talking about.

New home builders should be a part of some kind of warranty service in your part of the country and this is something potential homeowners need to be aware of. It will be to your benefit to look into local building codes, well known local builders, and even the new home warranty available in your area. Spend some time at a work site, with permission of course, and see how the pros do it correctly.

Homes 5 to 10 Years Old

Once again there may be some issues related to how the house was built and finished but settling of the house enters into the equation as well. Over time all houses "settle" and "shrink" but a properly built home will absorb enough of the change to off set any evidence inside or out. Settling is an issue that is taken into account by building codes and standards of construction relating to site prep and location, foundations, and framing.

Any home can have some drywall pops and cracks but a substantial amount of them could be telling a different story. Once again the whole house system has to be looked at.

Older Homes

Older homes, beyond 20 and 30 years old, have probably been remodeled or renovated at some point in their life. Even older homes may have the original lathe and plaster in place and it may be in dis-repair. For these homes it becomes less of an issue worrying about whether the defects are due to the structure, but rather more of a redecorating and repairing problem. You now become the source for how to fix all of these things and this is where you can shine as a H.I.C. You can be a consultant and a teacher at the same time and even offer to work with them as they start the job. Set specific times and targets though and always offer quotes up front before starting any work for them.

Tip - In older homes, depending on what else you've looked at already, major cracks and changes in walls and ceilings could be telling you that the floor structure is failing. Look for rot and other kinds of failure in the crawl space or basement and examine the foundation carefully.