Many of us can attest to the annoyance and frustration of finding a nail pop on a once smooth and clean wall in your home or business. They happen at seemingly random times, and often regardless of the age of the building and quality of the initial wall installation. Even though there are ways to prevent and reduce the frequency of nail pops, unfortunately in most residential and commercial spaces they are inevitable.
So what’s causing these nail pops in the first place? Well as the name implies, nail pops are due to the nails embedded in the drywall popping and protruding out, causing unsightly bumps or blemishes on the walls and in the paint of your home or office. There are several reasons as to what causes drywall nails to pop out; let’s discuss a few of the common ones!
Shrinking Wall Stud
Our walls/drywalls are often structurally supported by being nailed to long wooden beams called studs. Over time, as the wooden studs age they lose moisture causing the wood to slightly shrink. This shrinkage creates a space between the stud and the drywall. Now, if any force is applying to the drywall (ex. it gets leaned on) it will close the gap between the stud and the wall but the nail will not follow, causing it to back out of the wallboard and create a bump on the wall surface that cracks and lifts up the paint.
Temperature and Humidity Fluctuations
Along with the dehydration of wooden studs, rehydration or fluctuating temperatures can also cause nail pops due to its warping of the studs. Any small movements in the structure of your building has the potential to dislodge nails and cause unattractive bumps and damage in the paint and surface. Unfortunately areas like the Durham region and the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) are subject to large temperature fluctuations throughout the seasons, therefore nail pops and damage to paint is even more prevalent in offices or residences in these places.
Inadequate Installation
As budget friendly as “do-it-yourself” home restoration may seem, often times it’s better to leave it to the professionals. A professional job will often leave you with the least amount of problems later on. It’s not uncommon for minor errors to sneak into home DIY’s simply due to a lack of experience, which can lead to costly repairs down the road.
Novice mistakes often made in drywall installation that lead to nail pops in the paint can be as simple as the following:
- Not choosing the correct length nail;
- Not installing enough nails;
- Not nailing into the wooden stud support.
The tips and tricks a professional contractor learns over the years and their skilled hands are exceptionally valuable, and are often the reason why a professional is able to get the job done exactly right and on a budget and timeline you’re happy with!
If you want a quality professional painter to help with any nail pops, sanding, mudding, wall or drywall repair, etc. then call 123 Paint! We offer complimentary on-site consultations and estimates to all our clients, and we’re equipped to handle both residential and commercial painting jobs! For more information or to contact us, visit our Home page or call us at (289) 675-1112!