Cathedral Ceiling Ridge Cracks

Tinstaafl

I spent a few years working for a GC who usually had his own guys do the drywall. One recurring problem I saw was that on a large percentage of the cathedral ceilings we did (new additions), the seam under the ridge beam would crack a few weeks or months after completion. Sometimes a single repair would take care of it; sometimes not.

I've been on my own for a while now, and the luck of the draw hasn't landed me one of those jobs yet--but I know it's coming sooner or later. What's the "proper" way to hang those top courses in order to avoid that happening?

woodmagman

I glue the seam with PL premium, let it dry and then use a heavy vinyl reinforced tape. it looks like regualr paper tape on thicker and a little wider. Our supplier carrie's it on a regular bases, not sure who manufactures it!

genecarp

That crack is difficult to avoid, we inform clients that it will happen, and after it does, we make the appropriate repair. the other option we offer is a special bead that gets installed by my rockers. it gives the joint a different appearance, but allows for movement. nothing else i have seen or heard of has worked. there are to many factors that contribute to this crack. building movement, wood drying, etc....

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Tinstaafl

I've poked around a couple of drywall supply sites, and ran across a couple of extra-wide tapes they claim are good for this application. One of them is actually two strips of paper-backed metal.

Didn't run across this. I'll have to keep looking, I guess. On a few occasions I've been able to talk the client into using a stained or painted 1x up there to accomplish the same thing. That also helps with providing a horizontal surface for mounting lights and ceiling fans.

Does anyone recommend using a modified fastener pattern, leaving the adjoining edges loose from the framing so they can flex with each other rather than pulling apart? That's something I've read about for other situations, but never actually tried.

Brocktologist

Haven't had a cathedral crack in over ten years! Hmm, I wonder why???

AtlanticWBConst

Regardless of how wonderful you feel your drywall talent is, the fact of the matters is that, the causes are as genecarp stated. Cathedrals and potential cracking are a crap shoot. The common cracking has very little to do with the way it is sheetrocked. It's about the wood framing.

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Tinstaafl

Maybe because you've been too busy pretending to be a pro on the internet to actually do any?

Just kidding. If you have a secret, I'd be tickled if you shared. You certainly have the right not to, but then why bother to hang out here? Just to leech? :

As has been said, all buildings flex and shift. It takes cooperation and communication between the trades to allow for such things while creating a good product. That's where these forums shine.

Tim0282

I think Trim Tex makes the bead the rockers install. It looks kinda funny after finished. The flex tapes help. Making sure the framing is correct sure helps. Those spots are probably the weakest in the house. so they crack, usually.

woodmagman

Here is a product http://www.phillipsmfg.com/products/vbt/expansion_j.htm

Brocktologist

Yep, just come here to leach.
If you have searched and looked around the drywall section you would have read different methods to keep the ridge from cracking. Anyhow my favorite looks funny at first but it's better than cracking.
http://www.trim-tex.com/catalog/expbeads.htm

Brocktologist

That is really for long straight commercial walls and not sure if that'll work in a cathedral.

Brocktologist

What are you guy's using on the bottom of the cathedral where it turns into a ceiling? (You know, the metal off-angle/120 bead)
I've been using the metal backed paper bead but it's hard to get a straight line with it and I've been afraid to use metal and have it crack.

Frankawitz

I had a customer a few years back, they had cathedral ceilings but it had two seams running down to the corners on one side of the room. She had three other companies come in and fix this crack, I used a product called StraightFlex fiber tape, and use Durabond 90(brown bag) two coats and finish with topping. should be good. I haven't heard from her so I guess it's still holding up. Good luck

www.frankawitz.net

IBEX Drywall

Yes, this is the sure-fire way to do it. Glue and a wide vinyl tape product (straight-flex, no coat, etc)

Tinstaafl

Aha! Yes, both the Trim-Tex and Phillips products look like they'd eliminate this particular source of callbacks. They also look odd enough that they might eliminate a call for the next job from a picky owner. <g>

Still, another trick in the toolbag. Thanks, guys!

Gene450

Use latex caulk in it
Not joint compound

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Tinstaafl

Hey, me too.

I did do some rudimentary searching, but came up blank. Thanks for the link; apologies for the pricklies.

woodmagman

There is a removable strip that I think will allow it to form to the slope. I have seen this product used on the underside of a hip, if not this exact one then one very similar.

oldrivers

yep, ive seen 5/8ths sheetrock ripped right in in half long ways because some of the framing pulled apart slightly never break on a seam or on a beam or where framing meets if you can help it. but even so the rock can still compress or stretch apart. one reason you almost always see nail pops and seems in older stairways settling compression the joint pushes outward.

brutus17

the cracks will appear many months after drywall has been finished and painted.... therefore, it is a framing expansion or settlement issue... i have never seen it happen in commercial work, because most framing is metal... no expansion.....