# Why is my drywall ceiling cracking away from walls?



## Logcabin (Jun 27, 2014)

We have had this repaired four times by original contractor.  This happens on three of the four walls and happens in two rooms that adjoin each other.  The addition to our home was built in what will be two years in October.


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## nealtw (Jun 27, 2014)

Welcome to the site.
Was your addition built with trusses for the roof or hand framed rafters?
Are all the walls affected interior?
Are these walls running in the same diection as the trusses or ceiling joists?


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## Logcabin (Jun 27, 2014)

Hello...trusses were used.
The walls most affected are the interior, however, the same thing happened to a lesser degree  on exterior wall as well.
And no, they are not running in the same direction as the trusses.
This was last spackled in February and each day it gets progressively worse...and damages are happening faster this past month...


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## nealtw (Jun 27, 2014)

A combination of factors at play, because trusses are designed as a big triangle, loads on one area effect all other parts of the truss, often with a snow load the center of the truss will move upward away from the interior walls. It's anybodies guess what happens with contraction and expantion do the temperature changes.
Drywall hangers that understand this don't put nails or screws to close to the wall as the wall drywall will hold up the edge of the ceiling.
So the builder should have his people remove all the screws that are within 18" of the walls.
If he dosn't beleive send him to this site.
http://www.wwta.ab.ca/homeowner/truss-uplift.pdf


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## Drywallinfo (Jun 30, 2014)

I assume this was taped right? A special crack-repair tape might hold up. See http://www.drywallinfo.com/drywall-news/strait-flex-crack-repair-tape/


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## nealtw (Jun 30, 2014)

Drywallinfo said:


> I assume this was taped right? A special crack-repair tape might hold up. See http://www.drywallinfo.com/drywall-news/strait-flex-crack-repair-tape/


Won't help if the trusses lift and take the drywall with it.:rofl:


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## Drywallinfo (Jul 1, 2014)

nealtw said:


> Won't help if the trusses lift and take the drywall with it.:rofl:



Yes, you are right. There is a limit to what any kind of tape or bead can handle.


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## bud16415 (Jul 1, 2014)

If there is constant seasonal movement and its more than a taped joint can handle the only two options I see for the OP is one to live with it or two hide it with a molding. Some of them are quite small and simple in shape and will clean up that corner look without standing out. The other way to go is make the molding a focal point something like a larger crown molding.


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## bryce (Jul 1, 2014)

Because your house was damp before and now you've running an air conditioner all the time.


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## Logcabin (Jul 1, 2014)

We use very little a/c as our home is naturally cool.  No dampness.  Addition has been respackled dead of winter as well as summer.  Not sure there is a molding rustic enough to compete with existing log cabin...along with some eclectic wall/ceiling colors.  It would almost interfere with the colors...


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## nealtw (Jul 2, 2014)

You have to get the screws close to wall removed, and no the same thing would happen to molding against the ceiling. the idea is that, when the trusses move up the board bends and the tape holds it to the wall, but yours is moving with the trusses. Twenty or so screws are not that hard to find, stud finder magnet.


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## bud16415 (Jul 2, 2014)

Other than by your name we wouldn&#8217;t know the décor of your house to be rustic. The photo is to close up to try and attempt to give any sort of design advice on molding type that would fit in. Neal is right something like a crown molding that&#8217;s sealed into the wall and ceiling would act just as the ceiling joint is now. 

I don&#8217;t know a lot about log cabins I have a few friends that have them and I watched them being put up and the ones I saw had a lot of framing done differently than normal, where they use slip framing in places because there was expected movement. The one guy had to wait several years to finish the drywall even, and that was in the specs. 

Around here we have lots of saw mills that would make rough sawed moldings that would look right in the most rustic settings. It&#8217;s really hard to give advice when it comes to a style of design the owner is going for.


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## Logcabin (Jul 2, 2014)

Existing cabin we built ourselves 30 years ago.  On all interior walls we put up drywall ourselves as part of that building project.  Not one nail popped and not one seam cracked.  The new addition is stick built and sided with log siding.  Thanks for the advice about molding probably not working.  The molding add on  was the advice from the "professional" contractor that created the problem and respackled four times over.  He said that was the only thing he could do now do.  With advise to remove the screws, we now know otherwise.


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## bud16415 (Jul 2, 2014)

Let us know how it turns out.


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