Walls and Ceilings - Walls that shift

How common is it for walls in a house to expand and contract? Let me elaborate:

We moved into this house this past summer. There were a lot of cracks along the inside corners of walls and where the walls meet the ceiling. The house was built in 1955 and the walls are plasterboard with a layer of plaster on top (no lathe, wood studs). I patched up most of these cracks, but soon after realized I used the wrong material, so I do expect them to come back. I also installed new base and shoe molding. The base molding was nailed into the walls, and the shoe molding was nailed into the floor (old hardwood floor).

Now that it's winter, I noticed that for the front and rear walls, the shoe molding seperated from the base molding by a good 1/8"-1/4". It only occurred after it started to get really cold out. I'm wondering if next summer it will return to normal. Is this kind of thing normal. Can walls really shift that much between seasons?

The base molding was nailed into the walls, and the shoe molding was nailed into the floor (old hardwood floor).

Now that it's winter, I noticed that for the front and rear walls, the shoe molding separated from the base molding by a good 1/8"-1/4". It only occurred after it started to get really cold out. I'm wondering if next summer it will return to normal. Is this kind of thing normal. Can walls really shift that much between seasons?

The floor is expanding and contracting. The edge of the floor is supposed to be free to move under the base shoe, which should be nailed the base molding (AKA "baseboard") or to the subfloor beyond the edge of the expansion area under the shoe,

http://www.millworkforless.com/images/hardwood-flooring/install3.gif
http://content.managemyhome.com/Images/Site_Images/l_p403d_HIE.jpg

Good to know. Thanks for the info! I'm young and a new homeowner, so this is all new to me. But wouldn't the walls also expand and contract? Wouldn't that explain the cracks that appear in the inside corners?

How common is it for walls in a house to expand and contract? Let me elaborate:

We moved into this house this past summer. There were a lot of cracks along the inside corners of walls and where the walls meet the ceiling. The house was built in 1955 and the walls are plasterboard with a layer of plaster on top (no lathe, wood studs). I patched up most of these cracks, but soon after realized I used the wrong material, so I do expect them to come back. I also installed new base and shoe molding. The base molding was nailed into the walls, and the shoe molding was nailed into the floor (old hardwood floor).

Now that it's winter, I noticed that for the front and rear walls, the shoe molding seperated from the base molding by a good 1/8"-1/4". It only occurred after it started to get really cold out. I'm wondering if next summer it will return to normal. Is this kind of thing normal. Can walls really shift that much between seasons?

you said the front and rear walls. i'm guessing the boards run from side to side, since wood expands and contracts more on the long grain side. everyone who has an old house( me-1948 moded) has the same problem. majority of the problem, mine included, is lack of moisture in the air to keep the wood properly moist. cold weather drys out wood and tends to cause more problems. a humidifier may help after the wood collects enough moisture (about 12%) to be stable. nailing the shoe mould to the baseboard will eliminate the crack between them and allow the floor to move underneath. wood is a living thing and never stops moving and breathing. we have a lot more winter moisture in the south so the problem may not be as bad as where you are. the cracking drywall/plasterboard will also be helped somewhat by a humidifier.

Good call. The wood floor was layed from one side to the other, and the cracks I see in the floor/walls are the front and back. The back seems to be the worst, and the humidity thing makes sense. We have a wood burning stove in the basement towards the rear of the house that we use in conjunction with our oil heat. Maybe I'll start to use a humidifier when we burn our wood stove.

I have a feeling though that the cracks in the walls (inside corners) are going to be a recurring theme every year. Instead of plaster/compound, is there a paintable caulk out there that could be used to fill the cracks? Would that reduce the chance of recurring cracks?

There are a number of paintable caulks available. The better ones will 'stretch' better than the cheapers ones. You want a caulk that is a siliconized acrylic latex, not to be confused with silicone caulk which isn't paintable.