Shrinkage!

dkillianjr

Heys guys, I am doing a bathroom remodel at a house that I did a kitchen at about 4 years ago. I was in the kitchen and noticed a lot of shrinkage on everything. Trim miters, counters that were scribed to the wall, and caulking and stuff like that. I do a lot of repeat work for customers, I have noticed this at a couple other houses too, thing like cracked interior caulking only 3 months old. What gives? Should I do a one year check up or something? Do you guys notice these problems at all?


Dave

neolitic

Miters get glued, and inside corners
get coped for that very reason.
They don't open up.
Caulking failures,
that's a whole book!

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kevjob

biscuit join everything it will never seperate!

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Basement Finishing Highlands Ranch Colorado
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philner

There's nothing like quality caulk. I do do a 1 year check up on most of my past jobs(unless they were jerks). I don't mention it beforehand. I just call them when I have time,Schedule it,ask if there's anything they definately know is wrong so I can bring the stock( compound for screw pops for example) While it's not a sales call, I would estimate I walk away with a new job on 75% of the inspections,and the name/face reminder helps the referals too. My best customers always seem hesitant to call and complain (like your " Shrinkage" customer) and those are the ones I most want to keep happy. Phil

Dustball

Yep. For me it was when the cabinets and countertops were installed last Sept in an unconditioned house with the temps in the upper 80's, low 90's with dew points in the 60's. Went back earlier this week and the countertops receded from the walls a good 3/16-1/4". Humidity level was pretty much at 10-15% or so due to the house not having a humidifier so the wood shrunk.

dkillianjr

Yup I deffinetly like the one year check up idea, hopefully I will remember lol . As for the trim joints, I always cope everything, it just seems to be the crown and casing joints opening, but yes a lot of them are not glued I guess I gonna have to start doing that religiously. And as for caulk I am using dynaflex by DAP or silicone, in the past though I used alex plus by DAP. I like the biscuits, maybe with a little gravy The funny thing is while I am working at this house the customers work all day so I have the house to myself so I am fixing the couple little things I noticed in the kitchen, but the funny part is I am probly the only one who ever will notice What kind of caulkings are you guys using?


Dave

woodmagman

You can check on it every year, even with the best jointery in the world, things are going to change. Structures do not fail because you build them poorly, they fail because that is inevitable. I can not think of a better structure then the human body, and it has a vey short life span in my book.

Tscarborough

I thought this thread was about the cold weather and, er, um, you know.

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neolitic

I've had very good experience with
PolySeamSeal.
Excellent mildew resistance in bathrooms,
and good around counter tops too.
Kind of limited color choices though.

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Patrick

I really like the 1 year check back thing. I bet I could get a few jobs from it.

dkillianjr

Thats what I was thinking as I typed the title or that one seinfeld episode when george was in that cold pool if anyone saw it. Woodmagman, I know I know lol I am just a perfectionist weirdo I have seen that polyseamseal around I will have to give it a try. You guys every use that Geocel caulking for outside stuff ? Its probly some of the best stuff in my opinion, just a little hard to work with, a little sticky, but it does stick good and I have never had any crack, but also it does stay shiny when it dries.


Dave

Michaeljp86

Get your head out of the gutter, we are talking about what happens when your wood shrinks. some peoples kids

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neolitic

He was talking about "when your wood shrinks" too Michael!

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wackman

You beat me to it!

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john elliott

Many materials, and all wood based ones, shrink when they dry out. Materials purchased from timberyards etc are kept in conditions which are never as dry as are found inside a heated house. I hate using mitres because they are often where this sort of shrinkage shows up first, and especially on small sections even good glue may not hold some mitres closed.

Where possible I try to acclimatise my materials before cutting, but I recognise that this is not always possible. I certainly try to keep my workshop and materials storage area as warm and as dry as I can

John

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philner

Heh, Heh, Heh, Heh,...He said "wood"....Heh, Heh, Heh, Heh

Beavis

NC-SC, GC

two things came to mind, I had previously had a similar issue, it seems that cheap caulk will ruin the perfect job, I also switched interior trim suppliers, the one I was using had most of their trim in an outbuilding that had was one of those steel span buildings, I noticed a few times that the trim had some mold or some type of fungus growing on it, I made my decision at that time that one I refused to introduce mold into a valued customers house and two the moisture content was making my projects look bad later down the road. I changed out a bunch of trim just to save my rep, a few times the customer was so impressed they turned me onto additional work or a solid referral.

Floordude

It is just wood, doing what wood does, swell & shrink. the only thing to stop wood from shrinking and swelling, is keeping it at a constant moisture content.

Framing a home, the wood is allowed to gain moisture. Home are built tight these days compared to just 10-20 years ago. HVAC systems can dry "wet wood" shrinking it. Wood acclimation, to the drier conditions, in a occupied home, and then maintaining that moisture content with humidity control, will eliminate the craking from shrinking, you see.

In todays fast paced construction, do you have time to let wood acclimate, or does it come straight off the truck, into an unconditioned construction site, closed up tight creating a green house, till the HVAC system is up and running?? Can you see the shrinkage??? I can from my house!!!

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