Ceiling Cracks: When They Are Cause for Concern

Cracks in your home's ceiling could be an indicator of much bigger issues in your home, or they might be drywall tape giving way. The key to determining how concerning ceiling cracks are in your home is figuring out what is causing them.

Potential Causes of Ceiling Cracks

Foundation Settlement

Let's start with one of the most concerning potential causes of ceiling cracks. All structures are prone to some amount movement, especially immediately after construction, and settlement over time.

However, significant settlement can cause structural foundation problems along with the cracks. This is because the settlement is usually differential rather than uniform. When portions of the house settle a different amount than others, it throws the home out of alignment. The stress caused by this can cause cracks in walls, slab floors and, yes, ceilings.

Because it can be a sign of foundation failure, it is important to contact the experts at Pierman Foundation Repair Services of Oklahoma as soon as the cracks caused by settlement appear.

How to Determine if a Crack is Caused by Settlement

Cracks caused by settlement tend to have certain characteristics. They are more likely to be spiderweb in shape or diagonal in direction. They also tend to emanate from the wall rather than being in the middle of the room. If the cracks are getting larger with no other apparent cause, this can be a sign of settlement issues as well.

Plumbing Leaks

One of the things that can cause cracks is a weakening of the materials forming the ceiling. Nothing does that quite as quickly as a plumbing leak above the ceiling.

How to Tell if a Crack is Caused by a Plumbing Leak

Two things can make it readily apparent. First, is the crack immediately underneath a bathroom or other location where piping would be running? Second, does the area around the crack appear damp or discolored?

Excess Loading

A ceiling is designed to support a certain amount of weight. If more than it is designed for is loaded on top of it, the force can cause cracking.

How to determine of the crack is caused by excess loading

First, is the crack more centrally located? Second, does there appear to be a dip in the middle of the ceiling?

If so, check to see if there is something that could be placing excess stress upon that portion of the ceiling from above.

Drywall Tape Giving Way

You want the least concerning ceiling crack? Here it is. Purely cosmetic, not structural in the least. No further issues, no expensive fixes, just a mildly annoying visual that can be fixed without any impact on the rest of your home.

Whether because of age or installation issues, drywall tape giving way isn't a concern. If it occurs alongside other symptoms of foundation problems, perhaps pressure related to the house being out of alignment caused the taping to give way. If this is the only issue, however, you can likely breathe a sigh of relief.

How To Determine if Drywall Tape is the Cause

First, is your ceiling drywall? If not, this is obviously not the cause. Second does the crack run in a noticeably straight line? The taping is going to follow the edges of the drywall panels, so if they go in a direction the drywall wouldn't, your problem is unfortunately something else.

Ceiling Crack Solutions for the Muskogee, OK, Area

If your ceiling cracks are the result of a settling or sinking foundation, the most common repair method is underpinning. This process involves the installation of helical piers or steel push piers to support and lift the foundation to its original level. These piers stabilize the foundation to prevent future problems. Then you can repair the crack itself without worrying that it will just open up again because of the ongoing foundation problems. For all of your ceiling crack repair needs, contact the experts at Pierman Foundation Repair Services of Oklahoma.