Patching with Caulk

[Dottie]

My garage ceiling is the popcorn finished painted type and the walls are stucco - textured like the outside. There was a line around the corner - like the ceiling was separating from the wall. I patched it Monday with caulk - it was the easiest way. It looked fine Tuesday. Today I went out there and it was as though I hadn't done anything to it. The line was back -- in most places. I went over it again. It appeared to be o.k. - that was about 2 p.m. So I went out there just now (6 p.m.) and its separating again. What is causing this? Did I use the wrong thing to patch it? Its Dap silicone caulk.

[hrhofmann]

Maybe you are putting on the caulk just a bit too thin. If not, where are you located, any earthquakes or major temperature changes recently? When there are temp changes, there are usually associated moisture level changes, and wood can take a couple of months to dry out or expand, depending on the moisture changes. I have a couple of cracks in a bathroom wall that take 2 months to show up after the cold weather hits in November. This year they were really late in showing up because the moisture levels have not gotten as low as normal due to the warmer temperatures.

[JIMMIE]

Often this is a good job for crown molding. Before you start covering crzks make sure you know whats going on. Hopefully this is just some seasonal shrinking/expansion..

Jimmie

[clare]

When the house is at it's driest, and the gap at it's largest, is the time to patch it with a compressible filler. Anything else will be wasted effort. If the gap is large, stuff it with something like foam screen spline of the proper size (just big enough to need to be stuffed in). Thermoplasic caulk may be better than silicone too - might be too late for that.

[jw]

I'd call the fire department immediately and get out of that house until they check it out. It sounds like you are experiencing earth shifting, or the house is slowly collapsing. Either way, you may be living in serious danger if the place is moving within a couple hours.

[Norminn]

I don't use silicone unless it is a wet area, but there are probably silicone blends intended for other areas. My first thought is: are conditions in garage suitable for the caulk (not too cold, etc.). Low temp might keep caulk from curing. Old or newer structure, signs of serious movement or settling? Size of gap also important...hairline or

1/2" gap? Wall and ceiling are painted? If it is hairline, or very fine gap, a paintable latex caulk should fix the problem, assuming it is not too cold (read the label). Putting something over the silicone might be troublesome in re adhesion.

[Dottie]

I think I found the problem -- the caulk I used was Clear. It went on white and blended in with ceiling and wall - not a hairline crack but only a little larger - and when it dried it was clear and didn't hide the crack. I climbed up on the step ladder today and felt it - its still a bit damp but the actual crack is sealed. I live in Florida where its been damp the past few days - rained yesterday - and nothing dries fast here because of the humidity. I will wait until it dries and paint just the caulked part. Thanks.

[hrhofmann]

Thanks for letting us know, the "clear" thing is something that apparently none of us here thought about.

[Norminn]

Pure silicone probably isn't "paintable" (paint won't stick). Check the label. For correction, since the seam isn't wide, you can probably cut out the silicone (carefully, and not too deep) and then recaulk with a paintable caulk that bridges where the silicone is now....even if new caulk doesn't stick to the silicone, bridging the silicone would allow the replacement caulk to stick on both sides and thus cover it. Paintable latex (acryllic) caulk should be fine...needs to be flexible (as opposed to joint compound or grout) so that flexing with normal movement doesn't crack the caulk.

[clare]

Unless it is the "modified" silicone, good luck getting paint to stick. Most clear silicone caulk is NOT paintable