Hello:

I can post a picture later but wanted some initial advice (at work right now).

I have a ceiling over a covered porch that I sprayed down last year because of a mildew after the prior humid summer. As soon as I did, the tape started to fall at the seams. I figured I'd put it off till this summer to repair. Big mistake. I now have one section that the tape is pulling away and has taken a large section for what I assume is drywall with it. Basically, it's a 5' run, and to one side of the tape an 8" wide section of drywall is hanging there. It's about 1/16" thick. The rest of the drywall paneling is still there, as if part of the drywall just separated and started to hang. On other parts of the ceiling where the tape has failed there is just some droop of this 1/16" stuff, but not much hanging off.

Any idea why it separated there (I know the tape is the issue, but is drywall laminated or something)? Is it not really separated and that is some kind of plaster or something?

I plan to go home tonight and cut the hanging pieces off to stop it from peeling more as it gains weight. is that even a good idea?

Basically this is all a stop-gap until we remove all the exterior drywall to do a tongue and groove bead-board later this season.

Thanks!

EDIT: Just wanted to note: inside the flap where it has separated is clean as can be. There is no mold, it seems it was just a surface thing. Sure wish now I had just wiped it down instead of spraying it!

 

Drywall is not waterproof! The drywall used on the ceiling may or may not be water resistant drywall [I've seen both used] Joint compound is water soluble. If you are lucky, just the tape has failed which means you could remove the tape and refinish the drywall. The best solution would be to replace the drywall with vinyl or wood.

 

If the tape was the only only failure though, it shouldn't be a 8"+ WIDE section pulling away for the full run of the joint, right? And yet under it it's still white. So very weird. Wife is going to snap a pic when she gets home so you can see what I mean

Thanks for the reply.

 

While the tape is only 2" wide, the finished joint is normally 8"-12" wide. It's possible the mud covering the tape [feathered out on each side] also came off.
Once you post some pics I'll see if I still agree with me

 

Well, here you go. I am so glad you can't see this from the street/sidewalk, but the moment you actually set foot on my property... yikes.





So, should I start by cutting off those flaps?

 

Is the ceiling textured? It looks like the texture got wet and is coming off in sheets. You'd need to scrape off all the loose, tape and mud as needed, then retexture the affected areas to match the rest of the texture.

 

Nope, smooth white paint. No texture except what I added with my washing

 

The house was built in 2005, we bought it in 2012, and I think it had the original coat of paint on it. No indication anything was ever added/changed.

So, we are replacing it in the future with beadboard. Until then, should I just cut out the bad sections? Will that stop the droop spreading for now?

 

It's too thick to be peeling paint alone, might be a skim coat applied over the drywall. All you have to do is scrape off the loose and as long as it doesn't get wet, there shouldn't be any more peeling. It wouldn't hurt to at least primer/paint the affected area so it doesn't absorb moisture from humidity.

 

That makes a whole lot of sense thinking about what I am seeing. I didn't even know skim coating was a thing.

Now, another question for you When we decide to do beadboard, do you think we should:

1. Remove the drywall and attach the beadboard to the supports;
2. Remove the skim coat, paint the drywall, and then attack the beadboard to the supports through the drywall;
3. Leave it all up there and just attach the beadboard through the skim coat and drywall into the supports.

personally I think we should just remove the drywall and put up the beadboard (both sides primed of course).

thanks for all the help today, you have eased my mind a bit on this project

 

Want this to last and never have to prime or paint again and still look like bead board?
Beadboard - Trim - CertainTeed
They also sell vinyl cove molding to replace what's there and still have it look the same.
Anytime I've seen sheet rock, even outside rated sheet rock on a porch ceiling it's failing.

 

Sheetrock absorbs moisture out of the air. There is NO WAY I would ever use it outside... moisture resistant or not.

 

I'd opt for removing the drywall and then installing the beadboard BUT if there is insulation above the drywall - that would likely change my mind.

Personally, if I wanted painted beadboard, I'd go with the vinyl panels as they look nice and are virtually maintenance free. I have stained beadboard on my porch ceiling.