Patching and Plastering - new home wall cracks

home built 1 yr ago.-the guys we hired to hang/mud the sheetrock were awful. they only halfway finished the job therefore we were unable to get them to come back to fix the problems. walls cracked above doorways where seams are. we have tried different silicones and caulks to fill in the cracks but the cracks always seem to come back. master bedroom,crack from top to bottom of wall?? what could have caused this and how can we fix it so it wont crack again? it was cold/wet weather when the mudding was done so it took a long time to dry. heaters was put in the house to speed drying. please help, I dont like my new home looking this awful :wall:

Hello and welcome to the forums.

Caulks and silicone isn't the answer to your problem, as you have already figured out. Let me guess, you took the lowest bid when you hired your drywall crew?

As to your problems, first thing, check the areas that have cracked to make sure the board is securely fastened to the studs. If the sheets will move when pressed gently against, they need to be screwed down tightly using 1-1/4" or longer drywall screws. Next any tape that has come loose from around the cracks needs to be peeled off the seam and pitched. Now you're ready to start over retaping the seams with paper joint tape.

Since these seams have already cracked, I would suggest using a setting type compound for the taping phase. This comes in a powdered form and it sets chemically instead of air drying like the premixed stuff you buy in a box or bucket. You'll find this in the drywall section at the big box stores or local lumber yard. Now you can get it in several different formulas and the bag will be marked as to the setting time. I would go with the 90 min mud as it will give you the longest working time. As I said this stuff comes in powdered form in a bag, and water is added to mix it to the right consistency. Mix it up in small batches, so that you have time to work it out before it set. Add the water in very small amounts and mix it well with a drill and mixer paddle to make sure all of the powder gets completely mixed. When you get to a real thick batter consistency, you've got the right mix. Use this for the taping portion of the job only.

Once you have the seams retaped use light joint compound for the remaining coats of the mudding phase of the job. Being a novice at this, you will have to sand lightly between each coat in the process. Use a progressively wider knife to do each of the minimum of three coats to cover and feather in the taped seams. Once all the mudding is done, use a PVA primer to coat all areas you have mudded allow that to dry and you're ready to repaint.

There are pretty good tutorials on taping and mudding drywall located here on the diy.com site. Choose the topics from the links located on this page.
http://doityourself.com/wall/index.shtml

Hope this helps and post back if you still have questions or problems.

thanks for all your help. we are going to try this and i'll let you know of our success or failure!!! also, I noticed on some other posts to widen the crack or "V" the crack before retaping. do you suggest that?

Just get all of the loose the material out and press the quick set into the crack with your knife, then spread a layer of mud out about 2-1/2" to 3" wide, then apply your tape and embed it as is show in the tutorials.

Remember to only mix small batches of the quick-set compound at a time and be sure to clean knives and pans before it sets up hard. For knives you can scrape them clean with another knife, but pans can be a real pain to clean harden quick-set out of. Soaking them in water won't help, the stuff will set up under water.

Also when you get to the final coat of mud, it's important to keep your knives clean and keep any hardened pieces of mud out of your working mud. If you get one in the mud you're working with your knife it will leave a line in the seam.

Keep us posted on your progress.

:confused: ready to start project - the tutorials mention different ways to fix the problem along with what you had mention. please advise the best way! mesh or paper tape? if i use mesh then i dont need a coat of mud underneath right? is plaster different than the dry compound or ready mix mud? tutorials state that if plaster is used then only one coat is sufficient for cracks? you stated to use the powder compound for taping only then use light joint compound for the remaining mudding. is this different mud or just mixed up at a thinner texture? thanks for all you help!!! :confused:

Seams should never fall on the corners of doors or windows. You will have a hard time permanently fixing this if it is possible at all. . You never said,at least I didn't see, if the crack that is the length of the wall is a seam that was taped. If it is the first thing you need to do is stop thinking about plaster--- period. Do what awsomedell said. If your walls have been finished with 3 coats of mud then I might suggest that you try to get the tape out clean out any leftover mud in the area and put new paper tape in with the durabond 90. After that I would try to just finish the area I repaired [the middle]and try to blend it in with the the rest of the wall immediately on both sides of the tape. Maybe 1 very light coat to finish it off extended past the existing final finish. Check the finished product with your hand and if you feel a hump. Then you will see a hump At least from the side.


Here is a product that may intrest you. This product "bridges" the crack as opposed to filling it and covering it. It isolates the movement and doesn't transfer it to the finished wall. It has been around for a long time. I dont know if it appropriate for a full wall seam but if ,after talking to someone who know, I would try it. I used it a couple of times many many years age and seem to remembet it was not as invisible as they say under paint. I think it is more likely I didn't apply it properly.

http://www.improvementscatalog.com/product.asp?product=157056zz&dept%5Fid=10910&cm_ven=GoogleAdAuto&cm_cat=Paint&cm_pla=Krack-kote_Crack_Rep&cm_ite=157056zz&code=macs=IGOOG104

It is now officially time to start to fix the cracks. :rolleyes:

I stand by the recommendation to use setting compound and paper tape on the cracks. This combination will give you max tensil strength against future reoccurring cracks. I would use Easy-Sand 90 min formula for the taping, Pro Form Lite mud for the remaining coats. This house is only a year old, and we know it was done in the drywall. Apparently he got some cub drywaller trying to strike out on his own and gave a lowball bid, and did a poor job all the way around, hanging & finishing. A good finisher can fix the hanger's mistakes, but a poor finisher can make a good hanging job look bad.

Williams,

Buy yourself some of the EasySand 90 min mud, like I explained it's powdered come in a bag, mix it with a drill & mixer paddle, add the water sparingly until you have a mixture like a thick batter of peanut butter. Use the paper tape, pre-measure and cut the tape to the proper lengths before you mix the mud, as once it's mixed you just have 90 mins of working time before it will harden. It's critical to have everything prepped before start mixing the mud up. Have a bucket of water handy for mixing mud, cleaning tools, and wetting the tape. Keep in mind to mix this up in small batches that you can apply before it hardens up on you.

Once you're all set up, apply a coat of mud over the crack, dip the tape into the water bucket and shake out the excess water, then lay it over the area. Start in the middle of the tape and run your knife down to the ends pulling out most of the mud bedding the tape to the board. Get it as smooth as possible with your knife, when you get to an inside corner you have to switch the knife around & push the mud out to the corner. Once you get it bedded down go over it again to wipe off any excess mud on the wall. Keep your work as clean as possible to lessen the amount of sanding needed.

All that to dry completely, sand lightly, then brush off any dust on the wall. Now mix up the lite joint compound (this comes premixed in a box or bucket with the blue lid) This still needs to be mixed with water using your drill & paddle, you want this to be like the consistency of soft-serve ice cream or a bit thicker than that, mix it real good until it gets a creamy look to it. You're going to need to put two coats of this over all of the areas you're working on. Use something like a 8" or 10" knife for the first coat and either a 12" or 14" knife for the final coat. Pick-up mud with the knife and apply it along the seam, then spread it out using long sweeps, the fewer times you pick that knife off the wall the better the job will look and the less sanding afterwards.
All the mud to dry thoroughally after each coat and sand lightly.