Do cracks in my walls indicate a structural problem? -Rachel Most small cracks in drywall or plaster walls are not serious and are caused by seasonal expansion and contraction of the wood framing in your house over time. They’re often found at the corners of window and door frames, and can be patched using spackling or joint compound. Larger cracks in your walls, however, can indicate structural or foundation problems. If the cracks in your walls exhibit these characteristics:.
The crack has a 3/16” or wider gap. One side of the wall is higher than the other. Your doors no longer close in the frame. You may have a structural problem and should have your house examined by a foundation specialist.
Study the direction of the crack to determine its seriousness. Vertical and diagonal cracks in concrete walls typically indicate foundation movement. If a vertical crack widens at the top or bottom, the wall is either settling or gradually heaving, which may present serious issues. Stair-step cracks may also signify heaving. What could have caused these cracks. And turning a square into a parallelogram means stretching one diagonal and. Do vertical cracks in old plaster wall along.
Watch this video to find out more. Further Information. (video). (video). (video). (article). Rachel Asks: I’m seeing a lot of small cracks in my walls.
Do I have a structural problem? Danny Lipford: It’s very unlikely that those small, hairline cracks that you see on the walls in your home, maybe above doors and windows, are actual structural problems. It’s usually just a little thermal expansion that can be repaired very easily by just using a little lightweight spackling. But the type of crack you really need to be concerned with are those that are little wider than that, maybe three-sixteenth of an inch or more, and where one side of the crack is not level with the other side of the crack. That can indicate some active structural movement. Also, if you have any doors in your home that don’t fit the jams quite as well as they used to, another tell-tale sign.
Either of those situations you need to call out a foundation specialist and allow them to look very closely at that area of your home. I just elevated my home due to super storm sandy and onceI was able to get in the house we noticed the bathroom door came off its hinges and that the tub also moved, kitchen counters moved out about 1/4 inch. There are many cracks throughout the house which is over 100 years old but was just totally redone after hurricane Sandy. My home lifter and contractor say its nothing but I had a roofing and siding contractor in and he suggested i get a structural engineer due to the rather large new crack in the kitchen ceiling which he said was not water damage more stress related. Any advice would be greatly appreciated I just spent alot of money on a foundation and lift to put this house back together. Thanks.
Cheryl Says. New house built only 10 months old. Exterior outside my house near the bedroom window has a long line crack that goes straight down from the corner of the window then makes a line turning left then goes back down. I have the same problem outside in my backroom window.
Please advice, My carpet in my bdrm window is wet like if I had spilled something and the baseboard on the top edge looks like its unglued with bits of the paint on top of the baseboard separting from the wall. We just had hurricane Irma when I noticed this issue.
Averil Hislop Says. My house was built in 1953 and a small one room addition was built in 2009. We’ve lived here for one year and after a few months of denial; I’m ready to admit we have significant cracks in the wall of our addition. It must’ve been built on a slab (no crawl space).
The cracks are mostly on one wall, they are vertical and horizontal. The widest cracks are in line with a window frame.
The corner of the room (shown in the picture) is cracked from the floor to ceiling. There is one vertical crack on an adjacent wall.
Sewer line was replaced just under addition prior to move in. Sewer guy claims he only removed dirt outside of the house, so a guy could get down in the hole. From there they supposedly pushed a 3″ pipe through a 4″ pipe and didn’t excavate dirt from under the house.
Wonder if the lack of packing dirt outside the house is causing this? Is my addition falling off?. Jessica Says. The interior door from garage to kitchen won’t latch when it rains a lot. A very thin crack appears from corner of door frame to ceiling (about 9 inches long)on garage side of wall appears. Once things dry out, it disappears and my door latches fine. I wonder if it could be a serious foundation problem.
There are no cracks on the outside of the house walls and none in the foundation. We live in South Central Texas and it’s either feast or famine when it comes to rain. We had an exceedingly wet spring. Now it is June and things are dry.
Linda. Trish Says.
Hi, Every summer in one corner of my bedroom a knocking sound occurs in the wall cavity and then wakes me earlier and earlier, eventually coinciding with the sun coming up – so for about 3 months the knocking starts at about 5.30am. I can almost pinpoint it. It carries on during the day with less frequency and then as the house cools it starts up again but not quite as bad. I have to move into my guest room for that period of time. This sound then stops after about 3 months despite temperatures still being in the 30’s (Centigrade that is) – heat soaked? It is a tiled roof and there are no pipes or anything like that in that corner of the bedroom and nowhere near any plumbing.
There is movement in that corner in that there has been cracking and then severe cracking, all of which has been fixed (3 times)but cracks have reappeared, not severe though. What could it possibly be???
The house is 6 years old. I bought it when it was 3 years old and immediately had solar panels put on.
18 months later the knocking sound started. So for 2 summers this noise has been going on. I would be so grateful if anyone has ever heard of anything like this. Remember, it is a knocking sound, not creaking, metallic, cracking or clanging. Do I have to knock a great big hole in the wall?
Trish. Tshenolo Says. Ok, ranch home facing west, built in 1959. Furnace/laundry room, facing west, front/side of home.
Hot water tank, washer and chimney in room.no clothes dryer. 7 yrs ago, plaster walls cracked,peeled and blistered. Chimney contractor installed new flash and came back 3 times to other repairs until nothing else he could do. Mind you, inside walls plaster cracked,peeled and blistered. The furnace,chimney, water tank and vents wall and entrance wall are two walls effected. Mostly cracks on wall at ceiling, peels and blisters. Few blisters started 4 to 6 inches from ceiling.
After chimney repair, walls replastered. Fixed until 3 years ago, same problem with same walls. Roof repaired,new windows on outside walls. Did not repair walls yet and seems walls are getting worse what in the world causes plaster inside walls at ceiling to crack, peel open and blister????
Now there is a crack in the bathroom wall at ceiling, which hasnt been used in years. Can a pipe in the wall do it? Furnace room hot and cold? Mystery water leak? Poorly mixed plaster? We dont want to fix the walls until we know the source. Roof guy said not the roof.
Chimney guy says not that. Handyman said condensation from pipe in wall,contrater didnt know.HELP!!! A 94 yr old NANA owns and lives in the house and would like it fixed. What should we do?
Foundation Cracks
Thank you. krna Says. I got a kind of crack in my ceiling which appeared after a earthquake and in the walls, also, which both are plastered. Is it due to earthquake damaging structure of building?
Diagonal Crack In Plaster Wall Decor
We want to hear from you! In addition to posting comments on articles and videos, you can also send your comments and questions to us on our or at (800) 946-4420. While we can't answer them all, we may use your question on our Today's Homeowner radio or TV show, or online at todayshomeowner.com. Name (required) Email (will not be published) (required) Do Cracks in Walls Indicate a Structural Problem?
. Two types of cracks are found on surface of plaster i.e. Crack with hollow sound in plaster. Crack with no hollow sound in plaster. Hollow sound can be checked. Diagonal Cracks Over Doorways: Question: Hi, I recently purchased a house, and within the first month, I've noticed diagonal cracks appearing in the sheetrock in the. Other issues that cause cracking issues in plaster can be brought on by improper installation of lath, improper mixing.
It is normal for plaster to crack from movement and stress, especially in a new home. Diagonal Cracks In Exterior Stucco. I bought a new home 6 months ago and just recently I started noticing cracks in my drywall. They are all in the corners of rooms. Almost all the corners of my house.
In the majority of cases small, hairline cracks in walls, ceilings and plaster can be. Horizontal cracks (including diagonal or stepped) – Usually appear along the. Is removed and cleaned and the brickwork is then replaced with new mortar. What really freaked me out was when new ones started to appear. Diagonal plaster cracks are so bad because they are usually an indication.
In case of framed structure roof slab, beams, and columns move jointly, causing diagonal cracks in walls which are generally parallel to the movement and horizontal. Guide to Methods amp Types of Plaster Ceiling amp Wall Covering Systems in buildings. Photo Guide to Types Interior Plaster: split wood lath, sawn wood lath, expanded. Instructions. Below, the AsktheBuilder videos are sorted by category. All videos dealing with Outdoor Projects are grouped under that heading.
Some videos may appear. Drywall cracks in ceilings or walls: This article describes the common causes of all types of cracks that appear in drywall or gypsum board or plasterboard walls. I think the cracks were formed when they installed the new windows. Appearing as diagonal lines in a wall, stress cracks usually start at a. Understanding cracks in your house. Take 15 minutes to walk through any house and the chances are good that you will find several cracks in the inside and outside.
Been noticing a lot of cracking in my plaster walls so far this winter, particularly with some rapid temp. I'm most concerned about diagonal cracks appearing in my plaster walls spreading out in two or three places from a large window in our living room. If this IS normal for my. Most small cracks in drywall or plaster walls are not serious and are caused. Same problem with same walls. Roof repaired,new windows on outside walls. Hairline cracks in new plaster In my home (includes DIY) MoneySaving.
At least one diagonal follows an imbedded central heating pipe. Feb 19, 2011.
Ie New small internal wall put up - crack appeared where it joins. One of the ceilings - cracks outlining ceiling plasterboard - needs replastering?
The only worrying crack for me is there is one coming down diagonally on an. Apr 5, 2016. Find out why this happens and how you can fix cracks in plaster. Once started, however, the crack may travel diagonally to accommodate the. These sound like plaster cracks to me,thin and lots of them all over, so probably more to do with new plaster/moisture/temperature issues. The skirting boards had cracks even the cracks had cracks, vertical, horizontal and diagonal, im sure.