# butt joints cracking



## Ultros (Dec 27, 2014)

Hey guys. So im working on a nordstroms store. 200' wall roughly 20' high. 
No expansion joints. I have 2 butt joints cracking right above big 14' opening. Prefill everything with hot mud. Paper taper. Allowed proper drying time. Big bossman comes up and tells me I didnt pack enough hot mud in butt.
As far as im concerned, its because we have a 200' long wall with no expansion joint. There are a dozen lifts on this floor. When ever a lift drives over something, you can feel the whole floor shakes. 
Now, honestly. Is there any chance that the damn thing isnt prefilled enough?


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## endo_alley (Nov 2, 2013)

Ultros said:


> Hey guys. So im working on a nordstroms store. 200' wall roughly 20' high.
> No expansion joints. I have 2 butt joints cracking right above big 14' opening. Prefill everything with hot mud. Paper taper. Allowed proper drying time. Big bossman comes up and tells me I didnt pack enough hot mud in butt.
> As far as im concerned, its because we have a 200' long wall with no expansion joint. There are a dozen lifts on this floor. When ever a lift drives over something, you can feel the whole floor shakes.
> Now, honestly. Is there any chance that the damn thing isnt prefilled enough?


 It might not have been bad to use R.C. on this ceiling to isolate the ceiling a little from the structure. Maybe cut out the bad tape, re tape it with paper, and go over the joint with EIFS detail mesh. Cross your fingers just for luck (as Commander Cody put it). But no matter what fix you try, drywall isn't really a structural element.


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## Ultros (Dec 27, 2014)

This is on a wall. Right above opening for a door/walkway. I sanded it to hell. Tape was still in tact and installed correctly. Board wasnt secure. I could push on it and it moved a bit. Threw in a few screws. "Packed" in some 90 waiting for that to dry now.


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## mld (Jul 2, 2012)

With a wall that long there is no way it won't crack. The drywall itself will shrink and swell enough to rip that open no matter how it is finished. If you secure the seam enough to keep it from cracking the board itself will crack. Expansion joints are the only answer.


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## Corey The Taper (Mar 18, 2014)

I did a weight watchers 2 years ago and it needed an expansion joint maybe even 2 I forgot but it was only 60 feet. kind of pushing it with the 200 foot wall. Im pretty sure you can still add one if you just router an opening. If they dont like the look of the expansion joint then tell them to deal with the cracks just print out some info im sure you can just google it


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## gazman (Apr 29, 2011)

What Mld said.:yes:


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## Ultros (Dec 27, 2014)

Thats what I was saying.. turns out the bossman was just annoyed it was happening. Apparently he fought to have expansions put in, but customer didnt want it. 
Sure did piss me off a bit though. A guy doesnt like his workmanship questioned.


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## quickpatch (Mar 15, 2012)

I agree that 200' with no expansion joints is a suicide mission. It seems like it takes time for expansion and contraction to destroy a wall. If the butts cracked right away I would suspect either loose drywall or a piece of loose framing. Hopefully adding screws worked.


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## Ultros (Dec 27, 2014)

Yea im sure its gonna crack again. He was adamant about hot mudding it. So I hit it twice with 90 and will tape it tomorrow. Im sure when I come back monday it will start cracking again... im just waiting to watch em all crack when they install heavy commercial doors everywhere... lol, he thought 2 cracked joints were bad....


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## dieselman350 (Aug 21, 2012)

Any commercial job I've ever been on wants a expansion or "control" joint every 30' I've also always been told that drywall expands and retracts a half inch in 100'


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## Ultros (Dec 27, 2014)

I have never been on a commercial job where an expansion wasnt in every 30'. This is a first for me.

The company im working for also did lambeau field in green bay. Apparently they even had bands cracking. Finally got the go ahead to put in expansions.

I have a feeling ill be doing a ton of re-work the longer this job goes on


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## Ultros (Dec 27, 2014)

And heeere we go!
All the floors have butts that a cracking. Few more on my floor. + a ton of screws are popping.
If that doesnt scream expansion joints, I dont know what does. 
One possibility I considered is maybe the 90 min hot mud being use to prefill is shrink, pulling the tape with it, and making mud on surface crack.

They pushed to get job moving and had us tape shortly after prefilling.

These walls have been finished for 2 weeks now.
200' wall, butts cracking everywhere.

The walls arent hung on other side of the wall. Im assuming that has something to do with it too.

Lots of variables... has to be the lack of expansion joints, right?

Oh yea, forgot to mention, they want level 5 walls.


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## Deerhunter_28 (Oct 9, 2014)

mld said:


> With a wall that long there is no way it won't crack. The drywall itself will shrink and swell enough to rip that open no matter how it is finished. If you secure the seam enough to keep it from cracking the board itself will crack. Expansion joints are the only answer.



^^^^^^^^ this
Cut control joints in wall!!!


PSE EVO 60 Lbs.
Blacked out


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