Last Updated: Wednesday, September 15th, 1999, Created: Wednesday, September 15th, 1999

Cracks in the drywall wall.

Tony from Montreal has problems with cracks in his walls. He even sent us a video of his problems.

All of the cracks followed drywall joints just above the corners of windows and doors. Tony thought it was his electrical radiant heating in the ceiling that was causing the problem. This could be partially true, but more likely it is related to radical swings in humidity from summer to winter. In the winter, the house tends to dry out partially because of the heating, but mostly because of cold air blowing through household cracks, picking up moisture and blowing out the other side. One of the quickest ways to raise the wintertime humidity in a house is to "air seal" -- weather-stripping and caulking. (This will also save a lot on the heating bill.) With humidity swings evened out, the cracks should minimize and can then be properly patched with fiberglass mesh and drywall compound that might now be able to withstand further wall movement.

Keywords: Cracks, Drywall, Humidity, Plaster

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