# Nail pops



## Tweed11 (Mar 6, 2012)

I built a new house in norther Illinois and its been a super cold winter. I built using a 2x4 exterior walls with 3.5" almost of closed cell foam. I also subfloor adhesive the bottom plates down and vulcomed the top plates and vertical corners. I have a zone system and my furnace is 80000 btu for 3100 sq ft and heats perfect. Not trying to brag just explaining I think my house is tight. I had a few nail pops on the walls which is normal but my first floor Ceiling is like ever fastener. I used 6500 series tgi with one lvl under every partion wall. I don't think it's anything to do with flex. My drywaller only used screws and he glued to. He thinks the house dried out to fast causing the pops. Any ideas. He will fix no questions just trying to figure out the cause. 
On fixing the nail pops my painter uses a small Phillip tip screwdriver and pushes it in the center of pop and tightens a little and then fills in the little spot with mud. Will that method work. Or cause it to pop again. 
Thanks


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## elliot (Jan 24, 2009)

*nail pops*

Theirs been alot of nail pop problems with the new light weight board there is a fine line between two deep and just right since it seems that most of the pops are on the clg thats what my guess would be.as far as resetting screws you might want to add some


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## D.E.P.S. (Aug 3, 2013)

Turn the popped screw in a couple turns and forget about. Set another screw right beside it and try not to break the paper.


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## Tweed11 (Mar 6, 2012)

How do you know if it is the light weight board just ask the drywaller I assume but pretty disappointing. What a headache feel sorry for drywallers to many variables and stuff like that that is out of your control.


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## D.E.P.S. (Aug 3, 2013)

Tweed11 said:


> How do you know if it is the light weight board just ask the drywaller I assume but pretty disappointing. What a headache feel sorry for drywallers to many variables and stuff like that that is out of your control.


Yeah Tweed..... It's like having a house full of butt joints. I really feel for the larger DW crews/companies. I expect a mess when I arrive at a repair job, but now new hanging???? How the heck do you base your bids when the board is that bad?


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## Golden view (Feb 16, 2012)

The TJIs should be very stable. Maybe a problem with the glue holding the board away from the wood too much.


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## SDel Prete (Jan 8, 2012)

It's a new house. New homes settle and when they do you end up with pops. Bang them in, spread some mud, sand and paint it. Enjoy the house.

I typically around the 11 month mark send in the crew to fix all nail pops or cracks on the homes I build.


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## tyb525 (Feb 26, 2013)

Framing lumber always dries out after the home starts being heated and cooled. When the lumber shrinks, the nails/screws pop. Glue makes pops even worse, since it holds the board tight to the stud, but the fastener can still move.


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## Railman (Jan 19, 2008)

It's not the fastener that moves. It's the wood shrinking around the screw. Since the screw don't shrink, the screw ends up proud. The longer the screw, the more proud it ends up. Glue might also shrink, resulting in making the screw even more proud. I find it even more odd that a ceiling would pop. You'd think that the weight of the board would keep the screw head tight to the paper. Sounds like the glue has only added to the pop problem.


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## blacktop (Oct 28, 2012)

Tweed11 said:


> What a headache feel sorry for drywallers to many variables and stuff like that that is out of your control.


Thank you!


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## endo_alley (Apr 9, 2013)

If the pops in the ceilings are just near the perimeters of the walls, you probably have some shrinking and settling. The wood on the bearing walls shrinks and settles. But the sheetrock on those walls does not shrink. So the wall sheetrock pushes hard against the ceiling sheetrock. Right at those spots the screws tend to pop. Usually it just happens once. Fix them and they will probably be good to go.


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## Railman (Jan 19, 2008)

endo_alley said:


> If the pops in the ceilings are just near the perimeters of the walls, you probably have some shrinking and settling. The wood on the bearing walls shrinks and settles. But the sheetrock on those walls does not shrink. So the wall sheetrock pushes hard against the ceiling sheetrock. Right at those spots the screws tend to pop. Usually it just happens once. Fix them and they will probably be good to go.


 That's exactly why some builders spec it to not fasten ceilings within 12" or so distance from the walls. :no:
Some building inspectors don't get it & have hangers fasten up to the wall anyway!

Joe


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## ToolNut (Aug 9, 2012)

If it is the wood as suggested and it is moving enough for the screws to pop, why wound not the drywall crack where it is glued? If this is true why would not the answer be glue the rock up with just a few screws after the glue dries go around and remove the screws, no matter how much movement no more screw pops. I could understand with nails not so much screws. And yes the new L/W drywall is a factor as it is hard to get the depth on the screws with out breaking the paper, and it just doesn't hold screws well so much air pumped into it to make it lighter that with even the smallest movement you have pops.


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## endo_alley (Apr 9, 2013)

It is rare that you can glue sheetrock to framing. If there is a plastic vapor barrier, paper faced insulation, blown in cellulose insulation with a fabric retainer, or even cardboard shims over the framing, there is no way to glue. Where the walls sheetrock is compressing against the ceilings you do sometimes get a crack. Not always. But screws do pop there quite often.


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## Magic (Feb 20, 2014)

You cant just screw the pop in a couple turns, mudd and paint it. You must throw in a screw or two next to pops or it will pop again when the seasons change. 
Best way to see if its still popped is to bang your hand next to a screw right after you mudd it. If you see the drywall bounce it needs another screw.


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## blacktop (Oct 28, 2012)

Railman said:


> That's exactly why some builders spec it to not fasten ceilings within 12" or so distance from the walls. :no:
> Some building inspectors don't get it & have hangers fasten up to the wall anyway!
> 
> Joe


Your a sharp dude Railman !


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## icerock drywall (Aug 16, 2012)

sometimes the pop is because there is a gap between the wood and the drywall...so I remove the screw and put a little dap filler in the hole let dry and push on it a see if the day wall still moves. if it don't move I add a screw if needed then ff over the that and skim coat it


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