# Semi-circular crack in drywall near ceiling



## ct78 (Mar 15, 2011)

Hi,

I just bought our first house and were trying to understand the severity of some cracks that we noticed in the house. The house was build in 2003 and is located in the N Texas region. We have heard of expansive soils here and got an engineer to do a foundation inspection before we purchased the house. Other than some minor uplift (0.5in) in one corner, the foundation was almost completely level. The engineer said that he wouldn't be too worried about that given the age of the house and the soil type.

Now, about the cracks:

1. We noticed several hairline cracks that are vertical and almost always occur at corners where two drywalls meet. I believe these are most likely due to a bad taping job/age and shouldn't be too much of a concern. Except for 2 somewhat large cracks, most of the others are small enough that you have to be quite close to even notice them. 

2. This is one that concerns us: we noticed two semi circular cracks at the intersection of the drywall and ceiling. The house has 2 levels, and this these cracks occur on the first floor. The width is about 3 in (see attached photo). 

Any thoughts on the above and procedures for fixes (particularly for #2) will be most appreciated.

Chet


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## MnDrywallRanger (Mar 12, 2011)

ct78 said:


> Hi,
> 
> I just bought our first house and were trying to understand the severity of some cracks that we noticed in the house. The house was build in 2003 and is located in the N Texas region. We have heard of expansive soils here and got an engineer to do a foundation inspection before we purchased the house. Other than some minor uplift (0.5in) in one corner, the foundation was almost completely level. The engineer said that he wouldn't be too worried about that given the age of the house and the soil type.
> 
> ...


Hairline cracks in the vertical inside corners are the most common types of cracks that occur in both drywall and plaster houses....and the easiest to fix. 

The causes that are common can be:
*A little too much paint buildup and the surface dried first and then when the under buildup of paint dried and shrank it caused the dry surface crack.
*A little too much joint compound buildup and the surface of the mud dried first and the under buildup of mud dried and shrank causing the surface crack.
*When the new lumber completely dried in the new home, the studs on each side of the corner may have seperated ever so slightly during the drying process. 
*The new home may have settled ever so slightly causing the cracks.
Etc, the list of reasons for cracks can go on and on...

The inside corner cracks are an easy fix by simply running a small bead of painters caulk right up the corner and wipe it out.



ct78 said:


> 2. This is one that concerns us: we noticed two semi circular cracks at the intersection of the drywall and ceiling. The house has 2 levels, and this these cracks occur on the first floor. The width is about 3 in (see attached photo).
> 
> Any thoughts on the above and procedures for fixes (particularly for #2) will be most appreciated.
> 
> Chet


These appear to be caused by water damage but cannot be certain unless I could take a closer look. Water leaks can travel along wall studs, floor joists, celing rafters etc and cause damage far from where the actual leak is coming in sometimes. Is there a window above these circular patches that may need to be sealed?


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## ct78 (Mar 15, 2011)

MnDrywallRanger said:


> These appear to be caused by water damage but cannot be certain unless I could take a closer look. Water leaks can travel along wall studs, floor joists, celing rafters etc and cause damage far from where the actual leak is coming in sometimes. Is there a window above these circular patches that may need to be sealed?


Thanks very much for your response. We don't have windows near the two patches, but we do have our two bathrooms that are overhead. I could try to take a close up of the cracks if that would help.

Thanks again!

Chet


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