Use a stiff putty knife to scrape damaged mud, texture and paint from around the crack.
If it is simply filled with paint or spackle, a crack along a drywall tape seam inevitably returns. Because many cracks result from the natural shifting of building materials, the repairer must use a flexible filler, such as caulk, to ensure a lasting seal. Learn correct and prevent the return of cracks in drywall tape and restore your wall's appearance.
Instructions
1. Run a utility knife's blade through the drywall crack to loosen the paint, joint compound and drywall around the crack.
2. Press a stiff paint scraper or putty knife against the crack. Push the scraper along the crack's entire length to remove the loosened paint, wall texture and joint compound.
3. Scrape all paint, texture and joint compound from roughly 1 ½ inches on both sides of the crack; stop scraping when you reach drywall paper.
4. Clean debris and dust from the scraped area by brushing the wall with a soft brush and wiping it with a clean rag.
5. Insert a tube of caulk into the caulking gun; be sure to keep the tube's nozzle pointed away from the trigger.
6. Cut the tube 1/8 inch below the tip for hairline cracks and 1/4 inch below the tip for wider cracks. Puncture the tube's seal.
7. Position the tube's nozzle in the crack and pull the gun's trigger to release a stream of caulk. Apply a line of caulk on the crack, along its full length.
8. Press the putty knife against the wet caulk, flatten the blade's edge against the wall and draw the knife along the crack while exerting gentle pressure. Repeatedly draw the knife across the crack to force caulk inside and to smooth and blend the caulk with the surrounding wall surface. Allow the caulk to cure according to the manufacturer's instructions.
9. Apply a coat of latex primer over the cured caulk and the exposed drywall paper. Allow the coat of primer to dry.
10. Scoop a mound of drywall mud onto the edge of a drywall taping knife.
11. Press the wet mud onto the filled crack and draw the knife along the crack's length in a single, smooth motion. Wipe excess mud from the blade's edge by scraping the knife against the rim of the mud container.
12. Run the knife across the wet mud two or three times to smooth and blend its appearance. Allow the drywall mud to dry.
13. Paint the dried mud with a coat of primer with the paintbrush. Allow the primer to dry.
14. Remove the lid from a can of aerosol drywall texture if you are matching a wall texture. Attach the hose and nozzle to the can's tip. Point the nozzle at the repair area and press the can's release button to spray texture onto the wall. Spray the texture across the crack in smooth, sweeping motions.
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