# Reoccuring drywall crack



## loehrm (Aug 8, 2010)

Hey guys, maybe someone can point me in the right direction.

I scraped the popcorn texture off of my living room ceiling (a cathedral ceiling).

The taping job originally done had failed where the wall meets the ceiling on the wall which is the exterior of the house. I refinished but two months later i have a big crack where the wall and ceiling meet. It looks like the ceiling has raised. All my research points to truss movement, but most of the reading indicates that this usually happens on the interior walls, not the exterior.

Any pointers on how to stop this?

Thanks!
RUel


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## bjbatlanta (Jul 16, 2008)

Cathedral ceilings are usually "stick framed", not trusses. Lumber "movement" could be the cause though as the framing of the vaulted wall is often a short wall stacked on top of the regular wall. More expansion and contraction than with longer studs going all the way to the deck. It could actually be the wall framing causing the issue instead of "truss lift" as you suspect. Not a lot I can recommend for a fix if it's a framing issue. I assume you used paper tape since it's an inside angle that's the problem. Mesh is not used in corners. "Flex" tape that is paper, reinforced with metal may help (HD and Lowes both carry it). And installing with setting compound won't hurt.


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## MnDrywallRanger (Mar 12, 2011)

loehrm said:


> Hey guys, maybe someone can point me in the right direction.
> 
> I scraped the popcorn texture off of my living room ceiling (a cathedral ceiling).
> 
> ...


Digging up an old thread...:001_unsure:...lol

bjbatlanta has some excellent input...

Me personally...I found that when working with *horizontal* inside offset angles I *never* use regular joint compound to put the material in with. There seems to be always too much movement caused by several factors.

I alway use a hard setting compound when applying either the metal backed roll-a-bead, vinyl straight flex, plastic inside flex bead, and others. I eventually adjusted to sticking with straightflex on my inside offset corners. Straightflex seems to be the hardest material there is for many tapers to learn how to use properly. But once learned and mastered, *in my opinion*, is the best material on the market for inside, offset corners for many, very specific and various reasons I could get into...

Anyways vinyl straightflex used in the peaks of a vaulted ceiling or where the vaulted ceiling meats the walls, or any other horizontal inside offset works excellent when put in place with a hard setting compound like USG tuffset or durabond. I never use regular joint compound to put in staightflex for *horizontal* offset angles as I have had to go back and fix way too many other tapers unfortunate cracks at these locations. Finish coat I use regular compound.

Vertical inside 45deg corners or other inside offset angles I haven't had any problem using regular compound to put in the straightflex.

The vinyl straightflex put in with tuffset or durabond holds the sheets together like there is not even a joint there....basically....lol


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