I read dabull's question and the answers given. My situation does not fit his. My house is less than two years old. It is a two story. Recently I have noticed nail pops in all the rooms, the heaviest concentration being the stairwell and lower level family room. However , they don't stop there - they are in the kitchen, the bathrooms, the formal rooms. The only room that has only two or three nails is the upstairs master. I don't understand. Can anyone help me find an answer? Much appreciated D
There are a number of possible causes for your nail (screw?) pop problem. When new homes are built, very often the lumber used is still somewhat green. When the house is complete and closed up, and the heat/air cond. is turned on, the green lumber dries and shrinks. As it shrinks, the nails or screws are pulled through the surface of the dryall causing it to become loose in relation to the studs or ceiling rafters. Other causes may be settling, vibrations from heavy traffic-highway, air or trains. Expansion and contraction from temperature and humidity changes is also a common problem. To fix the problem, screw the drywall(screws work better than nails and are more permanent). A screw on either side of each pop is best. As you do this you will most likely find that the old screws will push through the surface. With a hand phillips screwdriver you will need to "dig" through the surface and tighten the origanl screws. When all this is complete, you can patch, sand,and paint. Note: since it seems this is an extensive situation, an investment in a drywall gun (not a drill or cordless drill) will save a lot of time and headaches. They can be adjusted to set the depth of the screwsso they just "dimple" the surface. If youmust use a cordless drill, you can buy a special drywall bit at home depot tah will prevent you from settin the screws too deeply. Hope this helps. Good luck!
Thanks for the information. I have checked and they definitely used nails. Should I pound the nails back in after adding the screws? And also, by either side, were you refering to left and right or above and below each nail?
Yes! You will need to pound the nails in after you re-screw the dryall. On the walls, the screws will go above and below the pops. On the ceiling, You will need to determine which way the rafters run. this should be pretty easy with all the nails popping out. Just follow the direction of the pops. You will be able to tell if you are hittig the rafters (joists) by the way the screws pull into the dryall. If they are spinning free, you missed, try again! If you miss, you will need to back out the missed screws. This is usually easier with a hand screwdriver. You may also need to pry the screw headwith a small nail puller or a putty knif to get it started. Once started, you should be able to finish them with your fingers. Good luck!
