Drywall & Temperature

Durangomania

Once drywall has been installed, taped, finished and well dried/cured, what temperature ranges can it handle without getting damaged. Can a vacation home be allowed to sit with the heat off all winter in -30 degree F weather and then in summer to go 90 degrees F. Will the drywall be okay of will the seams crack or ?????

jim

alot depends on the structure itself. if the building expands and contracts, the drywall will crack. usually at the ceiling and wall or on large areas, big vaults, etc. i have been taping in minnesota for the last 15 years and unheated finished garages tend to crack on butts that are loose and not pre-filled and above headers. I always blame the integridy of the structure if there are problems! expansin joints eliminate most cracks. use magic corner on peaks of large vaults

bob16

Alot also depends on how fast those temp changes take place. The USG handbook sez that temps should not fall below 50 degrees once the place is hung so i would think that letting it get real cold would be bad news.

Custom Drywall Svc.

hell yes.

i have two custom homes right now that are major problems....these guys leave the house in 40 degree weather with fog, and when the house is cracking they want to blame my company for poor workmanship!

i finally had to get my mud representative AND structural engineer of this city to basically prove to these homeowners that it wasnt defective mud or poor workmanship, but cold, harsh conditions.

i tell any customer, i CANNOT guarantee a job unless it is framed in metal. period.

material for most houses are living and breathing, especially the lumber. homeowners dont understand this, always blaming the drywall guys. its the nature of the beast with our industry.....educate customers ahead of time about the dangers of not keeping their home in a constant temperature after the drywall is finished.

in fact, EVERYONE read this:

http://www.hamiltonmaterials.com/Cra...ngCracking.pdf


i am already going to start putting some of the language from this study into my proposals and contracts.

Custom Drywall Svc.

and this:

Drywall Cracking on a Global Scale - Archives - Walls and Ceilings