23' hairline crack across garage ceiling in middle of joint compound, best fix?

Unfortunately right beside the lights, so it stands out a ton.

I went up and checked and it looks like the crack is surface only, the tape seems secure. Should I just V it out and fill and see if it holds over time? Use setting compound so that humidity doesn't affect it?

I should add, these are very bulgy drywall joints to begin with. This garage ceiling doesn't look like it was finished well (been like that since I bought it), so I am not too concerned about how it looks, as long as it doesn't look like it's falling on top of me.

Garage is not conditioned, but is insulated (seemingly all the way around, ugh), and there is a bonus room on top that is conditioned. Part of the issue might also be that there is the:

bonus room floor
insulation
a large air gap (maybe 8")
and then the ceiling drywall in the garage.

Also, would slapping a piece of 1x6 all the way across and painting it cause any issues? Tempted to fill the joint and then just do this to avoid any future look issues. Might do this across both bulgy joint runs.



Thanks!

 

Unfortunately, garages often get second rate sheetrock finishing. On mine, they didn't even put JC under the paper tape, just over top of it, and then put crappy texturing over walls and ceiling. Most of the tape is coming off in one place or another.

It doesn't help that garages often aren't conditioned space so they see a wide temperature swing in some areas, and a lot of humidity.

Anyway, If you're sure the tape is attached well (unlike mine) I'd probably try the repair with compound and see if it cracks again. Covering with a 1x shouldn't cause any issues, but I doubt you'll be happy with the look if a little crack bothers you now. If you want to go that route I suggest using PVC trimboard like Azek or the like instead of wood. It won't warp, has slightly broken edges, and paints well. You'll probably need to caulk along the edges that contact the sheetrock because there will likely be gaps.

Good luck with your project!

 

Most builders pay painters and drywall finishers by the sq ft of living space which basically means you do the garage for free ..... and some subs will do as little as they can get away with in the garage because they figure they aren't getting paid for it.

As long as both the tape and the drywall are secure, I'd scratch out the crack slightly and remud. Setting compounds are less likely to crack so that could be beneficial. Ideally you'd float the mud out further to make the joints more level.

IMO covering the joints with wood/pvc is more trouble/expense than it's worth! although if laid out symmetrically it could look ok. You would need to caulk the boards to make them look decent.