| Author | Message | ||
     Ratbuell |
OK, I've done TONS of drywall over the years, but this has me stumped. Either that or I'm just frustrated and seeing red instead of seeing a solution. Renovating an apartment, built ca. 1951. I have successfully re-walled a sunroom from bare studs and there are no cracks whatsoever so I know it's not environmental, nor "bad" joint compound. I removed a wall that separated the kitchen (stupid-small) and dining room (also stupid-small), so now there is a decent sized eat-in. The wall was NOT load bearing - there is nothing below that section in the apartment below, and it ran parallel to the ceiling joists as opposed to perpendicular. I have patched and re-patched the "slot" where the wall was, through the ceiling and the two side walls. The existing walls were a combination of lathe, plaster base, and old-school sheetrock - not modern drywall. I have properly installed modern drywall patch into the groove, used both mesh tape as well as cloth/fiberglass tape, and sealed it with joint compound. The damn stuff keeps separating along the joints! I'm planning to sand what's there (again) to level the cracked parts, and install a layer of green adhesive-backed joint mesh (again) with another layer of joint compound (again). I've been using the regular ol' premix USD (I think) 5 gal bucket compound from Lowe's, a white and green package. I think it says it's lightweight and low-dust; should I try a different compound? I am trying to get this apartment DONE this month. I took a layoff at work so I can get it finished and rented, but if I can't get this stuff to seal up I'm going to have to figure out an alternative to covering the seam. I thought about building a room-wide arch that would match the top of the doorways in the building, but would prefer not to ADD to the punch list at this point... And if anyone in the western MD area (or outside the area, I can house) wants to come help knock out some basic stuff - kitchen vinyl flooring, kitchen cabinets, attic plywood flooring, small exterior balcony decking, trim, paint... - let me know. I'll buy the beer  | ||
| Airbozo |
Hi Rat, Sounds like there is movement somewhere along the patch area. You might need to strengthen the joint with wood. If you don't think there is any movement, try the non-shrinking mud. It's harder to sand, but tends to crack less, given adequate back filler and support. | ||
| Hootowl |
The lath and plaster and your new drywall patch may be expanding and contracting at different rates. Maybe see if you can get mesh tape wide enough to cover the full width of the patch? | ||
| Ratbuell |
There were stringers that held the top plate of the wall - wall (for illustrative purposes) ran east-west; joists are east-west; stringers were north-south to attach the wall. I attached the patch to those. Good call on the wider mesh. I'll see if there's 6" out there somewhere and I'll try the non-shrink compound. Rest of the apt is coming along well; this one GDMF section keeps biting me in the ass. | ||
| Sifo |
You might want to try the powdered stuff that you mix with water. Don't get the "easy sand" stuff, but the almost impossible to sand stuff for the base coat. It's more of a plaster that hardens with a chemical reaction (no shrink). You will want to finish coat with sandable compound. I've had good luck with both paper tape and the mesh. They tend to fail differently, so one may work better than the other sometimes. The tape will work better if you wet it a bit first so it doesn't suck the water out of the joint compound. Not a bad idea on fresh drywall too, as that paper will suck up the moisture too. I'm unclear, but are you trying to fill the width of a removed wall? How deep is what you are filling? If it's a significant amount of filling, the premixed compound will certainly crack as it shrinks. | ||
| Airbozo |
If you are trying to fill a 6" gap with any sort of tape and patch, it will always crack even if you use the non-shrinkable mud. There are a couple of ways to solve the problem, but the best is to attach a strip of drywall into the gap and then tape it once in place. when it is dry come back with the topping compound to clean it up and get a paint-able surface. | ||
| Blake |
Joe, It sounds like you're trying to fill the entire slot using joint compound. Is that right? I think you need to install some wood backer slats and screw a strip of drywall to them to fill the "slot" then finish the joints as per usual. You can use 1x4 cut to length to lay perpendicular to the slot while just fitting between the ceiling or wall joists as applicable. Use drywall screws through the existing drywall to fasten them in place. One every foot or so ought to work. Then finish the joints as per usual. That'd be my "ain't going into the attic" lazy man's solution. | ||
| Ratbuell |
No, I filled the slot with drywall. Mud to fill the 2 seams between drywall filler, and original ceiling. | ||
| Mtjm2 |
Rat , pm me I can get your cabinets in for you I think in your time line As far as your patch job , start with Duro bond 45 for 2 coats than light sand 45 for the rest , I think. Only because I don’t like giving advice without seeing the problem Mark | ||
| Ourdee |
If it comes down to the wire, may be 1x8 or 1x10 stained to cover the cracking section. So, you can get it rented. | ||
| Ratbuell |
If I do any building to cover the area, I'll build an arch to mimic the door openings.  | ||
| Doz |
When I patch a partition I open up both sides making the patch 24" wide,(or close depending on the framing). You'll use less mud and the result will be smoother. Gotta paint the entire ceiling anyway- right? |
