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dakota01

Finding drywall 'pops' ?

dakota01
12 years ago

Drywall repair of nail/screw pops is scheduled for this week. I have found many quite easily. But, I know there are many, many more that need fixed. Depending on the light, I am having a heck of a time seeing them easily. Just when I think I found them all, lighting will change and then I see another one.

I want to be sure I get them all done.

Any advise on how to find them all easily.

THanks

Comments (11)

  • renovator8
    12 years ago

    Use a standard work light with an aluminum reflector shade and hold it against the wall so the light is shining across the surface but not in your eyes. Turn out any other strong light. Everything will be revealed.

  • brickeyee
    12 years ago

    You can even use a flashlight washing the surface of the wall.

    Shine it as close to parallel to the wall as you can and every bump and divot will be easy to see.

    Beware though, you can usually see a lot more than you might want to.

  • dakota01
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Yep - I'm finding many poor patches around the light switches, and some others. And the horrific paint job even makes matters worse.
    I don't have a standard work light, so I will try a flashlight and see if that helps.
    Having paint on the walls makes it even harder to see these pops.

  • worthy
    12 years ago

    Use a standard work light with an aluminum reflector shade and hold it against the wall so the light is shining across the surface but not in your eyes. Turn out any other strong light. Everything will be revealed.

    Indeed it will!

    But under no circumstances will I, as a builder, "fix" all of them. Nor will I be required to under our mandatory government warranty programme.

    Anyone who demands such perfection should have chosen a different finish. Namely skimcoat or plaster.

    Here is the performance guideline I'm required to meet.

    "9.6
    CONDITION
    DRYWALL SURFACE BLEMISHES INCLUDING NAIL/SCREW POPS, BLISTERS IN TAPED JOINTS, TROWEL MARKS, EXCESS JOINT COMPOUND AND DENTS OR GOUGES
    Acceptable Performance/Condition
    Interior finished drywall (excluding garages and unfinished areas) shall be free from damage (dents and gouges) at the time of the PDI and be installed according to the Ontario Building Code. Blemishes readily noticeable when viewed under normal lighting conditions from a normal viewing position 1,800 mm [70.866 ins.] perpendicular distance from the wall surface are unacceptable.
    Warranty
    One-Year Work and Materials � Nail pops resulting from normal shrinkage of materials due to drying after construction are
    excluded from the statutory warranty. Damaged areas of drywall not recorded on the PDI Form are excluded from the statutory warranty
    unless the homeowner is able to establish that the damage was caused by the builder."

    The one "conciliation" I was forced into, the Purchaser had 50 pages of "defects", almost all for paint "defects". Against my advice, they chose satin finish dark colours over a Level 4 finish. Expecting, I guess, that the finish would mimick that on a Porsche. Not a single one of the "defects" had to be "repaired".

  • dakota01
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    THe flash light is working great. THanks for the suggestion.
    Worthy - My last 2 houses and my sisters brand new house does not have 1 nail popping. I have MANY ! Sorry, but a builder should be sure to tell his customers that you will see nail pops if you choose such and such and none with such and such. My builder never said anything about nail pops.
    In my case, tHe drywall company is the one that comes in to repair the work, not the builder.

  • worthy
    12 years ago

    jeannie01
    I'm not questioning your situation, only the idea that any and every blemish on a Level 4 wall that shows with a bright light held directly to the surface and looking at it from a few inches away has to be "fixed".

    I'm sure if I took a 10x power mirror to Gisele Bundchen I'd find all kinds of "imperfections" too.

  • sierraeast
    12 years ago

    " tHe drywall company is the one that comes in to repair the work, not the builder".

    Ultimately the builder should be held responsible despite legal guidelines as it could be the fault of covering up framing members with a higher moisture content than the minmum dictates. When covered wet, the members shrink and some warp enough to cause nail pops. It doesn't take that much movement and might not have anything to do with the hanger's install.

  • renovator8
    12 years ago

    I suspect Worthy had already been thinking about subjecting Ms Bundchen to closer inspection before this thread was started. At least he's stopped talking about Gina Lollobrigida.

    Pops can also be caused when part of a panel is not tight to the studs.

  • _sophiewheeler
    12 years ago

    There is only so much that can be considered "defective" unless a Level 5 finish was specified. If you wanted Level 5 specified, then a whole lot more than making sure the correct moisture % kiln dried lumber was used goes into making that a smooth baby butt finish. More money and more time are the two key ingredients. You can't jump horses midstream. You can't expect perfection at this stage unless you were willing to pay for the additional material and labor for that perfection up front. Not everything you can see with an oblique light source is gonna be addressed, nor should it be.

  • sierraeast
    12 years ago

    Yeah but Gina would concour..." In a perfect world, nothing is".

  • brickeyee
    12 years ago

    "Anyone who demands such perfection should have chosen a different finish. Namely skimcoat or plaster. "

    Or a Level 5 drywall finish.

    The entire surface is skimmed.

    And yes, it costs a lot more.

    If you look hard at many lower level drywall finishes you can even see the bulges created by the use of corner bead on outside corners.
    More mud is needed to hide the corner bead.
    It is normally tapered over a large enough area (at least a few feet wide) that it is hard to detect, but a long level will show the wall is not perfectly flat.

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