What is the best product for recurring drywall cracks?

[Eric]

Every couple of years, cracks in my drywall keep reappearing in more or less the same spot. I resurface them with drywall compound, repaint and sure enough, they come back.

The cracks are very small(possibly due to a weak spot susceptible to freeze-thaw shifting of the house foundation) ..... is there are more flexible product I could use to cover them up? Drywall compound is too brittle and does not do the trick.

Any suggestions would be much appreciated.

Thanks ..... what a great forum! Wish I would have discovered it years ago.

Eric

Eric N. Leclair

[Norminn]

Paintable caulk, from any paint or hardware store. Smoosh it into the crack with your finger, wipe surface with damp rag, let dry, prime, paint.

[Frank]

Use drywall glass mesh tape over crack. Frank

[Chris Friesen]

Actually, the paper tape is stronger and less prone to cracking.

Chris

[Banty]

I endorse this solution. I had a drywall cracking issue in one bedroom at the corner of my house where I had freeze/thaw foundation issues. The foundation was later upgraded, but the drywall cracking was repaired using the mesh tape before that, and held up well over a couple of seasonal cycles before then. Worked amazingly well.

Banty

[JoeSpareBedroom]

I'll add a vote for this idea. It even works well on plaster. Previous home:

15 years later, no cracks, according to new owner.

[Banty]

But it has less give.

Banty

[Freckles]

I too recommend the fiberglass tape. I had an old house in Los Angeles where one corner over a door cracked very badly every year. I must have repaired that crack half a dozen times before I used the tape. After using the tape I never had another crack over that door for the rest of the time I lived in that house which was about twelve years.

[mm]

I think the choice between elastic caulk and mesh tape depends on how bad the cracks are, how many they are, and how much work you want to do. The caulk is proably more likely to have to be redone, but the mesh will be noticablly thick and noticeably meshy and will have to have a lot of stuff put over it to cover the mesh. And it might be easier to do the caulk 2 or 3 times than the mesh even once.

There are caulk or spackle-type products, special for cracks, that are elastic. I forget the names but the paint store guy will know.

[Malcolm Hoar]

There's a dozen of products -- hard to say which will be best for your specific problem.

However, it sounds like you need something a lot more flexible/elastic than what you've used in the past.

Bear in mind, those products are likely not sandable! You'll need to apply it correctly, first time. Spend a few minutes playing with the gunk and an old bit of sheetrock, cardboard or whatever just to get the "feel" of the stuff.

You probably don't want to go for the ultimate in flexibility (i.e. silcone) since that is neither sandable nor paintable.

One problem I have found with many of the more flexible fillers is that they shrink during the cure. That's only likely to be a problem if the cracks are large.

Alternatively, you might consider applying a textured finish to the entire wall/room. This can be done using relatively flexible mixes that may absorb the movement well enough. Even if some minor cracking does come through, it will likely be a lot less visible. Hairline cracks are a hugely less obvious on textured versus flat/smooth finishes.

[Mike]

Are you saying you used paper tape and it cracked?

[atlasodin2]

replying to Norminn, atlasodin2 wrote: I caulked the crack and i let it cure than i patch it with compound and now it is back should i just cut out the section and put a new piece up

[atlasodin2]

replying to Frank, atlasodin2 wrote: I used fiber glass tape and it came back

[Wade Garrett]

Repeated cracking is most likely a symptom of an underlying problem. If you can find and eliminate the root cause, you can patch it once and for all and be done with it.

[Woody]

Structure failure like termites eating your sill plate or house is falling into a sink hole?

[ItsJoanNotJoann]

BINGO!

I'm betting he has a termite problem. He can repair that crack until the Second Coming and it will continue to crack until he gets the problem causing the crack repaired.

(Speaking from experience from my brother's house.)

[Ronald Long]

replying to Eric, Ronald Long wrote: I've had lots of success using powdered joint compound mixed with "milk" for large reoccurring cracks. "Milk" is liquid latex for mixing thinset and grout for tile. It makes the mud flexible and paintable. Use it over the fiberglass mesh tape.

[Lynn S]

replying to Ronald Long, Lynn S wrote: That sounds interesting. I have an area where I used ultralight drywall joining up to regular gypsum and a crack always develop there. That might work. Also Home depot has a tape that they say will stop cracks when used with elastoflex by Dap. I have tried the mesh and it makes it crack more.

[trader_4]

HD also has a spray product, some kind of elastic product that's for cracks. I bought a can of it years ago, but never used it. It also depends on how much movement there is, how big the crack forms, etc. If it's just typical hairline crack from temp expansion/contraction, etc. you may succeed with that. If it's an 1/8" gap do to settling and continued movement, good luck.