Replies

1. 
   sledgehammer | Mar 14, 2009 08:37pm | #1

   If it's that bad it must have been a treat to hang.

2. 
   Piffin | Mar 14, 2009 08:45pm | #2

   sounds like it has been wetted.

   I think the only time I've come across any that would =fit that description in all my demo work, it was old houses from the fifties with 1/4" or 3/8". They don't make it like they used to, thank God!
   ;)

    

    

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

3. 
   Sphere | Mar 14, 2009 09:08pm | #3

   I agree, it got wet either before or after it was hung.

   Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks

   Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations

    

   They kill Prophets, for Profits.

    

    

4. 
   Piffin | Mar 14, 2009 09:09pm | #4

   or maybe it stays wet - what sort of humidity is your house at?

    

    

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

1. 
   Snort | Mar 14, 2009 09:44pm | #5

   Does it crumble every it's dinged? If not, could the hangers broke a lot of pieces and hung them anyway... finishers then just used regular mud.http://www.tvwsolar.com

   I went down to the lobby

   To make a small call out.

   A pretty dancing girl was there,

   And she began to shout,

   "Go on back to see the gypsy.

   He can move you from the rear,

   Drive you from your fear,

   Bring you through the mirror.

   He did it in Las Vegas,

   And he can do it here."

1. 
   Hunter8it | Mar 15, 2009 08:58pm | #11

   I think it has a giant skim coat over the drywall, one of the later comments made me realize that it is not penetrating paper, so it must be a skim coat.  I can't imagine why there is so much skim coating all over the walls though.

1. 
   Huck | Mar 15, 2009 09:02pm | #14

   sounds like thinwall plaster over blue board"...craftsmanship is first & foremost an expression of the human spirit." - P. Korn

   bakersfieldremodel.com

1. 
   Hunter8it | Mar 15, 2009 09:05pm | #15

   Yes, I agree.  The paint doesn't stick well in this house either.  Is there some sort of primer or topcoat that will improve it or am I stuck with crumbly walls?  It probably won't be as irritating when my kids are grown up and stop banging my walls!

2. 
   Huck | Mar 15, 2009 09:25pm | #16

   have you thought about wainscot?"...craftsmanship is first & foremost an expression of the human spirit." - P. Korn

   bakersfieldremodel.com

3. 
   Huck | Mar 15, 2009 09:31pm | #17

   View Image"...craftsmanship is first & foremost an expression of the human spirit." - P. Korn

   bakersfieldremodel.com

4. 
   Jeff_Clarke | Mar 15, 2009 11:35pm | #18

   "sounds like thinwall plaster over blue board"

   If you mean veneer plaster, that system, if done properly, has about 6 times the strength of regular drywall along with better appearance too.

   Jeff

5. 
   Huck | Mar 15, 2009 11:44pm | #19

   Yes, thinwall plaster is a veneer plaster - google it.  And that's great about the strength and appearance, if done properly, as you say.  It is a veneer of plaster applied over a proprietary board.  Which is what the o.p. seemed to be describing ("I think it has a giant skim coat over the drywall"), hence my comment."...craftsmanship is first & foremost an expression of the human spirit." - P. Korn

   bakersfieldremodel.com

6. 
   Piffin | Mar 16, 2009 01:02am | #20

   There is a lot of skim coating done with sheetrock mud here. Could be somebody was trying to hide a butchered wall that had old wall paper poorly removed SR mud does not finish as hard as plaster veneer 

    

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

7. 
   Dam_inspector | Mar 16, 2009 02:37am | #21

   Could be skimcoated homosote. I've seen homosote walls in several ghetto houses.OK, I re-read that this is a fairly new house. Nevermind.

   Edited 3/15/2009 7:39 pm ET by Dam_inspector

5. 
   brucet9 | Mar 15, 2009 06:00am | #6

   Do you know the history of the house? Water damage from flooding or a severe plumbing failure can weaken drywall in the way you describe.

   BruceT
1. 
   Hunter8it | Mar 15, 2009 09:00pm | #12

   I know the history pretty well, no flooding, and generally a pretty well built house.  It could be, as one of the comments suggested, that the drywall was wet before it was installed, it is Vancouver after all.  (rain 6 months of the year) 

6. 
   jimjimjim | Mar 15, 2009 06:23am | #7

   Do you have a really heavy texture?  Is it the drywall thats crumbling or just the texture on the surface of the drywall?

   How deep is the typical depression?  Is the bottom flat? Is there drywall surface (paper) at the bottom of the depression?

   Jim x 3

    

1. 
   Hunter8it | Mar 15, 2009 09:01pm | #13

   The walls are smooth, but true, it is not hitting paper.  I can't figure out why a whole house would be skim coated.  Typical depressions are 1 or 2 mm deep.

7. 
   ruffmike | Mar 15, 2009 07:09am | #8

     This sounds very unusual, You don't live in Florida where they have the Chinese drywall do you?

    If you bump it are you tearing through the paper?

    Any chance of posting a picture?

     I have seen rock come from the factory that has been "over cooked", it cracks very easily when being moved but once on the wall it is not really an issue.

    Manufacturers are known to adjust their process to create softer and harder drywall. The suppliers complain it is too soft and the corners/ edges break while stocking. Then the hangers complain that the screws are stripping out because the edges are too hard. I have had manufacturer reps come to the jobsite to take samples when we have had issues in the past.

                               Mike

       Small wheel turn by the fire and rod, big wheel turn by the grace of god.

1. 
   Shoemaker1 | Mar 15, 2009 05:53pm | #9

   I had the privilage of hanging a bunch of econo drywall. I.m going with the over cooked theory from past experiance of working with plaster of paris. If you try to heat it to dry it quicker it can become very brittle.
   This dry wall was ####, reduce clutch settings and the screws still blew through, the tapered edges were rippled, the back had holes in it and the paper was ripped. you would score it and it may break along the line or an inch to each side, drove me crazy.
   What they saved on the board they paid 3 times in labor.
   buy the way all the "good priced doors" from the same supplier had to have ever hinge remortised. I think the supplier is suppling "seconds" with out pointing it out.
   When re mortising one door the skin started to seperate from the edges. I glued and pinned the seperation about 2 feet on the long side of the door and then noticed the other side was seperating also, rip hair out x 4

1. 
   RFM 2 | Mar 15, 2009 07:54pm | #10

   Years ago (about 1986) had the misfortune of being involved w/ a bad run of National Gypsum's "Gold Bond" 1/2" drywall the hanger did a good job but due to being baked at too high a temp, the material was brittle, and the "fix" was to supply a box of drywall screws to add more fasteners to the framing. To this day I still can't stand Gold Bond products,at the time I preferred USG Sheetrock¯ brand and still do...

2. 
   craigf | Mar 16, 2009 04:09am | #22

   I put some 5/8 fire rated SR on metal studs and had a terrible time setting the screws. They'd strip just before setting. Just about drove me crazy. Ok, so I was already there, but it didn't help.Does that sound like it was a bad batch of SR ?

1. 
   Dam_inspector | Mar 16, 2009 04:15am | #23

   Cheap studs, or coarse screws maybe. Helps if you mash down on the driver when driving the screws.

2. 
   ruffmike | Mar 16, 2009 06:07am | #24

    The stud maker will tell you  it is the sheetrock, the rock maker will tell you its the studs.

   But yes, it probably was because the edges were made to hard. Dam inspector has a point also, when we used to get some soft studs, we would say they came from old Toyotas. Hard studs came from Chevys.

    When our screws strip like you experienced, I drive the screw a little crooked, not at a true 90 degree angle. They grab better that way.

                                Mike

       Small wheel turn by the fire and rod, big wheel turn by the grace of god.

1. 
   craigf | Mar 16, 2009 03:44pm | #25

   Thanks.