Sheetrock damage - Nail popping
Sheetrock damage - Nail popping
(OP)
Anyone ever heard of an unpatterned nail popping in walls occurring in multiple locations in an old residence after new vinyl windows were installed?
I could attribute it to a humidity change, due to the new windows, possibly related to the type of nails used, but it seems a stretch.
I could attribute it to a humidity change, due to the new windows, possibly related to the type of nails used, but it seems a stretch.
Mike McCann, PE, SE (WA)






RE: Sheetrock damage - Nail popping
No, I haven't specifically heard of such, per se, but it wouldn't surprise me. I've come to the conclusion that despite our best efforts, only the house itself truly knows the entirely of its load paths.
RE: Sheetrock damage - Nail popping
RE: Sheetrock damage - Nail popping
Did you replace old windows with new or are these new windows in walls that were previously without windows?
Did the existing wall have headers over the windows? (some very old carpentry I've seen didn't use headers of any significance)
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RE: Sheetrock damage - Nail popping
RE: Sheetrock damage - Nail popping
Thanks. The windows are new to existing openings. The structure was not changed. Crack appeared at one end of an 8 foot window, but not the other end.
Nail popping is random at both interior and exterior walls, leading me to the relative humidity issue.
Mike McCann, PE, SE (WA)
RE: Sheetrock damage - Nail popping
Mike McCann, PE, SE (WA)
RE: Sheetrock damage - Nail popping
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RE: Sheetrock damage - Nail popping
Did the installer flash the windows properly? Rain water could be entering the wall and causing "moisture problems". Very tricky to flash new windows without removing a lot of the cladding material.
Regards,
DB
RE: Sheetrock damage - Nail popping
Mike McCann, PE, SE (WA)
RE: Sheetrock damage - Nail popping
This shows the top condition...
The next post shows the condition at the bottom of the window. This implies an obvious shift in load with the possible crushing or load consolidation as there is no distress at the foundation seen, inside or out.
Mike McCann, PE, SE (WA)
RE: Sheetrock damage - Nail popping
Mike McCann, PE, SE (WA)
RE: Sheetrock damage - Nail popping
RE: Sheetrock damage - Nail popping
Mike McCann, PE, SE (WA)
RE: Sheetrock damage - Nail popping
Mike McCann, PE, SE (WA)
RE: Sheetrock damage - Nail popping
Mike McCann, PE, SE (WA)
RE: Sheetrock damage - Nail popping
RE: Sheetrock damage - Nail popping
Mike McCann, PE, SE (WA)
RE: Sheetrock damage - Nail popping
If the header rotated down on the end of the cracking seen, then additional cracking should have been seen at the opposite end with a crack at the other end. That was not seen.
Gremlins, that has to be the answer...
Mike McCann, PE, SE (WA)
RE: Sheetrock damage - Nail popping
Msquared48, if I understood you correctly that the popped nails have appeared on both the inside and outside then I doubt it's a moisture issue.
When I redid the flooring in my house, when I pulled the baseboard off the floor in one room a large Z-shaped crack formed in the wall. Up to that point the baseboard had apparently been serving as some sort of tension tie on a volunteer basis. The crack is not causing any problems beyond being unsightly, but it wasn't caused by gremlins.
If the situation's no worse than what you've shown in those photos then I wouldn't give it another thought. However, if you want to address it one approach might be to give the situation a few months to allow whatever settlement that might occur to occur, then use a nail-setting punch to countersink the nails to whatever degree possible, then putty and paint. Remember: putty and paint make a carpenter (and structural engineer) what he ain't.
RE: Sheetrock damage - Nail popping
Mike McCann, PE, SE (WA)
RE: Sheetrock damage - Nail popping
If these are new conditions, changes in humidity would be a likely cause.
RE: Sheetrock damage - Nail popping
Mike McCann, PE, SE (WA)
RE: Sheetrock damage - Nail popping
RE: Sheetrock damage - Nail popping
Mike McCann, PE, SE (WA)