If all goes well, there should be some pics to help you see the problem.
This is a nasty crack I have to repair… I’ve been reading threads on drywall repair and it seems that an important element is making sure that the drywall on either side of the crack is secured… that either side won’t ‘flap around’ and then cause the crack to reappear. But much of this crack runs diagonally across the bay between the joists. If you were me, would you yank a bunch of this old drywall out and replace, or would you simply repair the crack? My plan is to use setting compound between the crack (or joint if new drywall is installed), then joint compound with paper tape… then maybe topping. There will be an eggshell paint, so there will be some reflection… which means whatever I do, I have to do it pretty well. By the way, the owners think the crack is a result of earthquake damage… behind the crown moulding is a chimney that probably bounced around. Since the earthquake, the crack does not seem to have spread. Any advice will be greatly appreciated.
Replies
Nice crack.<G>
Do not patch.
You will have to buy a sheet of drywall anyway to do a proper job so use as much as the board as necessary to span the crack and as many joists as possible. It's no more work to finish a whole board than it is to piece in a tiny repair. A tiny crack repair can and will still move and negate your efforts.
While you have the ceiling open you can investigate the movement that caused the crack and maybe figure out a fix for that. Could be as simple as a few toenails or as bad as a broken framing member.
Maybe missing cross blocking on the ceiling joists???
Just a thought!"No doubt exists that all women are crazy; it's only a question of degree." - W.C. Fields
Has someone been in the attic above and pushed the insulation hard enough to crack the drywall?
If so, try this....
push the drywall back up with a 2x4 "tee" that is a 1" shorter than the ceiling and wedge it against a 2x4 on the floor. A few taps with the hammer on the temporary 2x4 "stud" toward vertical should raise the drywall/insulation back up. Then install some screws into the joists on 4-6" centers to secure and remove the temp stud. You should have a hairline crack remaining that you can skim over as you cover the screw heads with drywall compound.
Smooth with a damp sponge after it cures, re-coat the screw heads, dry, sponge, prime, paint.
Should be a better looking repair because the eye won't catch the irregularity as well as the straight seams of a drywall replacement.
Troy Sprout
"A free people ought not only to be armed and disciplined, but they should also have sufficient arms and ammunition to maintain a status of independence from any who might attempt to abuse them, which would include their own government."
-- George Washington
Edited 7/9/2007 11:20 am by Hackinatit
Thank you for your response... but this happens to be a 2 storey house and this is a ceiling to the bottom floor. However, in addition to the theory that the nearby chimney bounced around during the earthquake, this house also shows evidence of settling... It looks like I will have to rip out drywall anyway, so then I'll be able to take a look at the structure.
Uhhhh... nevermind.
You have MUCH bigger issues than drywall. Structural Engineer review FIRST would be prudent.Troy Sprout
"A free people ought not only to be armed and disciplined, but they should also have sufficient arms and ammunition to maintain a status of independence from any who might attempt to abuse them, which would include their own government." -- George Washington
Holy Cr@p!
Knowing possible "earthquake damage" I wouldn't even dream of touching that crack until I was certain that the structural elements behind it were good and put back together again. I do not think that sort of crack happened without framing having moved too.
It might be some thing as simple as that there are roof trusses above that were waving around and are settled back in place, or it could be that joists are nearly wrenched out of their hangers, or that things were inadequately fastened to begin with and are worse now.
Regardless of the reason, it would be irresponsible to patch a crack like that without further investigation.
That mean you may be cutting a section out
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That kind of crack is a break in the sheet rock that doesn't follow a seam. That indicates a structural shift going on who knows where. Investigate the framing and fix accordingly.