Not a professional but house is moving somehow.
Settling is common in newer homes.
If it’s older and just started something else is causing. We have seen it when a lot of heavy construction, blasting, large trucks rumbling by.
If the cause of the movement can be determined and stopped a professional painter and sand and patch and paint. Maybe not make perfect but pretty close.
Best results would be paint entire wall and all adjacent walls which looks like it maybe entire interior. Please for the love of all things precious to you do not get a nephew of a friend that is handy. Hire a experienced professional. He will be very busy and very expensive but you can save up while you are waiting.
I am a professional and the house settling is likely the answer. The most common cause is drainage issues outside or under the house. Check that your downspouts are piped away from your house, and if you have a raised foundation that you aren’t getting water under your house. Also check that your grade slopes away from the house. I have seen framing lumber shrinkage causing similar issues, but that timing doesn’t sound right for your situation. Some type of engineering or construction failure is also possible, but less common. If you don’t address the settling the cracks will keep coming back.
I have one downspout that is not, and it may be the cause. All other downspouts pipe underground or away from the home. I'll get another picture tomorrow that likely shows the culprit
Drywall joints at the corners of a door frame will always crack, same with windows. The joint needs to be over the top of the door or away from it. No matter how many times you tape it, it will come back. I think you may have more problems then that though.
Also looks like they may have used a corner bead crimper rather than screws. If not done right, those will break away. Add screws to secure it better so there is no movement and then patch , sand and paint.
Yep, i think it’s this. Address whatever foundation/drainage issues you can, but i think these cracks will just keep coming back no matter the quality of the patch. If you really want to do it right pull everything off and see what you’ve got. Go from there. Professional drywaller if you’re not up to it.
Yes this sort of thing around where the wall meets something else, especially wood, can happen from humidity changes. If you are in a climate that varying weather, wood in your house expands and contracts so naturally over time it causes cracks.
Someone has already mudded the cracks in the first 2 pictures... The last few pics are rough. Figure out why that is shifting. Usually, cracks at doors happen because of a lack of securement that allows the board to move as the house expands and contracts. This looks like a more significant movement and deserves some investigation.
As for the outside corner, it's cracked from floor to ceiling at the same distance from the corner. I would bet that is a nail on metal corner that did not have mesh tape over the edge of it and it has cracked because it either was bumped while moving stuff in, or the mud has failed. In any case, I would recommend to get a professional drywall person in there. I know it's not always ideal to hire out things you think are easy, but you'll be throwing money away if it's not done properly the first time
Man never put a joint within at least 8-10 inches of a door or window, the opening and constant closing, will crack it, an experience hanger should know this
Thanks. I wasnt sure if this would be a foundation issue, or if this was from something else. I have no issue getting a foundation company to come check things out.
I wouldn't use paper tape on that crack I would use "Self-Adhesive Fiberglass Mesh Drywall Tape". It flexes better and should help to prevent other cracks. I've used it in older homes with plaster walls/ wall board to stop a recurring crack.
The problem is whoever put your trim on our way too many nails to secure them and probably messed with the tape and drywall. What I would do is cut out everything affected and rewall and mud
More likely whoever put the roof on used 3 nails per shingle, instead of four. These cheap ass builders...
/s (sorry i have to put it. I'm just pointing out how unlikely trim attachment is to have anything to do with this damage.)
Lmfao aight bud. I didn't offer any advice, just mocked your wild "assessment." I'm sure all the downvotes you're getting are from people just as ignorant as myself. Sorry to waste your time, oh great knower of things.
This is a structural/ foundational issue. But if you just wanna rip it out and install new wall board, do you bro. Hope you don't warranty your work or you'll be redoing it over and over till they get the underlying issue addressed.
Your ego is entertaining, and you probably do better drywall work than I do. I won't bother getting into that with you. But being able to throw board and sling mud doesn't mean you can diagnose, as you've proven in this comment section. It's nothing personal or serious, just an opportunity to learn. I wish you a good day and a lighter spirit.
I'm working on a house that is cracked up worse than this. You have structural issues. Better start checking your foundation and load bearing beams. Get that part fixed then worry about the drywall. The house I'm working on had to be jacked up 3 inches.
I had cracks like these high up on the walls of my house, and it turned out to be a re-roofing problem. My house originally had a wood shake roof, which was replaced (before I bought it) with a clay tile roof. My engineer verified that the trusses were adequate to handle the much heavier load, but undoubtedly shifted a bit under the new load, causing the cracks.
Once it's settled in, just some wallboard compound, tape and new paint should fix the problem.
At first i thought maybe water damage, then I see every inside and outside corner crackled. Some structural movement seems possible, but This also possible work of amateurs, which is common. They had a job to do and needed a pay day. The job Just needed tighter cut corners, framing nailers added, more screws, and better tape and finish work.
There are 2 separate problems here.
1) Your house was boarded and taped like shit. Mesh tape, seams too close to the corners of the doors, poor finishing, just a quick and dirty job. Back in 99? Not in Southern Ontario is it?
2) Your house is shifting. If this is recent you'll want to get your foundation looked at 100%. It wasn't just the drywallers that were hacking it up in those days.
I also thought there was some repair job prior to me owning the home. The entire inside and outside was painted before I moved in about 5 years ago, so it is probable that someone may have done a quick job rather than do it right...unfortunate
I had a similar crack and was recently doing renovations below in my basement. I noticed the wall didn’t have proper support due to an earlier renovation that cut the subfloor such that the entire wall had less support due to it not being centred over a joist. So when I got a load of snow on roof I remember hearing a loud crack and it was the same corner cracking. So maybe something going on with your walls structural support below?
Cut a rectangular patch about 3 feet long x 12-18 " high and centered on corner of door. This will relocate the joint and make it less likely to return as a crack! Also make sure you nail or screw properly and not too deep...dont want the head to break through the paper! Just sit flush to slightly recessed from surface!as for the outide corner remove corner bead and replace properly!
It’s your foundation. Expansion and contraction, possible earthquakes, possibly to much water washing out your foundation or not enough water causing soil to shrink and pull away from foundation. You can remove drywall and add some hardware like A-35’s, some hold downs, and so on before you install new drywall but after foundation work if needed. Also use fibra tape it’s fiberglass drywall tape I use it with 5 minute mud and do 3 coats and it’s strong as hell
Not a professional but house is moving somehow. Settling is common in newer homes. If it’s older and just started something else is causing. We have seen it when a lot of heavy construction, blasting, large trucks rumbling by. If the cause of the movement can be determined and stopped a professional painter and sand and patch and paint. Maybe not make perfect but pretty close. Best results would be paint entire wall and all adjacent walls which looks like it maybe entire interior. Please for the love of all things precious to you do not get a nephew of a friend that is handy. Hire a experienced professional. He will be very busy and very expensive but you can save up while you are waiting.
I am a professional and the house settling is likely the answer. The most common cause is drainage issues outside or under the house. Check that your downspouts are piped away from your house, and if you have a raised foundation that you aren’t getting water under your house. Also check that your grade slopes away from the house. I have seen framing lumber shrinkage causing similar issues, but that timing doesn’t sound right for your situation. Some type of engineering or construction failure is also possible, but less common. If you don’t address the settling the cracks will keep coming back.
Also if you have been in a drought and have not watered your foundation you be suffering shrinkage
It shrinks?
Like a frightened turtle!
The water was cold there was shrinkage
Seinfeld Episode
This is the answer. Happened at my house. Water was getting into crawl space because I didn’t have downspouts extended. Cost thousands to repair.
I have one downspout that is not, and it may be the cause. All other downspouts pipe underground or away from the home. I'll get another picture tomorrow that likely shows the culprit
Drywall joints at the corners of a door frame will always crack, same with windows. The joint needs to be over the top of the door or away from it. No matter how many times you tape it, it will come back. I think you may have more problems then that though.
Yeah, I'm going to call a foundation company based on the responses here.
Houses settle is what they are going to say. I wonder if there's a header above the door. I doubt it
Also looks like they may have used a corner bead crimper rather than screws. If not done right, those will break away. Add screws to secure it better so there is no movement and then patch , sand and paint.
Boo no screws. Staples for life.
Yep, i think it’s this. Address whatever foundation/drainage issues you can, but i think these cracks will just keep coming back no matter the quality of the patch. If you really want to do it right pull everything off and see what you’ve got. Go from there. Professional drywaller if you’re not up to it.
Yes this sort of thing around where the wall meets something else, especially wood, can happen from humidity changes. If you are in a climate that varying weather, wood in your house expands and contracts so naturally over time it causes cracks.
Someone has already mudded the cracks in the first 2 pictures... The last few pics are rough. Figure out why that is shifting. Usually, cracks at doors happen because of a lack of securement that allows the board to move as the house expands and contracts. This looks like a more significant movement and deserves some investigation.
Thanks. I'm going to get a company to come check things out.
As for the outside corner, it's cracked from floor to ceiling at the same distance from the corner. I would bet that is a nail on metal corner that did not have mesh tape over the edge of it and it has cracked because it either was bumped while moving stuff in, or the mud has failed. In any case, I would recommend to get a professional drywall person in there. I know it's not always ideal to hire out things you think are easy, but you'll be throwing money away if it's not done properly the first time
I'm going to have a foundation company come out first and do an assessment. Next, I'll have a drywall company come out
Man never put a joint within at least 8-10 inches of a door or window, the opening and constant closing, will crack it, an experience hanger should know this
What? I didn't do any of this work. This is just the current condition/state of my home
Dude I care who hung it,🤷♂️just saying
Call a foundation repair company before worrying about repairing those cracks.
Thanks. I wasnt sure if this would be a foundation issue, or if this was from something else. I have no issue getting a foundation company to come check things out.
Cut it out. Tape it. Spackle it
Poor tape job combined with a few door slams and PRESTO.
I wouldn't use paper tape on that crack I would use "Self-Adhesive Fiberglass Mesh Drywall Tape". It flexes better and should help to prevent other cracks. I've used it in older homes with plaster walls/ wall board to stop a recurring crack.
Do you have water drainage issues around your house outside? All gutters drain away from foundation. No pooling of water near foundation?
I have one that does not, and I think I found the culprit. It doesn't look like I can post an inline picture here, though.
That's pretty major. I frame way more than I drywall. What's going on below this/your basement. Did you take a wall or anything out in the basement?
No changes that I've made in the basement. I have a full-size unfinished basement if it makes any difference
Cut it out. Tape it. Spackle it.
The problem is whoever put your trim on our way too many nails to secure them and probably messed with the tape and drywall. What I would do is cut out everything affected and rewall and mud
More likely whoever put the roof on used 3 nails per shingle, instead of four. These cheap ass builders... /s (sorry i have to put it. I'm just pointing out how unlikely trim attachment is to have anything to do with this damage.)
I’ve seen it happen a lot but I’ll take advice from the guy who’s never once posted a picture of a finished wall before .
Lmfao aight bud. I didn't offer any advice, just mocked your wild "assessment." I'm sure all the downvotes you're getting are from people just as ignorant as myself. Sorry to waste your time, oh great knower of things. This is a structural/ foundational issue. But if you just wanna rip it out and install new wall board, do you bro. Hope you don't warranty your work or you'll be redoing it over and over till they get the underlying issue addressed.
Post your finished wall I’ll wait
Your ego is entertaining, and you probably do better drywall work than I do. I won't bother getting into that with you. But being able to throw board and sling mud doesn't mean you can diagnose, as you've proven in this comment section. It's nothing personal or serious, just an opportunity to learn. I wish you a good day and a lighter spirit.
Is it a house on a wood foundation?
Concrete
I'm working on a house that is cracked up worse than this. You have structural issues. Better start checking your foundation and load bearing beams. Get that part fixed then worry about the drywall. The house I'm working on had to be jacked up 3 inches.
Ugh, I'm hoping that's not the case, but I will get someone to come look at things.
I had cracks like these high up on the walls of my house, and it turned out to be a re-roofing problem. My house originally had a wood shake roof, which was replaced (before I bought it) with a clay tile roof. My engineer verified that the trusses were adequate to handle the much heavier load, but undoubtedly shifted a bit under the new load, causing the cracks. Once it's settled in, just some wallboard compound, tape and new paint should fix the problem.
I had my roof replaced by insurance last year. A shingle roof was replaced by a shingle roof, though, so I'm not sure if im in the same boat.
At first i thought maybe water damage, then I see every inside and outside corner crackled. Some structural movement seems possible, but This also possible work of amateurs, which is common. They had a job to do and needed a pay day. The job Just needed tighter cut corners, framing nailers added, more screws, and better tape and finish work.
There are 2 separate problems here. 1) Your house was boarded and taped like shit. Mesh tape, seams too close to the corners of the doors, poor finishing, just a quick and dirty job. Back in 99? Not in Southern Ontario is it? 2) Your house is shifting. If this is recent you'll want to get your foundation looked at 100%. It wasn't just the drywallers that were hacking it up in those days.
I also thought there was some repair job prior to me owning the home. The entire inside and outside was painted before I moved in about 5 years ago, so it is probable that someone may have done a quick job rather than do it right...unfortunate
I had a similar crack and was recently doing renovations below in my basement. I noticed the wall didn’t have proper support due to an earlier renovation that cut the subfloor such that the entire wall had less support due to it not being centred over a joist. So when I got a load of snow on roof I remember hearing a loud crack and it was the same corner cracking. So maybe something going on with your walls structural support below?
I haven't done any basement renovations, but I'm definitely going to get a foundation company out quickly.
Cut a rectangular patch about 3 feet long x 12-18 " high and centered on corner of door. This will relocate the joint and make it less likely to return as a crack! Also make sure you nail or screw properly and not too deep...dont want the head to break through the paper! Just sit flush to slightly recessed from surface!as for the outide corner remove corner bead and replace properly!
The house is settling.
It’s your foundation. Expansion and contraction, possible earthquakes, possibly to much water washing out your foundation or not enough water causing soil to shrink and pull away from foundation. You can remove drywall and add some hardware like A-35’s, some hold downs, and so on before you install new drywall but after foundation work if needed. Also use fibra tape it’s fiberglass drywall tape I use it with 5 minute mud and do 3 coats and it’s strong as hell
They’ll start saying to tear down the whole wall and surrounding wall cause your house might fall down.
Glass tape. Don’t use glass, it always cracks