New Build: 1000s of Screw Pops & Excessive Seams - Please Help

cleveman

I've seen homes with one or two popped screws due to some structural change. I've seen many homes with not a single popped screw. And I've seen a home with many, many popped screws.

The one with many popped screws was built with some cheaper spf wood that sat out in the rain for some time, although it was tarped. It was sitting on ground that had been wet for months. I believe the wet wood was the problem.

However, moist sheetrock would not be good either. It seems that wood will shrink as it dries, and expect that sheetrock will as well. With sheetrock stacked maybe 24 sheets, then a sticker, it will dry out very slowly.

We all know that wood flooring should be brought into a house where the heating system is running and it should be allowed to "climatize".

Although the wet wood is probably the culprit, I would be careful with high moisture content sheetrock as well.

Gary in WA

Tyad, Doug hasn't been back since he posted then, click on his name to check....did you read the two sites listed above you?

Daniel- good article. LOL, my post 24 above, first link has a diagram and explanation same as W.F.- though not as detailed, just scroll down a bit, though I wish one could copy and paste that picture from my link. Any ideas?

Kirk, I don't think the screw thread design makes much difference compared to length- steel stud screws in wood from drywall manufacturers: 2.2.5.1 Type G screws, for attaching gypsum panel products
to gypsum panel products; Type S screws, for attaching gypsum
panel products to light gage steel framing and wood
framing members; and Type W screws, for attaching gypsum
panel products to wood framing members, shall comply with
Standard Specification for Steel Drill Screws for the Application
of Gypsum Board, ASTM C 1002. From: http://www.lafargenorthamerica.com/G...%20English.pdf


Gary

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AtlanticWBConst.

FROM SAME EXPERIENCE:

Old post. I will offer this - I went thru the same situation on a prefab construction project about 6 years ago. We did some work on the project, but did not GC it.

The Cause was based on inspections and evaluations by the Prefab Manufacturer: Green lumber.

Wood framing shrank as it fully dried and caused all drywall screws to pop.

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- Build Well -

Tyad

Hi Gary
Thanks for letting me know that Doug has not been back I thought it might notify him if he had a response to his thread lol.
Yes I have read the articles above and I do believe my builder used wet lumber when he framed I have some tech guy coming Monday morning to measure the moisture content in the drywall and the studs I'm not sure how you get an accurate reading of the studs when you are going through the drywall but I was assured there is a meter that can read behind the drywall. I can bet that it is around the rite moisture content now my big problem is how do they find every single screw in a 3700 sqft house and replace with a new one and repair thousands of holes with out it looking like a mess and resting assured that 2 weeks down the road the ones they miss start or keep popping the skim coat might help with the patching but still not going to stop the others so I guess my point or question would be is it not easier to rip off old drywall and start fresh would it not be cheaper in long run rather than keep coming back and repairing the screws patching and painting? We have had a drywall slash painter here for the last 2 and a half weeks 8 to 4 Monday to Friday and he has repaired 1300 to 1500 screws and like I said they keep coming. Just would like some other opinions rather than the one I keep getting from the drywall company that the home warranty company is using. Again sorry for long post
Greg

woodworkbykirk

you sure gary? if you think about it a fine thread screw is more prone to pop than a course thread if its driven into green lumber as it doesnt have as much holding power.. as the wood dries the wood around the threads will shink up leaving space around them . thus screw pop

cleveman

It would definitely be better to just pay the $10,000 and have the house stripped and re-done. Maybe not so bad if the ceilings are ok.

You have all the aggravation of emptying the house, however, and being out of it for a week. Not to mention the other ramifications-cabinets, covering the floors, etc.

Tyad

Cleveman
The funny thing is that the insurance adjuster said samething that we would prob be better off starting over and approved it which I know is rare but the drywall companies that he got estimates from think it better off fixing and patching and painting the insurance company has already spent over $11000 doing what I have explained above and now they want to try again by doing every single screw and putting a skim coat on all the walls.

I rather move out for a week and be done with it.
It's already been 2 and a half weeks of moving furniture and covering everything to accommodate them and I am on a permant disability with heart and back problems and 4 kids to keep out of there way lol.

The ceilings are not to bad just around the perimeter we have pops not too many in the rest of it so it would just be the walls that would need replacing.
I'm not a drywaller by trade but have done some and I did estimate steel fabricating jobs so these guys I would have thought that now their method has failed twice that they would try something else.

I guess I'm just wondering if I'm way off and this is the normal way that these problems are fixed and if not how do I explain to these guys that there is no way they will find all the screws in the house and this problem continues are they going to continue to come back and fix the pops


We actualy got lucky with our adjuster and is willing to do what ever it takes to get it done rite but I can't see him allowing more money and more money after every mess they make with the walls.

Anybody out there have a close estimation how many drywall screws are used to drywall a 3700 sqft house?
Greg

Nailbags

Sorry to tell you this but I have been building homes since I was 17 and am now in my mid forties and have never used composite lumber. And what I know of it it is cheap junk. I bet your builder bidded out the job with real studs then used these and pocked the rest. Kinda like plumbers bidding out a job for copper pipes then instaling Pex and making a killing and laughing all the way to the bank. I feel for you. Yes that stuff meets code but meeting is the low end of the standard. I always use 2x6 for my exterior walls and 2x4 for my interior walls and all of them are #1 or better Doug Fir. yes it is more but will out last any green composite stud.

Gary in WA

----- Good catch, Kirk. I reread the article, better threads would help. Thanks!

Gary

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FuzzyDrywall

That would depend on how many walls he has. Being a Drywall delivery guy, I figure about 14000sqft of drywall went into his house. It would depend on how close the vertical screws had to be, but figuring all 12'X4' drywall, it would be 9 across. I believe here it is 5 vertical, but just say 6 to be safe for codes. That would be 54 per sheet. 15750 or so screws for the house.


Also fine thread screws will work themselves out of the wood framing. That is why we recommend coarse thread for wood framing.