About Nail Pops
Nail pops are irksome imperfections that can be found on interior walls and drywall ceilings. If nail pops are not handled appropriately when they start showing up, they may become a recurring issue. Quarter-size, these nail pops are bubbles or dimples that happen at the time when drywall has been attached to the wood framing (whether by drywall screw or nail). This usually happens when a new home is settling. Thankfully, there are ways to get rid of nail pops easily. Does this Spark an idea?
Other People Are Reading
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Prevention/Solution
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Repairing nail pops is a rather easy process. There are a few things you will need to get to do so. Some of these things you probably will already have in your home. You will need a hammer, drywall screws, nail punch, a 4-inch drywall taping knife, fine-grit sandpaper, multipurpose joint compound, safety glasses and a drill with a screwdriver attachment.
Function
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To repair nail pops, simply drive the nail head below the drywall board surface. Make a circular impression on the board, and be sure not to smash it. Then, use a new drywall screw and force it into the ceiling joist near the older nail head. This should put the screw head just under the surface of the drywall. Now, fill up the holes with some joint compound on a putty knife. Smooth it out and make sure it's even. Once it's dry, paint it so that it matches with the rest of your ceiling.
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Theories/Speculation
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Nail pops are unsightly and annoying. So what exactly causes these nuisances? Nail pops come about as a result of movement inside the wall because of a gap between the wood wall studs and wallboard. There are two possible reasons that this could happen: improper screwing or nailing, or wood shrinkage. A way to get around this issue is to use construction adhesive on the studs to ensure that the wallboard and studs stay together.
Expert Insight
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Improper fastener length can also add to a nail pop problem. When you install drywall, make sure that the screws go through the stud by a minimum of 5/8 of an inch. As for nails, they should go through the stud by at least 7/8 of an inch. Be sure not to set the fastener too deep as tearing the surface paper could lessen the holding strength of the fastener.
Considerations
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There is one other major reason you should consider as a possibility for why you have nail pops. In new construction, nail pops can occur as a result of dimension lumber that has not fully dried out. As the new construction dries, the lumber starts to shrink, which causes the nail pops to start appearing.
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