I purchased my 20 year old house 6 months ago and it is time to repair and paint the living room. I request advice from expert DIYers on diagnosing the cause of drywall cracks. The drywall cracks pictured may be a result of water damage. The attached photo shows the transition from wall to ceiling; the ceiling seems lighter in color but they are in fact the same color.
The photo shows discoloration near the vertical and horizontal wall edges as well as drywall cracks 1) on the bull nose corner; 2) on the ceiling kind of parallel to the wall; and 3) on the ceiling parallel to the corner bead transitioning two different ceiling angles. The discoloration may be caused by a poor touch-up paint job or water damage. I don’t know what would cause cracking at the tip of the bull nose corner bead (1); water damage? The ceiling crack (2) seems to be a stress crack? Again, maybe water damage? The crack (3) may be the corner bead edge lifting? The photo doesn’t show it, but this crack continues along most of the 10’ long joint. Now, does anyone have any ideas what could be causing these cracks?
The roof above the suspected water damage had issues; the flashing within a valley was clogged with debris because the cement tiles were too close together, so they were trimmed. This may or may not have caused a roof leak during one of Southern California’s rare cloudbursts. However, there is no other indictors of water damage except for the cracks and discoloration. There is no attic access.
I guess the first thing I must do is determine if the drywall sustained water damage. Would I do this by checking the firmness of the drywall by sticking an awl into it? I don’t want to start ripping up drywall, do I?
If crack (2) is a stress crack, I can just repair it by cutting out the crack, taping it and filling it, right? Should I remove all material around the edge of the (3) corner bead and fasten down the bead’s edge better?
Anyway, any assistance on one or all of these issues would be appreciated. Thanks.
The photo shows discoloration near the vertical and horizontal wall edges as well as drywall cracks 1) on the bull nose corner; 2) on the ceiling kind of parallel to the wall; and 3) on the ceiling parallel to the corner bead transitioning two different ceiling angles. The discoloration may be caused by a poor touch-up paint job or water damage. I don’t know what would cause cracking at the tip of the bull nose corner bead (1); water damage? The ceiling crack (2) seems to be a stress crack? Again, maybe water damage? The crack (3) may be the corner bead edge lifting? The photo doesn’t show it, but this crack continues along most of the 10’ long joint. Now, does anyone have any ideas what could be causing these cracks?
The roof above the suspected water damage had issues; the flashing within a valley was clogged with debris because the cement tiles were too close together, so they were trimmed. This may or may not have caused a roof leak during one of Southern California’s rare cloudbursts. However, there is no other indictors of water damage except for the cracks and discoloration. There is no attic access.
I guess the first thing I must do is determine if the drywall sustained water damage. Would I do this by checking the firmness of the drywall by sticking an awl into it? I don’t want to start ripping up drywall, do I?
If crack (2) is a stress crack, I can just repair it by cutting out the crack, taping it and filling it, right? Should I remove all material around the edge of the (3) corner bead and fasten down the bead’s edge better?
Anyway, any assistance on one or all of these issues would be appreciated. Thanks.