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macgyvers2000

Nail pops... lots of 'em in a short time frame

macgyvers2000
9 years ago

Visited a 1.5-yo home 6 weeks ago and everything looked great. Just revisited it and there were nail pops galore in every room on the top floor (obviously the trusses are shifting). I have no idea if the current owners just repaired/repainted any prior pops.

What surprised me is the speed at which so many "popped" up (no pun intended). 6 weeks seems like an awfully short time, so now I wonder if this particular house will be prone to popping all of the time. I did not notice any large shifts in the weather over this time period (in Maryland).

Thoughts on underlying cause, as well as any (semi-)permanent remedies? I don't think I'd want a place that requires constant patching.

Comments (13)

  • bus_driver
    9 years ago

    My suspicion is that the framing was too wet when the drywall was applied and as the framing dried, it shrank. The nails are still tight in the wood, but the wood shrinking leaves the nail protruding a bit more from the wood-- and the drywall.

  • macgyvers2000
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    I'd agree... if this was brand new construction, but the home is going on 2 years now. Any moisture left in them is going to match with ambient conditions. We were in the place a few days ago with a boatload of pops, whereas just 6 weeks before that there were none.

    I can only guess at this point (at least until someone else comes up with a better idea) that the A/C was left off for an extended period of time (high-end home being sold a year or two after purchase... owners may be short on money), but I did not notice any mold/mildew, so no visible damage, if any.

  • handymac
    9 years ago

    Nail pops in a ceiling are almost certainly a product of trusses being wet when installed. As they dry, the wood moves and if they reabsorb moisture, the wood again moves. Trusses are usually in a non conditioned attic. However, if the attic is vented with a power vent and that was turned off, moisture could be a symptom.

    There is one other factor. The structure is probably beginning to settle.

  • macgyvers2000
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    I can handle settling, I just wanted to make sure I wasn't missing anything serious that would cause this.

    Thanks!

  • sherwoodva
    9 years ago

    Mac, before you buy, have a building engineer go over the house, especially the foundation and the roof. (Someone better than the average "home inspector.") An inspection is cheap compared to buying a house that is a lemon. You have to ask if the owners are telling the truth about why they are selling so soon.

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    Christopher Nelson Wallcovering and Painting
    9 years ago

    manhattan42 ^^^ good to know, thanks

  • alan_s_thefirst
    9 years ago

    I'd be concerned about foundations etc as well as overall building quality.

    Builder may have gone broke or something, do have an engineer look at it.

  • macgyvers2000
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Toll Brothers is the builder, so feel free to rant or rave either way. Overall, I think their build quality is relatively high.

    I have not heard of this new "lightweight" drywall, but I will certainly dig into it more deeply. Upon closer inspection, the nails are definitely coming OUT of the wall and pushing through the topcoat. It looks like a standard smooth-shank nail, not a ring-shank, so there's little to no gripping power there.

    If we end up with the house, I will replace pops as they happen with screws before covering.

  • macgyvers2000
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Had the home inspected earlier this week, and I believe I've found the cause...

    The vast majority of the pops are on the interior walls, and only on the upper floor. There are several dormers on the roof... real windows, but no living space up there. The windows, however, are not painted or covered in any way, so my supposition is the sun heats up that area of the attic, tweaks the rafters, then the nighttime allows them to tweak back. A few weeks of this and you're bound to get pops.

    When we move in I'll throw up some dark curtains, then put up some heavy tint when Spring rolls around. It should be obvious pretty quickly if that's the cause...

  • manhattan42
    9 years ago

    I highly doubt heating and cooling in the attic is the cause, otherwise every home in the world would have nail pops caused by the seasonal heating and cooling of the attic spaces.

    Changes in lumber dimension is also not caused as much by heating and cooling alone than it is by changes in the moisture content of lumber.

    Without severe changes in moisture content or humidty, the lumber will remain stable in dimension regardless of changes in heat.

    That said, what you are describing are nail 'protrusions' not nail 'pops'.

    Nail 'pops' dimple into the drywall not out of the drywall.

    Pops are caused by lumber shrinking or changes in moisture content.

    'Protrusions' are caused by the drywall shrinking.

  • macgyvers2000
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Considering the "protrusions" are 1/4"+ of nail in some spots, that would equate to 1/2"+ drywall shrinking by 50%... I'd call that impossible, unless we're talking about a cumulative movement of the nail as the drywall shrinks/expands a tiny fraction every day, carrying the nail outwards each time.

  • HU-112633411
    2 years ago

    I AM SPEAKING OF A HOME THAT IS ALMOST 7 YRS OLD AND WE ARE HAVING SEVERAL NAIL POPS IN THE LIVING ROOM AND ONE BATHROOM.