Nail popping in walls

[JoMoEIT]

I recently completed an inspection for a building owner whose primary complaint was nail popping in the walls. There is a wood truss type roof with 5/8" gyp board nailed directly to the bottom of the chords and wood framed walls with 1/2" gyp board. Nail patterns on the roof and walls are cooler nails with standard spacing. Does anyone have any thoughts as to why this problem keeps recurring.

 

[SteelPE]

Are you saying that the nails are "popping out" (backing out) of the gyp and through the plaster? or are you saying that you are hearing a popping noise being made in the walls?

You might also want to look at this thread.

http://www.eng-tips.com/viewthread.cfm?qid=305096&page=1

 

[msquared48]

JoMoEIT:

Some questions to answer that will help...

How old is the home?
When during the day is this occurring?
Anytime, or certain times?
Is it happening at a specific location, or all over the structure?

Unless you are reading some nails on the walls or ceiling, chances are the popping is at another location, like the ends of the trusses at a connector to the top plate in a slip joint?

Is there any GSB distress showing up at the ceiling to wall GSB intersection?

Don't rule out waterhammer either, but

Forget the popcorn...

Mike McCann
MMC Engineering

 

[MiketheEngineer]

Happens all the time. Probably as the humidity changes - the nails move. That's why most drywallers use SCREWS!! I can't remember the last time I saw a screw "pop".

Easiest fix I have found is to take a drywall screw and set it just adjacent to the nail such that the head of the screw "hits" and locks the nail down. If you just hammer the nail back in - it will most likely just pop back out - eventually.

OR remove the nail and replace with a screw. Either way - it's re-tape and re-paint!!.

 

[JoMoEIT]

Guys,

-The nails are popping out of the drywall at the top of the wall
-It's a one year old structure
-The popping is in multiple units
-I'm not sure of the time of day
-It started earlier this year
-Occurs primarily at a partition wall where a mono-slope truss bears

I'm wondering if it can be the truss shrinking/swelling and pulling the whole wall back and forth with it? Does that sound feasible to anyone else?

Thanks for all the responses so far,
Brett Johnson

 

[bylar]

I have seen it often in the ceiling when the support is trusses and the drywall does not float to the walls but that does not explain the popping in the walls.
The usual method of installation even if using screws is to partially nail the wall boards until the remainer is screwed.

 

[msquared48]

There are connectors - DPC - and the like that Simpson makes to install on top ot partition (non-bearing) walls, that allow the truss to deflect vertically and not load the wall.

If these have been installed and the nails driven too much as to not allow easy vertical movement, that could be where the popping is coming from too.

Mike McCann
MMC Engineering

 

[emmgjld]

Referring to the thread in SteelPE post,
Have you ruled out foundation movement?

 

[a2mfk]

See it all the time doing forensic work. This is my standard paragraph, and have seen similar in other's reports. You can google this and get similar info. At the top of the wall is very common since sometimes they will use a couple of nails to temporarily secure the gypsum board. They should probably remove them after they screw, but they obviously don't...

Nail pops are commonly attributed to shrinkage stresses of the wood framing that push the nail out of the lumber, causing the head of the fastener to “pop” or protrude away from the surface of the paper face of the gypsum board. A longer nail shank will exacerbate this phenomenon. Screws and ring shank nails offer more withdrawal resistance, and are less likely to be problematic. In the case of ceilings, when too few fasteners are used to attach the gypsum board to the ceiling framing, the weight of the gypsum board may cause the fastener head to slightly crush the gypsum, causing a slight indentation. Other workmanship and material issues may also be exacerbating factors in these surface imperfections. Nail pops are not an indication of slab or foundation movements, and are considered minor cosmetic distress.

 

[JoMoEIT]

a2mfk,
That sounds like exactly what we are looking at. Foundation movement was ruled out due to this only occurring on the top floor where the monoslope truss bears. It's good to have some consensus on the matter. Thanks to all for your input on this.

Brett Johnson

 

[a2mfk]

I deal with foundation problems all of the time, and building owners will TRY too attribute any and all problems to differential slab and foundation movements. Like warped roof sheathing for example. Buildings can have all types of minor distress for a variety of reasons, which are much more likely causes than foundation movements.

It is not plausible that foundation movements could possibly cause internal forces within a wood-framed wall that would cause a nail to withdraw, much less a ceiling. The same can be said about a lot of finish issues. Especially if there is little in the way of distress that CAN be easily linked to foundation movements, like step cracks in CMU for example. I look at houses where there are almost no cracks in the exterior stucco cladding, but they think any problem with their interior finish IS related to foundation movements. Its a bit nonsensical, at least to a structural engineer.