Screw pops

muddermankc

Cant figure out why the mud is popping off our screws. Perfect little tab pops right off the head. Nobody wants to hear the "wood drying" excuse. Some houses its all over and some houses just a few. Always had a few on warranty work but now it seems they are there 2 weeks after the job is done. Thought maybe had bad pallet with oil on screws but still having the problem. Talked to a guy from another large company and he said they're having same problem. Its happened in every situation. big houses,little houses,with heat, no heat, summer, winter, 2 story, ranch ,with glue,no glue,dont do enough metal stud work to know if its a problem for them too. If not it makes me think it is the wood. Not every job does it but its too much already. This happens with different crews,different rock,. Dont ever see it on ceilings,if i do its usually in the basement and theyre popped from the floor guys dropping their hardwood bundles.Any one else having this?

Saul_Surfaces

out of curiosity, when you dig the pops out of the wall, do they show a perfect imprint of the screw face? that would at least prove they were fully filled in the first place

muddermankc

yes the perfect imprint is on it. Tried having the guys do 1st coat with ap even, the screws get 3 coats. weird

Wallers

They are not popping due to depth? I have been running in to that problem, trying to refine my rocker, I have gone through a few crews in the last year and I'm tired of it. I just want to "fix" this crew and keep them busy! They either have their guns set too deep, or were running into alot more framing issues, where the one stud is set back farther and the rock pulls away. Usually we find them when final sanding unfortunately, because the sander moves the rock, which "pops" the mud. Glue definitely cuts down on that! Use it everywhere there isn't vapor barrier!

Bevelation

Are the pops on exterior walls only, or are they anywhere?

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caseysbuilding

It sounds like you did everything right.

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muddermankc

its on exterior and interior,

Darren@Partners

Are you using a spotter or doing them by hand? We gave up on the spotter several years ago, but not for this reason.

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Al Taper

The rocker that hangs for me says that when the glue drys. It sucks the board up. And it make the screws pop.

taper71

We get alot of screw pops up here as well . When I run my gun I have to constantly keep adjusting it so the screws are set properly . Just when I think I got it the next screws are in too deep or not in deep enough. Even when banging in the misses it s like the board is just turns to mush and almost needs to be taped . I think part of the problem is the board is stalked into a not properly heated building and collects moisture softening it . Hanging becomes a pain then after the builders finally put the heat on everything dries out and you have lots of screw pops.

muddermankc

Im gonna contact the supplier and have a guy come out and check out a house thats popped. I know it probably wont help but i think its a big enough problem for us that they should atleast have it on their corporate minds. How do you guys fix your pops? Ive been just scraping the tab off, hittin it once with back of knife and spotting it. Did a warranty call yesterday and used 20 minute 1st coat and hit it again with regular mud.Still have 2 go back and sand,B.S. Shouldnt have to do this.Its almost the one time i feel for these homeowners. If i bought a 500,000 house and 2 monthes later i have 500 screw pops i would be pissed.If i was the painter i would be pissed. Most of these painters dont even charge us to repaint, i think they feel our pain.

Wallers

You have to push on the rock around it, and if the screw stays static, and the rock moves, you have to put another screw beside it AND pull it out. Otherwise it will pop again as soon as something hits the wall, or any jolt nearby. The damp rock explanation sounds pretty viable, I have had a few but been on VERY bad framing jobs also! I don't know if usg has had as many problems, I've been dealing with homeowners and "less expensive" rock.

d-rock

that sux. It could be a combination of soft rock and bowed framing. usually when that happens to me it's because of the framing. I always check the board while i'm going or after as I walk by. Wood framing sucks.

Titan Drywall

I think it has something to do with the glue and wet wood. I have had the same problem, and it has been getting worse over the past 5 years. One house had all the screws rise up. It was the first house for the builder and it was the last. I came in and fixed every screw. It seams to happen more in the winter. Now I can almost tell when a house is going to have that problem. When it has been raining and cold for long periods of time, and house got really wet when framing. I also feel like the glue has the same effect as wet wood. I feel that too much glue does not allow the board to pull tight to the stud. In the cold the glue is much stiffer and does not allow the screw gun to pull the rock down tight. You have to push on it really hard to get the rock to pull flush. The clutch on the screw gun thinks the board is pulled down, but it is not. There is a little gap between the rock and stud. I feel like it take 1-4 weeks for the glue to fully cure, depending on conditions like temp and moisture in the wood. I always thought that a contact adhesive would be better than and glob of glue. I have this problem no matter what hanger I use, and that has been 6 in the past 7 years. I think its a problem with our materials not how we are installing it. I dont have a degree in building science, just my 2 cents...I feel your pain FYI the funny thing is the screws are never lose, just pushed up enough for light to catch them. Just have to scrape them down and spot again.

D's

You guys gotta try foam adhesive. I use EnerFoam made by Dow. 1 can costs $17 and it will do almost an entire house. No need to screw the field, so no more pops. The adhesive maintains it's elasticity so it will allow for shifting/drying out of the structure. The foam gun makes perfect continuous beads- just squeeze the trigger.

Good luck,
D'S

Titan Drywall

D, yea the foam is a good idea, and in the long run cheaper. One can=9 glue tubes. I have tried the foam, but this is the problem. When you have a crew the guns dont last long. I have used the free gun that comes with 5 cases of foam and dropped 2 grand on the 250.00 guns. In about a month they are all gummed up and dont work. I dont think they are very well adapted to the drywall industry. Dust mixes with the foam on the thread head and you have problems. What we need is a disposable gun, good for only one day. just a plastic trigger with a straw. I have called DOW and talked to them about it, but it didnt light any fires. I guess there is too much money in selling the guns. Foam is the best, but it need to be for the real word. Also, you have to screw down just as fast as normal glue..it sets up fast in 90 degree temps.

D's

I bought the high end Pageris gun, $150, and all you need to do is make sure at the end of the day you run it for 10 seconds to clear any snots in it then just close the valve. I've kept mine like that for over thirty days and it started fine. True that it only takes leaving it one time and it's done. Some suppliers are now offering "gun clubs" where they replace a clogged gun for a small fee. It's definitely the chink in the armor.

D'S

Wallers

Wow spray foam? That's awesome! I'm going to check that out, but we don't screw the fields here when we glue. (and I'm not having the problems) That would make sense to me, especially if the glue is cold and doesn't want to squish down immediately! Try not screwing the field when you are using glue! It works. I occasionally bang on walls here and there and never find a loose one.

Titan Drywall

Wallers, If I didn't screw and glue the builders in this area would $hit-a-brick. Also, the life of drywall glue is about 30 years. Drywall glue in rubber based, and over time it will crystallize and loose its bond. I hope you are screwing lids..

compute

Back to the screw pops, after the drywall is hung but before taping is done are you maintaining a constant temperature? There's a lot of movement occurs when you have
drastic changes. Also, are you experiencing the same problem with different brands of
drywall? We have had runs of drywall that paper doesn't adhere to gypsum very well.