We may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs . Learn More ›
Q: Many of the drywall seams on my 40-year-old house are bulging. It doesn’t appear as if the joint tape is pulling away from the seams, because when I tried to remove some of the tape, it was extremely difficult. Also, the drywall appears to be pretty firmly attached. When I press on both sides of the seam, the drywall doesn’t move. Could it be that the seams have always looked this way? Could this just be the result of a poor spackling job when the joint tape and compound were applied in the first place? What should I do to make these seams less visible?
A : With the dry wall firmly confiscate , as you say it is , I can guess of only three situations in which the bed would bulge , sag , or warp .
Sometimes, drywall seams become visible when a house has undergone considerable settling.
In your case , unless your geographic area has had unusually dry or wet atmospheric condition in recent years , structural problems are probably not at play , give that your house is relatively young at 40 years of age .
If , however , you notice any other signs of settling — cracks in the basis , torn dry wall joints , or gap either along the baseboard or at the point where bulwark meet ceilings — engage a foundation expert to do an review .
Tried-and-True Advice
“ Bulging drywall crease are in spades an eyesore , but I was capable to secure the seam in our older home plate myself with nothing but joint chemical compound , an extra - panoptic tap tongue , and patience . Using the spacious taping tongue I could regain made feathering the skim coat of joint compound much comfortable . I also prevent my elbow joint loose and moved my whole physical structure , not just my arm , for a smoother coating . Working in paper - thin layers , I apply several coat of compound until my wall were blemish - free . ”
— Lauren Landers , Contributing Writer
The most likely culprit is the manner in which your drywall was installed.
For the seam between dry wall panel to go away after painting , that joint between drywall panel must be covered with chemical compound in a specific way — in a series of layer , with each layer wide than the last . Additionally , each layer needs to dry — and , in some suit , should be sanded — before the next layer goes on . For tradesmen , it ’s a sentence - consuming summons , one that often requires repetition visit to the line of work internet site .
That being the example , it ’s not uncommon for a declarer to use fewer layers than would be ideal , leaving thedrywall seaminsufficiently square to the adjacent open . Or an inexperienced do - it - yourselfer may have done the work , in the process reach some common mistake without knowing the error of his way .
Here ’s yet another possible cause : Whendrywallsheets withuncutedges are butt against together , a depression form along the product line where they fall in . That depression is signify to oblige joint chemical compound and dry wall tape . Trouble spring up only when installers choose to usecutdrywall . Because the bound of these sheets are n’t tapered , there ’s no depression when they ’re match . As a resultant , the joint chemical compound and drywall tape are applied over the aeroplane of the drywall open , resulting in a buildup that take care very much like a bulge . Again , the account is that either a professional did the work and pick out to cut corners , or a DIYer did so inadvertently .
Photo: New Africa via Depositphotos
No matter the cause, the solution to bulging drywall seams is almost always the same.
Call in a contractile organ toapply a skimming coatof compound over the entire bulwark . That coat fill in the recess areas , creating a flat - look surface . This is n’t a job for the average person to do over the weekend ; it ’s specialised work that requires a trained bridge player . If you ’d rather not spend the money , consider repainting the affected wall in a mat pigment , as sheens make it comfortable to make out imperfections .
Everything You want for a Lush and Healthy Lawn
Keeping your grass green and your plant thrive does n’t just take a unripe thumb — it starts with the right-hand tools and supplies .
