ShareThisQ: I own a house that was built in 1999 and am concerned about the number of drywall screws that have started to protrude from the walls and ceiling. Several of the screws have "popped" off the mud or spackle that was used to cover them, and, from what I can tell, they appear to have rusted.When I purchased the house in 2006, I noticed only one protruding screw; only during the past year have the others started to do this, too.This problem is occurring in almost every room of my more than 1,700-square-foot home, and I need to know if it is more than just an eyesore.A: Screw and nail pops are most likely caused by the movement of the wood used for wall studs and ceiling joists.The natural lumber used to construct a home will expand and contract as humidity levels rise and fall. This often happens as the weather changes from summer to winter and vice versa.Ceiling-nail pops are most likely caused by the shrinkage of the ceiling joists as the newly constructed home begins to dry.The ceiling joists will dry fairly rapidly because the attic floor is insulated and attic temperatures can be much higher than 120 degrees in the summer.As the ceiling joists shrink, there is a pulling force on the nail or screw pulling it away from the drywall, leaving a concave nail pop.Nail pops on a wall can be caused by wood shrinkage, wood expansion or improper installation.When the humidity inside the home increases, the wall studs will expand and push on the screw or nail, leaving a convex or crowned nail pop. A nail or screw pop indicates the fastener has failed and needs to be replaced.Each concave nail that has popped needs to be hammered deeper using a hammer and a nail set.If the pop is convex, you need to add additional fasteners near the affected area.Screws rarely fail, but when they do, simply remove and discard the rusty screw and install one or more new screws near the damaged opening.After the fasteners have been installed and the popped spackling has been removed, simply respackle the pops, sand and paint. This is lots of work, but this has worked for me for years.There is one other type of nail pop that is caused by improper installation. If a nail or screw has been installed too close to the edge of the drywall, the drywall will crumble and fail at that point.The nail or screw needs to be removed and located farther from the edge of the drywall. This is especially true of a ceiling fastener located too close to a wall.Drywall manufacturers recommend the installer not use fasteners within 16 inches of a wall.To prevent future nail pops, you need to regulate the humidity inside the home by removing any water from the foundation, set the air conditioner at 75 degrees or lower -- the air conditioner dehumidifies the air -- make sure the clothes dryer is vented to the outside (could be loose or leaky) and use bathroom and exhaust fans when bathing or showering.(Dwight Barnett is a certified master inspector with the American Society of Home Inspectors. Write to him with home-improvement questions at C. Dwight Barnett, Evansville Courier & Press, P.O. Box 286, Evansville, Ind. 47702 or e-mail him at d.Barnett(at)insightbb.com.)
Popped screws fixed with a few steps
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