On Jan 6, 10:25*am, DanG wrote:
On 1/6/2013 11:08 AM, Tim Watts wrote:





On Sunday 06 January 2013 14:42 Frank wrote in alt.home.repair:

On 1/6/2013 9:37 AM, Robert Macy wrote:
how to repaire [and prevent future cracking] WITHOUT adding a big LUMP
to the seam?

The wall run is around 60 feet and 10 feet tall. the junction right in
the middle is wanting to crack. Trying to keep from forming lumps on
the wall, I cut down, used paper tape with a layer of mud under and a
layer on top. [Many may remember the problems I had posted earlier. I
tried to wet the tape first thinking of wall paper and how that
shrinks to fit, but wetting CAUSED the paper to 'slide' as it dried
and thus a crack, so in response I took all that out and did it again
with dry paper tape, which did work better. Only had the tiniest of
hairline crack form all summer long only about four feet of run on the
wall only.]

Well this winter as we isolated that section of the house - meaning
cooler temperatures and probably contracting drywall sheets, the
crack(s) opened up with a vengence! I mean over 3 mil separation!, but
worse the crack is the full floor to ceiling AND even now goes up
along a ceiling section which I never had trouble with before. I
suspect in the heat of the summer the crack will close back up, too.

Yes, I know houses change shape with time, but this seems too much to
be caused by 'settling'. My conjecture is is that this is more caused
by 'flexing'. Oh yeah, the seams are ON a stud(s), so there should be
no reason for movement there.

So, my question is
How do you repair/prevent cracking at drywall seams WITHOUT creating a
huge lump on the surface? I already have built up 1/8 inch thick to ++
on these stupid seams.

I've used fiber glass tape, looks like screen, on cracks around door
frames that kept coming back. *OK today.

+1

This is the only "proper" way to do drywall joints. The tape spreads the
strain over enough area that the plaster/filler on top can tolerate it
without cracking.

The only time I've seen paper tape in use was to joint drywall that was
painted direct without even as much as filling the joints - eg a crap bodge
(cheap 1980's apartment builders in south London). Noone who is sane and/or
not cheap would do it like that now.

Paper tape is the normal and usual material to use. *The nylon mesh tape
can be used on tapered joints, but no tapers I know would use it on butt
joints or corners and so, most just use all paper usually installed with
a "banjo".

--

___________________________________

Keep the whole world singing . . .
Dan G
remove the seven

Agree about the butt joint. I tried it once and could discover no way
at all to put a thin layer on
top of it. When you "wipe" the wet joint compount the knife rides the
highs and lows of he tape and that tecture shows through.

As for the OPs problem. It appears that the framing is movign and
until that is cured nothing will
keep the crack from coming back.

Harry K