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Failing Drywall Corner Beads

woodear | Posted in Construction Techniques on February 22, 2007 08:33am

I’ve recently noticed three separate failures of outside drywall corner beads in our house which is about three years old.  The failures extend nearly the full height of the corner, but only on one side of the corner bead.  The failures are occurring right at the edge of the metal or paper return, (I’m not sure if it is a paper or metal corner bead.)

I did not see these small failures until the house was about two years old so I do not attribute them to shrinkage or seasonal humidity fluctuations.  I do think that  either there was insufficient fasteners used on the CB, or there was insufficient mud applied.  Whatever the cause of this problem was, is not really what I want to know now. (Unless it’s likely to repeat itself.)

What I would like advice on is how to go about correcting the problem. Do I have to remove the corner beads and start over with new beads and new joint compound, or is there a “trick of the trade” that someone can tell me about so that I do not have to get into a big mess to repair this problem?

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Replies

  1. IdahoDon | Feb 22, 2007 08:36am | #1

    Unfortunately, you'll have to tear off the corner beads to fix 'em.

     

    Beer was created so carpenters wouldn't rule the world.

  2. Piffin | Feb 22, 2007 01:33pm | #2

    You probably do need to remove to re-do, but there could be a short cut to try.

    There are some drywallers who have been installing corner with a tool that fits over it and when activated, turns some V cuts of the metal into the paper face of the sheetrock. There are no nails holding it in place. My suspicion would be that where the rock abutts itself at the corner and one is shorter than the other by that half inch, the paper is too close to the fastening divot and is wea=ker, letting loose.

    So you would have to nail the edges of the metal and remud.

    odds are that this might cause as many other problems as it fixes if not done carefully - and you'd have to be sure to do both sides of the metal corner. But if I'm right in my guess, this might work without having to take it all the way off.

    Myself, I'd probably take it off to replace. but that gets into problems at the baseboard and crown too....where do ya stop...???

     

     

    Welcome to the
    Taunton University of
    Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime.
     where ...
    Excellence is its own reward!

  3. User avater
    MarkH | Feb 22, 2007 02:57pm | #3

    I would try this.  Scrape off the joint compound, then staple the bead with a narrow crown stapler.  Use long enough staples to hold well, like 1 1/4 or longer. then mud again. 

  4. peteduffy | Feb 22, 2007 04:16pm | #4

    Option 1-remove & replace the corner bead, properly fastened, of course.

    Option 2- secure the existing corner bead with drywall screws.  Then use FG mesh tape over the cracks and then mud.  Problem with this is that it will build up a small hump at the wall edge near the corner, and it is not as easy to get a nice crisp corner using the corner bead as a guide for the drywall knife.

    I think option 1 will give you a better end result, but will involve more cleanup.  Option 2 will work.  I recently fixed 120 cracks this way for a McMansion.  Yes, 120!  Many outside corners and most of the obtuse angle inside corners in the whole house, only about 8 years old.

    At first I was cussing the builder, guessing he hired his no-account, non-skilled relative to tape and mud originally.  But then I thought, that on a scale this large, possibly the framing was wet when it went up, and dried out and shrank over time, popping off the inside and outside corners.

    Either way, it was very time consuming, moving from one crack to the next.

    Pete Duffy, Handyman

  5. AllTrade | Feb 22, 2007 05:03pm | #5

    You say they are located in one section of the home. My guess is the home has settled in that area . Check the doors windows etc. see if you can notice the miters open or the doors slighlty off.

    1. User avater
      woodear | Feb 23, 2007 05:17am | #6

      Thanks to everyone who replied to my question.  I can see that in spite of offering me some slight hope that I might not have to remove the existing corner bead, the consensus seems to indicate that the best way to resolve the issue is to bight the bullet and take the bead off and put a new one on.

       

      If I was to do this myself, are there any important things to keep in mind?  Taping and mudding is about the last thing that I enjoy.  Now give me a bunch of trim material and that's a different thing!

      1. AllTrade | Feb 23, 2007 05:30am | #7

        you can just put in a few screws and mud right over it again.

      2. BillBrennen | Feb 23, 2007 05:46am | #8

        Silver lining time: This is a good time to change to bullnose bead if you want to. If there is base/crown involved, I'd try the mud removal and restaple route. If you can contain the dust, a power sander makes quick work of excavating the mud enough to have a place for the new mud plus tape to bridge the flange edge.I always tape my metal beads to help prevent this problem. Usually mesh tape, because it is fast and doesn't need to be set into wet mud. I am also a big fan of setting-type mud on beads and in tapered joints for the first couple of coats. It is stronger and shrinks less than premixed compound.Bill

        1. Piffin | Feb 23, 2007 05:49am | #9

          I just had a brain flashUse No-Coat corners right over the metal bead. OK, I'm over it now. Going to bed. My day is done. 

           

          Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!

          1. Shep | Feb 23, 2007 06:12am | #10

            When I've had to use a crimper to set corner bead ( like with metal studs), I use 3M spray contact adhesive to help the corner bead stay in place.

            In fact, I like how the contact cement works so well that I use it with wood studs, too. But I do also nail the bead.

          2. Piffin | Feb 23, 2007 03:18pm | #14

            Gee, You don't LOOK like a sheet rock connesieur!;) 

             

            Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!

          3. Shep | Feb 23, 2007 06:25pm | #17

            Now that hurt!

             

  6. User avater
    user-246028 | Feb 23, 2007 06:31am | #11

    Hey Woodear,

    I have a couple possible tricks that may do the trick for you depending on the cause of the cracking. If you have metal corner bead it is easy to get cracking if the bead isn't secured properly. It is easy to tell if you have metal cornerbead. Take your pocket knife and gently scrape the corner edge.

    If the metal is exposed easily you have metal cornerbead. If a bit of paper pulls up then you have paperbead. If indeed metal cornerbead gently chip away the compound to expose the cornerbead and add more drywall screws were the metal appears to loose. re-apply mud using sheetrock 90 for the first coat then use a lite compound for further coats.

    If the corner needs to come off use a paperbead corner to replace the corner. Now here is cool little trick. Using Sheetrock 90 again, instead applying the mud against the wall and pressing the corner against the wall, try this. Lay the corner on the floor and fill the corner with mud then press the mud filled corner against the wall and squeeze out the mud. This will give you an extremely strong corner because there will be no voids behind the cornerbead.

    If you your cracking is do to reaccuring movement in the house use the same but substitute Sheetrock 90 with Durabond 90. Then finish with lite compound.

    These are methods that have worked for me. I hope they do the same for you. Good luck!

    DoctorDave

    1. User avater
      woodear | Feb 23, 2007 08:49am | #12

      Ok I've received several good suggestions to try out.  I think I'll start with your ideas Dr Dave, because you kind of covered all the possible scenarios.

      The first thing I have to do now is get my knife out tomorrow and find out if I have paper or metal corners.  Then I just have to get on with it; it isn't going to fix itself so my work is cut out for me this weekend.

      Boy I like the number and quality of replies I get on this forum.

      Thanks

      1. IdahoDon | Feb 23, 2007 10:20am | #13

        It could be worse.  A nice lady once asked how to fix the cracks on the edges of the sheetrock pannels.  The entire house didn't have a lick of tape in the joints, just joint compound.  Now that's hard to fix and keep the paint intact!  *chuckle* 

        Beer was created so carpenters wouldn't rule the world.

      2. Piffin | Feb 23, 2007 03:22pm | #15

        Instead of using your knife on those corners, you might try just beating your head against them. You'll feel like doing that eventually anyways so this way you'll have a head start on the process, LOL.I did think Dave's idea sounded best for a starting place, especially the "gently chip..." Somebody else had said to just scrape it off, but I noticed they had no suggestions for HOW! 

         

        Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!

      3. DonCanDo | Feb 23, 2007 03:28pm | #16

        Boy I like the number and quality of replies I get on this forum.

        OK.  How about one more suggestion then.  I don't recall seeing this one, but forgive me if it was already mentioned.

        You could use drywall nails instead of screws.  Catch the edge of the corner bead (I'm assuming it's metal) with the head of the nail.  Use a nail every several inches or as many as necessary.  Then spackle.  You may want to use a nail set for the final hammer blows because you don't want to hit the corner bead directly.  That would mess up the other side. 

        The reason I'm suggesting nails is because they will lay a lot flatter than a screw.  In fact, there's usually a small hollow/recess right before the corner that is caused by the the spackle build-up at the corner.  If your final pass with spackle is with a 12" knife, the nails will probably lay well below the surface.

        There's one thing worse than spackling.  Sanding.  Try to use several thin coats rather than a heavy coat.  It helps to keep sanding to a minimum.

        -Don

         

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