Drywall...help

mbhb8803

My house is 7 years old and in a few of the rooms the drywall is starting to show "black lines" where the studs are and also the truss studs on the gable end. My wife used a magic eraser and rubbed it and the lines will clean up but I'm not sure if this is dust settling and if so why just on the studs? or if it is a more serious problem. Any thoughts? Is it just time to repaint? thanks ..By the way the walls are finished in knockdown

Chemist1961

Post a close up photo in case its mould.

mbhb8803

I took a picture but you can't see the problem in the pictures. The lines are not real dark but you can definately see them

jogr

It's not mold. It's a common phenomenom. The studs are colder because they conduct heat better. I can't explain the physics but dust particulates favorably accumulate on the colder surface producing the stripes. If you burn candles or a fireplace you'll get the stripes faster and darker.

Best solution is more insulation in the attic that covers the tops of the ceiling joists.

ryanh

Interesting I always wondered what caused the studs to start showing through the drywall on this one project i worked on. I didn't want to rip down the drywall to check the insulation or lack of insulation i just assumed it had no vapour barrier and air movement behind the wall was collecting dust

scowl

The cold studs cause a tiny amount of condensation where the drywall is against them. This is just enough to trap and collect dust and tiny particles in the air over the years.

There's no real solution but painting the walls regularly will cover up the stripes.

mbhb8803

Thank you all for your replies, it's a load off my mind to know that this is fairly common