Cracked drywall at joint near door? - DIY Chatroom

ClemsonJeeper · 11-04-2009, 12:57 PM

So I have an outside joint coming together and the drywall has a few holes where the joint is coming up at a couple places. Would the right fix be to just use joint compound to fill the holes and sand it down? Or should I put some sort of backer on it (eg: joint tape or the mesh drywall tape)?

Pic is attached.

The holes are small so just not sure what the best way to handle it would be.

ccarlisle · 11-04-2009, 01:59 PM

If that's a metal corner piece, I'd make sure that it is screwed back in properly, using drywall scres into the holes that run up and down the piece. Chip away till you find some. Then all-purpose drywall compound, primed and repainted.

bjbatlanta · 11-04-2009, 06:12 PM

Nails tend to work better for fastening metal bead than screws, but most people are used to using screws. Just make sure to pull the screws up flush with the edge of the bead. You'll likely pull more of the bead loose trying to get it pulled tight, but just keep going until no more mud cracks loose. As stated above, chip out ALL loose mud. A setting type compound would be best for at least the first fill coat to reduce "shrinkage" and number of coats. But if this is the only repair you have, probably not worth buying a bag. Ready mix will work fine, just need additional coat(s).......

housepaintingny · 11-05-2009, 01:01 AM

Clean out the crack and coat it with durabond, flush with the surface. Then when that dries put a piece of mesh tape over the crack about 2 inches longer than the crack on. C each end. Coat the tape with a 4-6 inch knife with ready mixed compound. When it dries recoat with a wider knife, like a 10 inch. Sand, prime, and paint.

ClemsonJeeper · 11-06-2009, 04:25 PM

I ended up doing what the ccarisle posted. I dug up a bit closer to the corner, found the holes and drywall screwed them in. This worked great - then I patched over the holes I made and just got done painting it. Looks great!

Thanks much.

ccarlisle · 11-06-2009, 04:30 PM

Great! Look I'm no pro with drywall or anything so I learned something too. The primer does a lot of the work in smoothing out the transition compound/drywall. Some people skip the primer...not a good idea.

GBR in WA · 11-06-2009, 05:27 PM

Is that door hard to latch? If so, I suspect the corner bead may crack mud again unless you fix the door, or you have children..... Little sticky round felts on the door stop where it hits first will help. Or adjust the strike plate by moving it out or tapping it open more with a chisel and hammer. If not a door/wall movement problem, the bead just wasn't nailed on enough. Then just move along folks, nothing to see here....
Be safe, Gary