# Diagonal Bulging Crack



## raenedaz (Nov 25, 2019)

Not sure if this wall is plaster or drywall, but the home was built in 1956. 
Purchased last Feb, this crack showed up last month. Has not been mushy until last night, and just a little towards the top. The crack does run down the corner of the wall but shows no further separation. Bulge crack seems to be getting more pronounced, though.
We have had intermittent rain and sunny days (up to 60s) but mushiness appeared after 4 days of nice, dry weather. Ceiling and wall shows no water discoloration. The line of brown at the ceiling is prior owner's bad paint job. The cracked wall is an internal wall that runs along the floor beam and attaches to the external wall of the house.
I can't find any cracks like this on internet searches, so I'm floundering for why. Had 2 inspectors and 2 different contractors look at it, along with other cracking, and everyone has said it's fine beyond the foundation sinking due to water issues (working on fixing that) or floor needing stabilized. Depends on what they're trying to sell.:wink2:


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## 3onthetree (Dec 7, 2018)

That doesn't look like just a structural crack from a load moving down to the foundation. It looks like movement. Best thing is to cut out a larger square of the drywall and see what's going on with the top plate and wall framing there.


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## mark sr (Jun 13, 2017)

My eyesight isn't the best but that looks more like water damage than anything structural.


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## raenedaz (Nov 25, 2019)

Here's a new pic. Maybe you can see the weird lines heading south from the crack


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## finisher65 (Apr 7, 2019)

Cut out the loose/bulging area & that will help you determine the problem.


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## raenedaz (Nov 25, 2019)

And they are plaster. Just confirmed


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## ClarenceBauer (Mar 4, 2005)

Being it is Plaster I think "Mark" has it correct moisture has caused this problem. A warped stud or even a rotted stud in the corner. The angle crack also indicates structural movement. The crack in the corner also indicates structural movement. Best to open it up for an inspection.


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## raenedaz (Nov 25, 2019)

Ugh. I'm really new to this stuff but I think I'll watch for moisture this week as we have rain coming. 
The bulge was whatever the layers are that they put over it had pulled away from the wall material itself. Wall itself is fairly flush. Being built in 1956 and with our clay soil, movement is always expected, so no surprise there. 
Recommendations? I'm thinking watch for moisture, which I'm expecting to see some. Then further exploring to find how it's getting inside. Would I be wrong in thinking the dinghy area near the exterior wall means it's not likely it's coming it's from the roof, but the outside wall?


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## ClarenceBauer (Mar 4, 2005)

Question was the material that you removed to expose that crack soft & damp & did it have any tape over the crack? Also is the remaining exposed area hard at this time?


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## Nealtw (Jun 22, 2017)

water stain on ceiling??


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## raenedaz (Nov 25, 2019)

The removed material was not soft nor damp. Felt mushy before because of gap between interior portion. Interior wall feels dry. We've had 4 days of sunny 60 degree weather, but forecast shows rain through Thanksgiving weekend. Perfect timing for me to be home to monitor it. If I can get home before dark tomorrow, I'm going to try to figure if there's any tiny holes on exterior side that may be allowing water. Otherwise, it's possible it's old issue, but does not make sense to me that delamination(?) Occurred almost a year after me moving in. 
The noted brown line along the ceiling is actually the previous owner's horrible painting job. Walls were a burnt orange and I hadn't gotten to repainting ceiling before cracks developed. 
Definitely have more googling to do concerning plaster walls.


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## Nealtw (Jun 22, 2017)

stains???


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## ClarenceBauer (Mar 4, 2005)

raenedaz said:


> The removed material was not soft nor damp. Felt mushy before because of gap between interior portion. Interior wall feels dry. We've had 4 days of sunny 60 degree weather, but forecast shows rain through Thanksgiving weekend. Perfect timing for me to be home to monitor it. If I can get home before dark tomorrow, I'm going to try to figure if there's any tiny holes on exterior side that may be allowing water. Otherwise, it's possible it's old issue, but does not make sense to me that delamination(?) Occurred almost a year after me moving in.
> The noted brown line along the ceiling is actually the previous owner's horrible painting job. Walls were a burnt orange and I hadn't gotten to repainting ceiling before cracks developed.
> Definitely have more googling to do concerning plaster walls.


With the above information I would say that Joint Compound was used over the crack as a repair. Joint Compound & plaster are like a positive & negative magnate & oppose each other under high moisture migration. the crack would allow a larger amount of moisture to pass thru causing the compound to separate from the plaster finish. Take a match flame & put in up to the crack & see which way the smoke travels this will give you an idea of how much air is passing through that crack. You did not indicate what your location was. Lets say the out side temp. was hot & you had A/C to cool the interior than the Hot air migrating through the crack when cooled would produce moisture that was trapped in the Joint Compound. Also Plaster can & will hold moisture with very little affect on the Plaster but it can not take exposure to water in your case water would have caused the White coat of finish Plaster to turn fuzzy & delaminate from the Base coat Plaster I don't see that in the photo & you stated it is hard. For repair open the crack & repair using a Plaster (gypsum) product.


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## raenedaz (Nov 25, 2019)

Neal, No stains. That area must be lighting on the pic.


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## raenedaz (Nov 25, 2019)

ClarenceBauer. Thank you. I don't see a change in flame at all when I do that. Drywall over plaster makes sense to what I'm seeing vs what I've read about plaster walls. If it shows no signs of moisture with the upcoming rains, should I be safe sealing the plaster crack then fixing Wall? The rest of the Wall looks the same finish, drywall over plaster. Will a gypsum repair hold to the drywall edges of the patch job or would a good joint compound job do the trick? Knowledge seems to be the power needed to conquer these old home repairs.


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## FrodoOne (Mar 4, 2016)

raenedaz said:


> ClarenceBauer.. Will a gypsum repair hold to the drywall edges of the patch job or would a good joint compound job do the trick? Knowledge seems to be the power needed to conquer these old home repairs.





ClarenceBauer said:


> Joint Compound & plaster are like a positive & negative magnate & oppose each other under high moisture migration. the crack would allow a larger amount of moisture to pass thru causing the compound to separate from the plaster finish..


.....


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## ClarenceBauer (Mar 4, 2005)

In reference to FrodoOne question some Gypsum products will adhere to drywall products. Setting compounds contain Gypsum.
What kind of patch do you reference drywall to Plaster?


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## huesmann (Aug 18, 2011)

mark sr said:


> My eyesight isn't the best but that looks more like water damage than anything structural.


The discoloration at the edge tells me it's likely moisture.


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## raenedaz (Nov 25, 2019)

ClarenceBauer said:


> In reference to FrodoOne question some Gypsum products will adhere to drywall products. Setting compounds contain Gypsum.
> What kind of patch do you reference drywall to Plaster?


I'm not sure yet. Not sure if layers of joint compound alone would adhere to the plaster. If it has to adhere to the surrounding beyond the patch, that's all drywall over plaster, so I need something that's going to not only adhere to the plaster in the patch area, but also the drywall at the edges of the patch. Correct?


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## ClarenceBauer (Mar 4, 2005)

raenedaz said:


> I'm not sure yet. Not sure if layers of joint compound alone would adhere to the plaster. If it has to adhere to the surrounding beyond the patch, that's all drywall over plaster, so I need something that's going to not only adhere to the plaster in the patch area, but also the drywall at the edges of the patch. Correct?


Ok so you have drywall that meets with plaster & they are on the same plane correct?
If the above is correct than were the drywall meets the plaster you can use a setting compound to join the two. Than use a gypsum & Lime based finish over the area.
What general location are you in?


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## raenedaz (Nov 25, 2019)

ClarenceBauer said:


> raenedaz said:
> 
> 
> > I'm not sure yet. Not sure if layers of joint compound alone would adhere to the plaster. If it has to adhere to the surrounding beyond the patch, that's all drywall over plaster, so I need something that's going to not only adhere to the plaster in the patch area, but also the drywall at the edges of the patch. Correct?
> ...



Southern MO. Yes, it would seem the majority of my walls are like this as I investigated others last night. 
What general location are you in?


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## ClarenceBauer (Mar 4, 2005)

Question do you have Drywall panels over the Plaster or is it Drywall finishing product over the Plaster?


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## raenedaz (Nov 25, 2019)

ClarenceBauer said:


> Question do you have Drywall panels over the Plaster or is it Drywall finishing product over the Plaster?



I'm not sure what prior owners put in. I'm going to have to take some larger pieces and investigate further before I repair. It does not feel like drywall, but I've only hung newly built drywall walls before. 
Trips to various hardware stores should help me match it up.


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## ClarenceBauer (Mar 4, 2005)

raenedaz said:


> I'm not sure what prior owners put in. I'm going to have to take some larger pieces and investigate further before I repair. It does not feel like drywall, but I've only hung newly built drywall walls before.
> Trips to various hardware stores should help me match it up.


I am located in Charleston, SC
It maybe easy to determine the wall make up by removing the switch covers & looking @ the thickness & material used.


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