Cut out and replace the drywall
1 of 4Photo 1: Saw and slice the drywall around the crack
Remove the door trim and cut the drywall horizontally (with a drywall saw or utility knife)
to the nearest stud. Then use a utility knife to slice down the center of the vertical stud
and also down the center above the door.
2 of 4Photo 2: Cut and screw on the patch
Cut the patch with the tapered side facing
the ceiling and screw it into place with 1-1/4-in. screws.
3 of 4Photo 3: Bevel the edges
Bevel all the cut edges. That will give the
joint compound more "bite" and remove
any jagged paper edges.
4 of 4Photo 4: Mud, tape, sand, mud
Apply joint compound and tape to the vertical seams and embed the tape. Then tape the
bottom horizontal seam and finish at the wall-to-ceiling seam. Follow up with sanding
and two additional coats.
If you have a door or window with a
crack on either side traveling up to the
ceiling, there’s probably a drywall butt
joint behind it. Installers aren’t supposed
to seam drywall at the end of
doors, but sometimes they do. Houses
settle, and wood expands and contracts,
and that area is very susceptible
to cracks. A taped joint just isn’t strong
enough to handle the stress. Patch the
crack and it’ll nearly always show up
again. The only real fix is to cut out the
drywall and put in a solid sheet spanning
the crack-prone zone. The materials are inexpensive, and the job takes about
eight hours (spread over a few days).
Sure, you’ll have to repaint, but you
have to do that anyway, every time you
repatch.
Start by cutting out the cracked
drywall (Photo 1). Then cut all the way
through the taped joint at the ceiling. Remove the old pieces of drywall and
any exposed screws and nails. Cut a
single sheet of drywall to match the
new opening. Screw the new sheet into
place (Photo 2). Then clean up all the
cut edges (Photo 2). Tape and mud the
new seams using paper tape
and lightweight joint compound (Photo
4). To avoid repainting and patching
against the ceiling, “flat tape” that
seam by embedding tape in the mud
against the surface (Photo 4).
