Drywall Cracks

As you start to research cracks around door frames, window frames, and the ceiling, you’ll start to see a variety of types of cracks. The question is, are they actually a foundational problem, or are they something you can deal with later?

For the most part, if these cracks are larger than just a hairline fracture, it’s time to contact JES for an inspection. That’s because drywall cracks can be a symptom of a foundational problem.

Uneven Settling

Most commonly, large drywall cracks come from uneven settling. How does uneven settling impact your home? It’s not just an aesthetic problem — the settling puts more pressure on one side of your house than the other, causing the cracks in the drywall.

The thing is, those cracks may start happening elsewhere. If the pressure in one place gets too high, you may even start to see other problems like bowing and gaps between the wall and the floor.

Although settling is something that happens to homes regardless of how you structure them, settling shouldn’t be extremely prominent. It also shouldn’t be uneven. A foundation repair expert from JES can let you know if that’s a problem you’re dealing with.

Improper Load Bearing

What if you’re having large drywall cracks because a specific area is bearing too much weight? This is another problem that can easily become very serious, and the drywall cracking is just a symptom of a larger problem.

In the absolute worst-case scenario, improper load-bearing, especially on a house with more than one story, can lead to the upper area literally falling into the lower area. That can cause serious damage to the home and even injury to family members.

If this is what’s causing the drywall cracks, you need to fix it as soon as possible. This is a serious structural problem that a JES foundation repair expert can help fix, but only if you request your free inspection.

Poor Installation 

Drywall cracks that happen due to poor installation can be just cosmetic. After all, sometimes that installation only impacts the way you see it. However, the poor installation of drywall also has implications for the rest of the house.

Think about it: if the construction workers poorly installed the drywall, what else did they poorly install? Can you really be confident in the pouring of the foundation or the structural integrity of your walls?

It’s true that you may only have to fix a few cosmetic issues, which you can sometimes do yourself. However, it’s a good idea to have a JES foundation repair expert come in and take a good look at the foundation problems.

Now that you understand a bit more about drywall cracks around door frames and windows, you should learn why these drywall cracks can form. Why do some cracks indicate a deeper problem while other cracks are only cosmetic?

The reason for these drywall cracks can certainly vary. These are the most common reasons you’ll run into drywall cracks in your home.

Excess Structural Pressure 

The walls in your home should be constructed such that the internal structure handles most of the pressure. Drywall is much more flimsy than the strong beams that make up the internal structure, so it shouldn’t be supporting all that weight.

However, if the construction planning is poor, that may be what’s happening. The walls might be holding up too much weight, or there may be too much weight on an upper floor, putting stress on the ceiling of the floor below it.

In this case, it’s important that an expert is able to divert some of the pressure elsewhere. A JES expert can put in fixes to avoid those pressure issues, ensuring that your drywall cracks don’t get worse.

Poorly Installed Drywall

Sometimes, the problem stems from the way the original crew installed the drywall. For example, some construction crews use drywall compound to create a textured ceiling, but that compound applied too thickly can start to crack as it dries.

You can also notice fewer superficial issues due to poorly installed drywall. These usually fall along the same lines as drywall that’s simply supporting too much weight.

This poor installation can cause problems whether it’s simply cosmetic or it’s actually structural in nature. Especially if the drywall cracks are relatively large, it’s a good idea to contact a JES expert to get more information about them.

Home Settling

This is one of the most common reasons for drywall cracks and other structural problems. As the years go by, your home is going to settle. That’s normal, and it’s not necessarily anything to worry about if it only happens a moderate amount.

Worries can arise, however, if your home settles too much. If you’re starting to notice uneven floors, drywall cracks, nail pops, and other problems, it could be that your home is settling too much due to a variety of structural problems.

These cracks can essentially showcase foundation problems that you haven’t noticed up until now. Although hairline cracks may not be a big deal, these more gaping cracks that are larger than an eighth of an inch should be addressed head-on.

You’ll most commonly run into three different types of drywall cracks. These types of cracks tend to spring up most commonly around residential areas. The one thing that ties these drywall issues together is that they’re all most commonly indicative of foundation problems.

If you’re starting to see drywall cracks, keep in mind the different types of cracks you’re starting to see. These are the most common types. 

Ceiling Cracks 

Ceiling cracks tend to spread out in a variety of different ways. A good way to determine whether the drywall cracking is a sign of a structural problem is to match them up to anything that’s recently happened in the building. For example, that may be a heavy addition in the story above or a leak that’s dripping through the ceiling.

If your ceiling cracks are bigger than around an eighth of an inch or they’re spreading out dramatically across the ceiling, you may be dealing with a structural issue. It’s also a problem if you’re starting to see cracks underneath a new addition in a second or higher story.

Door Cracks 

There’s a difference between a crack in a door and a crack happening around a door frame. You can often repair a crack in the wood of a door with no problems. However, if you’re starting to see cracks in the corners of your door frames, that often means there’s a structural problem.

When it comes to door cracks, you should always get in touch with an expert if you’re starting to see these problems. Even hairline cracks in these situations can become larger and more substantial. Door frame cracks almost exclusively come from foundation issues, so they’re important to combat now.

Cracking Around Window Frames 

As with door cracks, drywall cracking around your window frames is never a good thing. The drywall may crack in a direct line up from the window, which is more likely to just be a cosmetic problem. However, if you’re starting to see huge diagonal cracks extending from the corner of the window, that’s almost certainly a structural issue.

It’s possible that this could just be a cosmetic issue, but it’s almost always due to your home shifting and changing in some way. The best way to make sure you know whether this is a structural problem or just a cosmetic one is to schedule a free inspection from a JES expert.

Clearly, there are many reasons for drywall cracks. That means there are also many ways to fix it. If you want to fix structural issues behind the drywall cracks, you’re going to need to consult an expert to get the best information.

There are a few different ways that JES foundation repair experts can help you with your drywall cracking problem.

Underpinning 

Underpinning or piering is a method that allows a contractor to place strong struts or foundation piers underneath your foundation, holding it up against settling. In some circumstances, this can actually push it back up to where it was before it started settling.

This is especially useful if you don’t have serious settling problems that are causing your foundation to crack. If you do, it may be necessary to fix those problems before underpinning the foundation.

A JES foundation repair expert will be able to let you know if underpinning could fix your drywall cracking problems and your other foundation repair options. Get in contact today to learn more.

Crawl Space Encapsulation 

If you have a dirt crawl space, the moisture rising from the crawl space may actually be impacting your drywall. That humidity can change a lot in your home, including the way the drywall settles alongside the rest of your home.

Regardless of whether you’re having these drywall cracking problems, it’s extremely important that you encapsulate your crawl space. You need to make sure the moisture doesn’t cause problems like mold and mildew.

Anyone who does have a dirt crawl space should pursue crawl space encapsulation regardless of any potential problems they might be experiencing right now. JES can help you with your crawl space encapsulation needs.

Customized Fixes for Your Needs 

These are two of the most common fixes for drywall cracking, but they’re far from the only fixes. The only way you can know how to fix your drywall cracking issues is to get in contact with an expert who can help.

It’s important that you’re able to attain a customized fix that takes into account your individual case. That’s why JES offers free inspections to help you develop the right fix for your needs.

Regardless of what you end up needing to do, you want to rely on a professional for it. Drywall cracking is a very specific set of needs. Trust only the best to give you the answers you’re looking for.