# Repairing drywall inside sunroom..cold cracking. W/ Pics



## J187 (May 19, 2006)

I have a 3/4 seasons Sunroom. It's heated, but too expensive to heat year-round. It was here when we bought. The drywall is cracking in various places since it gets so cold in there in the New England Winters. Clearly the tape is lifting in many places... it appears they seamed over the doorway. What is the best way to fix this to stop it from happening again? I'm very good with mudding, so I'm not really afraid of any kind of project.


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## ClarenceBauer (Mar 4, 2005)

I am not a drywall worker but have worked with the Gypsum products a lot & you have a moisture problem. Look up Hygrometric Expansion, Gypsum products will expand & contract in relation to their moisture content. What is the avg. humidity in the sunroom ?


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## mark sr (Jun 13, 2017)

Temperature changes don't affect drywall too much but humidity changes will.
The loose tape will need to be cut off, removed and replaced. You could just caulk the crack between the wall/ceiling.


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## Yodaman (Mar 9, 2015)

Probably moisture as noted above. But I wouldn't rule out foundation (piers used?) heave. Smetimes these 3 season rooms begin as a covered porch, and then get enclosed. Isn't necessarily problem, but if the addition is placed on small or shallow piers, frost heave may be moving things around on you.


Also, if your ceiling rafters/roof trusses are 2x6, you are likely underinsulated which can cause condensation and be the source of moisture.


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## J187 (May 19, 2006)

Thanks everyone. I think this room started as a deck. I'll repair the drywall seams and see if it happens again I suppose. I'll also put a hygrometer in there and monitor moisture.


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## finisher65 (Apr 7, 2019)

If it isn't climate controlled space it will continue to happen. It's not the proper application/conditions for drywall


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## mark sr (Jun 13, 2017)

I have a paint 'booth' in my barn that is drywalled and is not climate controlled. It's been up for 20+ yrs with no issues. It stays dry but sees temperature extremes [15°-90° yearly average]


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## finisher65 (Apr 7, 2019)

It doesn't work well around here. Possibly the combination of the temp & humidity. A lot of garages, sunrooms etc... tend to crack at most seams over time.


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## mark sr (Jun 13, 2017)

I've worked on quite a few garages where the tape came loose but it was almost always related to the fact that the drywall either wasn't painted at all or was poorly painted [cheap paint often no primer] If the drywall is properly primed and top coated with decent paint there shouldn't be any issues.


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## Yodaman (Mar 9, 2015)

J187 said:


> Thanks everyone. I think this room started as a deck. I'll repair the drywall seams and see if it happens again I suppose. I'll also put a hygrometer in there and monitor moisture.


I would guess some of your problems are small footings, since the room started as a deck. A room addition would likely be built on a full foundation, but decks are often built on piers. When you have a deck out back, no one notices much if the piers settle a little, or if they heave from frost and resettle some each year. But add in some drywall, that doesn't take kindly to movement, and you get cracks.
Some the tape lifting issues do appear to be moisture related. But when you see tape split in the corner, or drywall cracked in area that has no tape, then these are signs of movement or settling.


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