Problem with nails popping from panels

Soledad

We are currently painitng our new build, and have a problem with nails which were used to nail in panels which were then plastered popping out.
It has happened in a good few areas of the ceiling.
What is casuing this and will it continue to be a problem?
Is there anything we can do to correct the issue.

oneillk

Plasterboard should be screw fixed to the studs behind. But in reality, like in your case, they are nail fixed. If the nails are not adequately hammered home (without the head piercing the plasteroard), it leaves a small bit of room for movement in the plasterboard. The skim coat goes on and is then painted. But what happens is when you start to live in the house, people lean against the walls, or you hang a pic on the wall put up with a nail and hammer, or walking upstairs all causes vibration. Because the nails are not fitted correctly this vibrations allows the platernoard to move , when it moves the nails dont because because they are fixed to the studs and hence the skim coat over the nail head 'pops'.
I would reccommend you lightly bang (with the side of closed fist) all parts of your stud walls, up and down. this will cause the movement in the plasterboard and will pop the plaster where there are not fixed properly.

I know this might sound a bit much but look at it this way. You can decorate now and paiint your walls. but over a weeks, months and years, one by one these nail heads will pop. Destroying your painwork.
Its better to get rid of them all now. Once you have popped them all out. Use a punch and a hammer to hammer the nails home properly. then Polyfill and sand smooth and finish painting. This way you get them all at once.
Hope i explained that ok.
cheers

Elfish

oneillk wrote:

I would reccommend you lightly bang (with the side of closed fist) all parts of your stud walls, up and down. this will cause the movement in the plasterboard and will pop the plaster where there are not fixed properly.

Its better to get rid of them all now. Once you have popped them all out. Use a punch and a hammer to hammer the nails home properly. then Polyfill and sand smooth and finish painting. This way you get them all at once.
Hope i explained that ok.
cheers

Very good advice, the only solution really. With the proviso that whereever you have had a popper, place a new screw on either side of it. Otherwise you will be back where you started. Polyfilla, sand, paint. Sorted.

I feel bad seeing posts like these, I've worked on jobs where ceiling was put in by hammering the screws in (dodgey or what) cos couldn't be bothered getting proper nails and screwing the screws in would have taken to long.....I couldn't do anything about it as I had nothing to do with it but feel sorry for punter who shelled out good money for it

Soledad

Thanks for the info, now we know what to do to rectify the problem.

Wertz

You mentioned this is mainly happening in your ceilings...this is attributable to both badly nailed/screwed home gyprock and also movement in the celiing joists. When you move into an new, empty house and then put all your furniture and floors in upstairs it puts some weight on the joists and nails will inevitably pop.
Do what oneillk suggested above...if it keeps happening you might consider using caulk and a wet filling knife to apply it....the caulk is more flexible than plaster fillers...it will allow some movement without popping when it dries out....the only thing is you need to apply the caulk correctly first time as you can't sand it or flush it back when it dries.

roofer

the timber that is used for grounds for the plasterboard may have been damp when the plasterboard was in stalled.when it dries out it contracts, pulling the plasterboard with it causing the nails to pop,this can happen with screws aswell.ideally the timber should be allowed to adjust to the house temperature before it is installed.

kind regards
roofer:D

Elfish

roofer wrote:

ideally the timber should be allowed to adjust to the house temperature before it is installed.

kind regards
roofer:D

How long would this take roughly?

(say you were building a house and you didn't have the heating working but the windows and roof were finished ie closed house)

rooferPete

Hi Elfish,

I agree with all of the above causes, roofer knows well that the last time most of the subs on site saw a moisture meter was in the glossy trade mag

A closed house will not dry out properly any way fast, consider the amount of water used in the mixes for skimming alone, that water has to evaporate, if the house is closed the moisture will stay in the house.

The walls will dry out but the moisture will most likely end up in the timber floors causing the expansion and contraction which in turn will cause the "Buttons" on the ceilings.

Leave the windows open when possible, that will allow a through flow of air which will help the house to dry out.

Start you heating system slowly, preferably with as much air flowing through the house as the weather will allow, this will help the house to dry out slowly and reduce the shock effect of the timber drying too fast.

We have to remember that for many years houses had no central heating installed when built and a lot of native (green) timber used for the main structure, if heated too fast long cracks were not unusual.

I think it would be hard to work out the time needed for the house to dry out properly at a guess I would say six months is not too far off, then you must consider all the movement caused by the furniture / new weight as posted above.

Make sure the plasterer gets a slight indent with every nail / screw, if they miss the joist the fixing will stand slightly proud, usually if the same plasterer is slabbing he will pull out fixings that miss because they make skimming harder.

Regards,

Peter.

Soledad

We have not even moved in yet....worried now the place will be a right old mess when we start moving in furniture.