How to Repair a Cracked Drywall Ceiling | This Old House
Вставка
- Опубліковано 21 сер 2024
- This Old House general contractor Tom Silva shows how to permanently patch a damaged ceiling. (See below for a shopping list and tools.)
SUBSCRIBE to This Old House: bit.ly/Subscrib...
Shopping List for Repairing a Cracked Drywall Ceiling:
- 5/8-inch plywood [amzn.to/2V85L49]
- 2x4 [amzn.to/2Vb9Fcw]
- construction adhesive [amzn.to/2vEYrO5]
- wood shims [amzn.to/2vysXcq]
- 2-inch-wide painter's tape [amzn.to/2VJNzNy]
- fiberglass mesh tape [amzn.to/2DIGZN6]
- joint compound [amzn.to/2VczVmG]
- 1 1/4-inch drywall screws [amzn.to/2UR4vxf]
Tools for Repairing a Cracked Drywall Ceiling:
- drill/driver [amzn.to/2UR4vxf], fitted with 3/16-inch-diameter drill bit [amzn.to/2ZOk3pb] and 1-inch diameter spade bit [amzn.to/2IS3pQg]
- drywall tip [amzn.to/2vxBUmq], for driving drywall screws to precisely the right depth
- hammer [amzn.to/2ZTYvYy]
- caulk gun [amzn.to/2JaUh8T]
- utility knife [amzn.to/2PJvJVz]
- flat trowel [amzn.to/2XZZrsn] and plaster hawk [amzn.to/2IUjjcX]
About This Old House TV:
This Old House is the No. 1 multimedia home enthusiast brand, offering trusted information and expert advice through award-winning television, a highly regarded magazine, and an information-driven website. This Old House and Ask This Old House are produced by This Old House Ventures, LLC and are presented on PBS by WETA Washington, DC.
Follow This Old House and Ask This Old House:
Facebook: bit.ly/ThisOldH...
Twitter: bit.ly/ThisOldH...
bit.ly/AskTOHTw...
Pinterest: bit.ly/ThisOldH...
Instagram: bit.ly/ThisOldH...
bit.ly/AskTOHIG
Tumblr: bit.ly/ThisOldH...
For more on This Old House and Ask This Old House, visit us at: bit.ly/ThisOldH...
How to Repair a Cracked Drywall Ceiling | This Old House
/ thisoldhouse
Tommy is one of those folks that comes once in a while. Thank you for your years of being part of this show.
to this day that drywall is unpainted.
He'll do it eventually! You don't have to remind him every 6 months about it.
this guy is a freaking master. I saw him repairing stairs and was very impressed with his skill and ingenuity.
To the folks at "This Old House" Thank you. I watch your videos and with your experience, my wife and I have successfully made reliable repairs to our old house.
Everyone's a damned critic! Looks like a good repair to me, and by not cutting out the damage, he saved the trouble of dealing with the inside corner and the subsequent wall repair and painting, and layering up the thickness of the texturing. Yes, the ceiling finish was awful, but that's sometimes what you have to deal with. He made the very professional choice of matching what was already there instead of trying to make it look perfect. He avoided opening a big can of worms by this approach.
+Carpenterjohn The handyman True...
godbluffvdgg mllpplmmmkkolĺyls l
Carpenterjohn The handyman and everyones an expert..get it
Carpenterjohn The handyman. ur RIGHT ..everyone has a better idea...but NO ONE IS DOING A BETTER JOB..i AM someone who has been in the field for 20 years I constantly end up in houses doing work for people who love to talk about wat they can do but NEVER DO IT....so KEEP TALKING..and I will keep TAKING UR MONEY!!
Jason Tilley Lol
This was an excellent repair job. If I was the home owner I would put some more ply wood over the rafters in the attic to prevent this from happening again though.
One correction is that electricians do NOT use that space to run wires. Code says all wires must be 1.25 inches away from wood edge to no screws or nails pierce the wire. Its actually a sound channel and a thermal barrier, which means that the cold attic lumber does not carry cold into the house through the joists. The cold contacts are reduced by only having a 2.5" board contact the cold floor joist. Which also reduces getting those black stripes on your ceiling. Heat is attracted to cold so dust, toaster smoke, fireplace smoke, whatever is in the air will be deposited to the ceiling rafters through the drywall while the heat is penetrating the surface leaving the dust and smoke behind.
I was 40 years old when I learned why those black stripes appear on my ceiling. Learned something new today! Thanks Jeff.
U are a dam genius Jeff! Thanks 👍🍺
When my sister and I were kids playing in the attic, she ended up falling through the ceiling into the living room. The incident is now a family legend.
I'm glad it became a 'family legend' instead of a 'family tragedy'!
Great job. A good handyman understands that there is always a right way to fix something for a job. Clearly here are other methods. But he understood the positioning of the damage and applied his experience and took the approach he thought was correct for that situation.
Just ran into that same scenario while installing a new bathroom and tub. The drain pipe forces the drywall to crack apparently from the previous owner. Great tips and look forward to making the repair. Thanks!
I love how in these videos they always seem to have the best possible scenario...A well lit attic, easy to stand up in etc
The root, stoneless pristine lawn soils are a good example. But who'd choose the hardest examples to make these videos?
Of course, those got rejected long before filming went on site
Perfectly cut wood
The people making negative comments don't know what's going on here. Tom's done drywall patches on the show before. Because of the texture on the ceiling, he's simply recreating the way plaster cracks are repaired using the plaster buttons. Anyone who's done 100s of plaster repairs in old houses like I have would recognize it. It may seem like a little overkill, but the job gets done with this alternative very nicely.
TomKaren94
TomKaren94 i can tell you love him because you say "simply" like he does.
Please help. I put some food down the toilet and blocked it (silly I know). The toilet then flooded due to it having a broken inlet valve. Clean water then came through the downstairs artex ceiling creating a meter long crack in it. Low rent property, but I am feeling very anxious. Can I just seal up the crack in the artex with some plaster? Thank you so much for any advice on this.
natureasintended good question, scrape it a little and fill it with a flexible caulking, elastomeric, maybe silicone/latex mix, erc. wipe smooth and maybe cover with some plaster or just paint depending on how it looks, your call, crack may come through may not.
@@natureasintended p
Maybe add more plywood to the attic to walk on?
Ijustcamehere Ijustcamehere .
no. In fact, I would actually ask them to remove the few plywoods that were there. Walking on the joist is so much more thrilling. Another advise would be to not run every time you hear the kids crying.
or get some 16 inch long clown shoes to make that spread!
Kathleen Long hahaha that made me snort/laugh out loud 😂👌🏻
Just did our whole attic. Nice to not have to watch where I'm walking up there now.
That attic is so clean. Makes me wonder if I should go clean my attic and put in new insulation?
It seems like not enough insulation for a nother climate house. I have batt and a foot of blown insulation on top of that
TV shows aren't real life.
How can you dislike Tom he's a MASTER
Got really lucky with this one. I just clicked on it to see if I would learn anything new about fixing cracks, but really wasn't expecting anything. But we just bought an older home in Pittsburgh, and we're getting the electrical all replaced, so I have to patch all the holes, and we have that kind of texture. I was dreading trying to match it, because I have never come across this texture in the places I lived before. So thank you so much, it looks like it is not only easy to so, but saves me many steps of smoothing and drying the area before texturing.
I love Tommy and I'm just chalking this up as showing another way of fixing this issue, but cutting it out and patching it is the best way to fix this.
*easiest. but i think in this case he was trying to match the finish
not really the best way. just another way, and the end result looks the same, plus thus way uses less joint compound
*plaster. Not joint compound. They are different formulas.
I think the method shown here would be the best with blown-in attic insulation. Avoiding a big hole in the ceiling during the repair keeps the insulation material from falling down into the room below and generates less dust.
In what way is it better to patch? Tommy's way is pragmatic as he'll. makes fewer seams, is quicker, makes less mess, and leaves it technically stronger than before it was damaged. Cutting and patching is for when you don't have access to the back.
You are for sure trying to save as much as possible ! Once again working smart ! Now finish plywooding the floor...
You know, now that I think about it, you definitely have a great point! What's more, I can't believe that Tommy didn't think to tell the homeowner that he needed to finish the attic with plywood, so he could walk up in his own attic safely! If plywood would have been up there all the way, so that you have a SAFE place to walk, this would've never happened!!! I've said it before, and I'll say it again:The proverbial ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure! Why this dude didn't have all of his attic floor covered with plywood boarding is beyond me! You'd think that some people got their brains out of a Bubble Gum Machine!
I would have never thought to do it that way. Learn something new every day
I learned my girl friend was sucking bare black cock in my apartment. the more you know
NunYaaBizz Wow. You’re literally ridiculous. Grow up! 🙄
@@ashleyfalcon125 please dont call me names its rude
Lmao
@@ashleyfalcon125 lol 😂
Tom hits out of the park again. The skill level is from another world.
This blew my mind. I would have never thought you could repair it this way.
...because it is retarded
Nuke i liked it, if i ever come across this type of damage i will consider fixing it like this
Same
@@indyq9434 😂
I guess they developed these skip trowel plastering methods because plasterers got sick of having to create a perfectly flat finish all the time.
HAHA I was thinking the same shit. "Skip Trowel Method" fckn love it. It's like "And here we have the 'don't wake up and hit the snooze work ethic'" lmfao
Nick Péloquin it hides more,,
it requires more mud and a lot more labor but eliminates having to sand
uno
efxz
what?
Tom just grabs that fiberglass insulation like nothing. I would've had my mittens on fearing I'd get glass fibers stuck in my hands. He probably has worked with insulation so much it doesn't irritate his hands anymore!!! Living legend!!
1:32 it's really thoughtful of Tommy to paint his nail black like he too makes mistakes
"You think you can handle that?" -- he looks dubious.
Custom finishing contractor here. This is definitely the scenic route from A to B
Being English and on the other side of the pond, I can tell you I love that strapping idea. I never had a clue what that was for, honestly it's a genius idea that I think I'd apply to my house when the ceilings need boarding. I think your boarding and soundproofing techniques over there knocks the spots of ours.
I've done countless of repairs such as this. And this is clever. This is as clever as it gets
People who disliked this video are merely below average construction workers. I've known far too many of those.
And maybe just maybe the people who watch these videos don't wish to refinish their entire freaking gosh damn ceiling. Maybe they are looking to buy 40 dollars of DIY material and one night of work.
Not pay thousands for a new damn ceiling or a few hundred for your cut out mediocrite repair.
cut it out and put wood behind it screw it together and tape and patch it up with 15 minute joint compound and be done with it in 2 hour include painting. but what Tom did is a great way to milk extra time.
hope it hatches
I still remember watching this on a Saturday morning years ago lol. Tommy's cool
Yeah back when Tommy was 60 years old. He's still 60 today.
It's relaxing lol. Tommy is very chill. This Old House is the Bob Ross of DIY.
@@mjwall1986 Exactly!
For all this work, making your plywood support, another piece of plywood, contruction adhersive - just moving the insulation while you cut out and put in a new peice of plywood seems so much more straightforward and easier
Great respect - Been watching Tom Silva do this for about 30 years now.
With all the extra work of making the plywood template, I could have had that job done in half the time by just cutting it out, and patching with some 5 minute dry mix.
right, this guy is going over board
+UtwoBed The more drastic the repair process, the more likely you will have cracks later on. His method maintains the overall integrity of the existing drywall.
YEAH okay. Sure. Good luck matching that ceiling. I'm sure that he runs into this enough so he has that template on hand. ALl he has to do is cut a 2x MAYBE and throw a piece of 3/4 or 1/2 inch on the ground. Didn't have to buy dry wall. Didn't have to measure the drywall. Didn't have to square the cuts. Didn't have to cut the drywall. Didn't have to cut the existing drywall OUT. Didn't have a massive MESS to clean up afterwards. Didn't have to mud everything back together. Didn't have to match the original job.
But yeah okay.
1. maintain integrity of existing structure 2. template, scrap plywood is in shop
..when he gets the call explaining the problem, he has everything on hand ..if he wasn't explaining this to a camera crew, he would have been at the next house while you're cutting up drywall making a god damn mess everywhere..
+UtwoBed Sure it's a bit extra, but going that extra mile really matters, especially if you are dealing with large expenses towards buying maintenance materials to fix holes, this guy is using a method by which he can keep the original piece intact, without the need to waste money. Some people may not care about money, but if you can save a buck here and there, and still do a professional job, it all adds up!
Over the heads of most handymen, but not Tommy! Repairs like the pro he is!
The true legend of Television home improvements, I love to watch your videos.
This is timely for me. A roofer last Tuesday put his foot on the ceiling while replacing an area of roof deck. Exact same result as here. Only difference is the spot is nearly at the bottom of the roof slope which means no access from the attic. In my situation I also said the repair is over my head! They are sending a plasterer later this week.
I wanna learn more from this guy,THAT WAS A AMAZING JOB! wow! imagine from cracked ceiling to Look like nothing broken . wonderful job.
This is good method to markup the simple repair
This old House is one of my favorite shows to watch.
Awesome. Where I'm from nearly every house has sprayed-in insulating fluff that gets everywhere the moment it's touched. This technique will absolutely save me a ton of time and mess. Kind of annoyed I'd never seen this technique before when I think of the wasted time cutting out and patching.
Cheers!
Tommy knows everything.
Pete Brown Dam right, i have much respect for a man who knows how to do everything
I love watching these dudes they no ther stuff and its done the rite way
I could literally watch this guy all day.
Very good fix! I have been remodeling and repairing since 1990's.
Why not just cut it out and put new piece in? I'm having the same problem. Cracked ceiling when doing recessed light and kneeling on the drywall
I like how at the end it’s like geez you couldn’t fix the ceiling you think at least you can put a coat of paint on it
6:38 "Well that's the i-dear of it"
I caught that I-dear part of the comment, too! I thought it was kinda funny 😂😆😅
Tommy Silva is the best all around contractor.
Guys be grateful that they took time out of they're day to make these videos they are very helpful and educational
Thanks Dad...
I like this guys, most of the time they are right but this time I'll cut off the old one, and install a new drywall (looks like a 24x24 inches) and it should be a 5/8 drywall for the sealing
use 9/16 drywall for the ceiling, 5/8 for the sealing
Great technique to take care of the repair. Tommy reminds me so much of my grandfather. Apparently was the best stair guy in Worcester county Massachusetts. How do I know it was likely true? The only people I ever heard that from were his co-workers and other contractors. He was too humble and too sure of his skills to have to tell anybody of such hyperbole. RIP gramp.
I wish mr Silva lived in CC Tx. He is a wealth of experience in his field!
Tom said "that's the iDEAR of it..." hahaha Boston accents are amusing.
I can't think of anyone else that look more like a Kevin than this guy, MY GOD
This is genius level stuff here people especially when dealing with an old textured ceiling
But they still had to retexture the ceiling. So what did they save for all the extra money and effort?
@@SparkY0 time....material...3 trips for tape ,2nd coat and finish coat.
You don't do this for a living do you?
All 3 coats require dry time.
“You think you can handle that” idk why but I found that hilarious.
Very common sense for any old even partial tradesperson but........... very well done Sir.......I'm a decorator by trade and cover up these cracks now and then,but your way is the bed for a long term solution.
Nice one pal!!!👍🏻
'Think you can handle that?'
mutters...('weak b*tch')
Lol
Trip*Like*I*Do Beta!
Couldn't you just cut out a square around the damaged drywall and then put a new drywall patch in of the same size by screwing it to the furring strips?
Ken Bob yep that how 99% of people would fix it
That only works if you don't have blown in insulation......like I do......And therefore if I had cut a huge hole, 500lbs of the stuff would have fallen out. Also, I had no access to the attic since I plugged up the hatch access when I was done blowing the insulation in.
To fix my crack (which was very similar to this one) I cut a 4" hole in the plywood so that I could drill a 4" hole with a recessed light kit. My crack was parallel to the joists and 24" long....I ended up having to drill three of those 4" holes and this method worked out amazingly well. I cut out replacement 4" round drywall pieces from scrap and slid an 8" piece of plywood up into the hole. To give me space to between the insulation and the drywall I stuffed a microfiber rag and spread it out past the edges of the hole. That worked amazing as well.
@@machigane7902 just out of curiousity, how are you going to be able to get back in your attic if you covered up your access?
I don't plan on getting into the attic again because it's not tall enough to stand and I don't need to store anything in there. I am confident in the work that I have done for it to last my lifetime (and probably more). Btw the difference in comfort is amazing. Before we would walk up the stairs and get hit in the face with a wall of heat in the summer and be freezing in the winter. Now the temperature is almost identical to the first floor.
I am in the middle of cleaning out my kneewall spaces as well. I decided to install rafter baffle vents, R-19 batts, then cover the rafters with 3/4" foil faced polyisocyanurate foam board (johns manville from lowe's, $15/sheet), tape with foil tape and seal big gaps with spray foam. Also (very important) I installed 2" XPS foam blocking in the joist bays by removing the flooring and sealed with spray foam. This prevents any outside air from traveling down the rafters and dividing the house in half with unconditioned air through the joists.
code says it has to be accessible. homeguides.sfgate.com/minimum-size-attics-access-95800.html
Tom, That was a pretty neat trick putting holes in that piece plywood, so you could screw the ceiling up.👍 I like to use a quality primer before painting over raw joint compound. Take care, -Paul
Works for me. I have used the over/under method about 40 years
A true pro this guy makes it look so easy :) Well done!
+The High Priestess LOL my thoughts too
Beats by light years the mess of replacing that section... great stuff.
This is a lot more work than just cutting out the drywall and patching it. It could have been as simple as needing a drywall saw, utility blade and drill to fix it. For this you need the added expense of getting plywood, 2x4, adhesive, a circular saw. On top of the added skills needed to properly use those tools. When it’s a lot simpler for most home owner, who don’t have those tools and skills, to cut out the drywall and patch it.
I love watching that guy do work..so thorough
He makes everything looks so darn easy.. :/
50 years of experience will do that.
@@avdad2000 and a full time staff of video editors lol
Actually he made that repair way harder than it should be
@1000 Subscribers With No Videos 😂😂😂😂
Just cut the damage piece of ceiling with the saw put a new piece of sheetrock tape it plaster and finish that is the easy way !!
Tom ought to know the space below the 2 X 3 furring is definitely not for the electrician to run wires in order to not have to drill holes thru the joists. Running wires in that space would be a huge violation of codes.
Imagine screwing a plant hangar bolt into the ceiling and thru the cable...ooops
Tom should've been called out on that.
m. achnel, Common Sense would tell you that you can't do that. Where does this guy come up with this stuff?! You think with as many years is he's had on the job he would know something. I have made comments correcting his mistakes on many other videos. I grew up in construction and my father was a carpenter contractor. this guy is a putz.
Totally agreed. I've only seen them used to make up on center spacing.
yea kind of surprised during editing that wasn't caught
For a second, I thought he was gonna say “you think you can handle that numbnuts?”
Very good idea nice approach to repairing that ceiling made it quick and easy good job thank you for sharing you're one of the few that really show how to get it done thank you look forward to hearing from you Ken
Was anyone else thinking to just hang new drywall so we can get rid of that horrible textured ceiling?
This video has saved me money 👍 🇬🇧
A friend had a water leak that damaged the drywall ceiling in her kitchen. It got into a joint and ran along it, so I had to tear out about eight feet of joint tape and re-do it. Nine-foot ceilings, and part of the damage was above her very large refrigerator & cabinets, all but impossible to reach from the ladder... so I did that part of the job sitting on top of her fridge. I never worked on a ceiling while sitting down before. 😁
Norm knows everything. I didn't know he was so good at spackling.
why not spend $40 and finish the flooring in the attic
it looks better that way .Besides, why use 40 dollars, when you can use more to fix the ceiling every time it breaks.
Look at Mr. Moneybags with his $40
+
adisharr LMFAO
@adisharr, if you don't have 40$ spare, then you shouldn't own a home. You should be between your buddies in the metro station on a piece of cardboard.
Right on
Wouldn’t a new piece of drywall be easier? Especially since it’s a textured ceiling it would be super easy to hide the joints.
I wish I had a dad or grandpa like him
everytime i see this flawless repairs i start to think about what should be hidden in my house
The owner was right... Cut out a piece and add a section of drywall board to the square hole. Texture it... Done
i'd never trust another man to hammer towards my face like that.
Knowing Tommy, though, he ain't gonna miss, and hit this guy in the face. He's waaaaay too good for that!
That guys a savage grabbing that insulation with no gloves.
Tommy is "The man!"👍
Watching that attic work made me itchy.
Pete Brown nnhhjnnnj
Pete Brown.p
simpsons channelx I didn't know 3 year olds watched home improvement videos.
that attic is nice compared to most lol
“You think you can handle that, Nancy?”
Tom S. is fond of what seems to many his overly elaborate solutions.You might ask as some have, why not just cut out the affected area and put in a new piece of drywall? Well, the number one rule is any job is going to take longer than you think.
First you're going to need a piece of drywall of the appropriate thickness and big enough for the area. Unless you happen to have some laying around, you'll be making a trip to your local home center. Cutting the area out is going to make a mess, and once the new piece is in place, you're going to have to plaster over the entire area and match the existing surface texture.
So his way although it might seem laborious at first, seems to me more efficient and a time saver in the long run, and also cleaner and probably cheaper.
very helpful idea, gluing with a plywood coming down from top side to give support ... (but fyi, I did it without the fancy pre-drilled template )
I was wondering where was the vapor barrier? That's a great way to patch the ceiling. Looks good
How about safety glasses when screwing above your head looking up. Good way to get dust, wood or plaster in you eye.
I love watching this old house
Tommy is one of the best.
Take a shot every time he says strappin
Tommy knows his stuff pretty well. However, he forgot to mention primer after the repair was dry, THEN paint. Also, I would have labelled the plywood from above with a sharpie "no step" just in case. :o)
🤣
Kerdi washers work wonders for sheetrock . the washer is silver dollar size and the screw head is tapered works great for flushing wall board
Tommy,
You've done this before I just can't remember when. Great idea 💡 less work lots of brains 🧠. 👍
Goddamn how I adore this show
I could never live in a house like that ... i-d be afraid to break it :)
well, if its only the roof its ok/normal i guess. sadly we got the same roof and got a leak, now its kinda in the same state as in the video. sadly i think were gonna have to get the whole plate out and plaster and paint the roof again -.-
Add more plywood to finish the flooring in the add, learn some good stuff from this segment. Love This old house. That mess tape is fantastic.
Now that is a great and very clear video also for dummies like me ..Thank you Mr. Silva.
that's the eye-deer-of it LOL!!
Cutting it out and throwing in another piece would be as simple as it gets.
Thanks Mr. Silva!! Always enjoy learning from you!
Brilliant
Now I know how to fix my daughters ceiling I just cracked when I was in the loft.
Thank you for a great vid