If you've noticed a straight crack or gap appearing on your drywall, chances are that the seam between two pieces of the drywall has split. This generally means the drywall tape normally used to connect the drywall sheets has either split up the middle or wasn't properly installed to begin with, making the joint compound (plaster) weak and breakable. Fixing the problem isn't difficult, but it is messy and time-consuming. Plan on being without use of the room for several days.
Instructions
1. Run your power sander with 80-grit sandpaper along the seam where the gap is. Take off the paint and the existing joint compound until it's just down to the drywall. If drywall tape is embedded in the joint compound, pull it out. Make the sanded area six to eight inches wide with the gap in the middle.
2. Lay a piece of mesh drywall tape along the gap. With your drywall knife, spread a line of joint compound over the tape, covering it and going an inch or two past the edge of it. (The seam should be four to six inches wide.) Smooth out the compound completely with the knife.
3. Let the compound dry for a few hours until it's solid. Sand it by hand with your drywall sander, taking out all the bumps and ridges. Apply a second layer of joint compound, making it slightly larger than the first seam (about eight inches wide.)
4. Let the second coat dry, sand it and apply a third coat. Make it wide (about 10 inches) and very thin.
5. Let the second coat dry, sand it smooth and repaint the wall.
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