Ceiling Crack in Marriage Line of Double-Wide
Hello, I currently have a double- wide manufactured home and I started noticicing cracking in the ceiling at the marriage line. I purchased this home about 2 years ago and it looks as if one of the previous owners just shot a whole lot of caulking in the center of the rooms ceiling where the 2 halves of the house meet and just painted over it. From my research I understand that manufactured homes have a slight tendency to have these type of issued due to the house just settling. It Is only happening in this one room other than that no I don’t believe it is a structural foundation issue where the whole house is about to collapse. So I have cut away all that caulking and my plan was to maybe use some spray foam designed for windows and doors so that it filling the gap but won’t expand and cause bowing. Shave away any excess foam and then just taping it and mudding it over. The crack it happen at the pitching it’d just like an inside corner. I would say the gap now that I have cut away the caulking is about an inch. Am I ok with this course of action? My manufactured home doesnt have an attic and I just want to make sure that I also don’t mess up with thehouse being able to breathe throughout the year. I live in central texas. Dry heat 3/4 of the year. Thanks
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Replies
Related question - is there a way to make this joint/crack flexible so that it can withstand seasonal movement, or additional settling if that's the case? We have a ceiling intersection at about 25 degrees that gets crushed together so that the drywall cracks and breaks off in chunks. It's happened several times since we moved in a few years ago. If I could cut back the drywall so there's a 1/4" or so gap and then come up with a flexible gap filler I think it'd solve the problem, but not sure how to do this so that it looks finished. Backer rod + caulk?
An acoustical sealant that always moves maybe something like Tremco Dymonic 100 might work.
Trying 2save,
Not sure if this product will work in your particular situation. Opening the gap enough to slip on the edge could be the trickiest part.
If the give and take of the joint is a humidity related you might want to think about what is going on above the ceiling. I have seen truss movement dislodge drywall screws to an alarming degree. Checking for ventilation conditions above might be worth it.
@ Roger, that's an interesting product. In my case it's an external corner, 25 degrees. Have to think about whether or not that deflection bead could be rigged to be used on an external corner.
When dealing with gaps and seasonal movement just as important as the caulk is proper prep. You need to cut an even gap between the two section and fill the section with the correct sized backer rod:
http://info.coastalone.com/blog/how-to-choose-the-correct-backer-rod
Once the backer rod is in place, seal with a paintable high stretch caulk. You don't want acoustical caulking as it is a mastic that never hardens and it will stain everything, impossible to finish over it.
Something like Sashco Big Stretch is a good one but with proper install any paintable stretchy caulk your local stores carry will work just as well. Important part is the prep, without that the joint will crack again.
Have you inspected the foundation for unusual settlement?
Trim-tex also makes an inside corner version of the deflection/expansion bead that might be more applicable:
https://www.trim-tex.com/products/overview/corner-beads/standard-corner-beads/magic-corner-expansion-bead/