# Crack next to Chinmy



## Pete Martin the Painter (Nov 8, 2012)

Is joint compound and tape the best approach to this crack. Is along the entire 2 story chimney. My concern with this approach is how close the crack is to the brick. Seems like it will be a lot of work to ensure it does not look like a mess when I am done.









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## Wildbill7145 (Apr 30, 2014)

Lots of twists and turns there to get tape to cover both sides of the crack reliably. I don't really like the idea much but I wonder if caulking it would be an option. You'd have to do an impeccable job of smoothing it out. It won't look perfect, but it'd certainly be a major improvement over what's there now.

Is that fireplace actually being used? Wonder if the crack is being caused by the expansion and contraction of the brick from heat? If so, I wonder if something like Big Stretch would perform better than mudding and taping.


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## Vinyl 54X (Mar 12, 2019)

He is right it may butt up tight when the fire is going and shrink away when cold. Might be best to do nothing.


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## Joe67 (Aug 12, 2016)

How about you run a little piece of trim up that corner? The mating to the brick will still be "lumpy" but it won't look so ragged. I didn't do it, by mine has a pc of doorstop. Looks fine...


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## finishesbykevyn (Apr 14, 2010)

I concour with Bill and Joe. Either a thick bead of quad or even better, a piece of flat stock trim. But don't caulk the trim after. It will just keep cracking because its not actually attached to the chimney.


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## jr.sr. painting (Dec 6, 2013)

It was caulked the first time around so don’t re invent the wheel. Even using tear away bead would be a waste of time.


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## SemiproJohn (Jul 29, 2013)

I agree that a piece of trim would work best. Of course, you would have to install another piece on the other side as well to make a uniform appearance, even if there is no cracking issue there.


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## Redux (Oct 27, 2018)

I usually use flat tear away beads for similar situations which are installed using spray contact adhesive plus a few stainless steel staples followed by mudding the beads. They work well for drywall-to-masonry transitions as long as the bricks aren’t too far out of whack. They’ve got a little flange just proud of the bead which keeps the mud off the brick and out of the small transition joint which then gets torn off after mudding. 

Flat Tear Away | Trim-Tex | Drywall Products


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## Pete Martin the Painter (Nov 8, 2012)

Redux said:


> I usually use flat tear away beads for similar situations which are installed using spray contact adhesive plus a few stainless steel staples followed by mudding the beads. They work well for drywall-to-masonry transitions as long as the bricks aren’t too far out of whack. They’ve got a little flange just proud of the bead which keeps the mud off the brick and out of the small transition joint which then gets torn off after mudding.
> 
> Flat Tear Away | Trim-Tex | Drywall Products


This looks like a really good option. Do you treat this like a normal mud repair...meaning would I put several coats of mud and feather out. Trying to determine how long something like this would take.

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## jr.sr. painting (Dec 6, 2013)

It’s going to take three coats. I like to use bagged compound for the first coat. The tear away has no holding strength. Once that brick moves again it will re crack. 


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## Redux (Oct 27, 2018)

Pete Martin the Painter said:


> This looks like a really good option. Do you treat this like a normal mud repair...meaning would I put several coats of mud and feather out. Trying to determine how long something like this would take.
> 
> Sent from my SM-A600U using Tapatalk


I’d use a setting type compound for the first coat and be certain to work it into the bead mud holes to fill any voids beneath the beads. Also applying a strip of mesh tape embedded in the setting compound couldn’t hurt. I’d follow up with 2 coats of AP premix and avoid using lightweight.

I also wanted to offer correction that I meant PSA and not contact adhesive. I’ve installed the Trim Tex using PSA as well as setting the beads in AP, and the latter method sometimes resulted in cracking with L-beads, yet I’ve never experienced cracking with the PSA and staples. 

The brick isn’t going to move either, otherwise the mortar would be cracked. It looks like the drywall was butted up to the brick and never beaded or flat taped. “Any” drywall joint not beaded or taped would crack just the same, so I wouldn’t be concerned about cracking.


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## Joe67 (Aug 12, 2016)

Makes me crazy when the drywallers do stuff like this. There are multiple ways to make that a clean line without attaching to the brick and making for the problems of expansion / contraction.

A pc of trim of some kind will be very fast and easy (finish coat it first). The tearaway will be "cleaner" but will take longer. My own approach would be to consult with the HO, especially if it's a T&M job.


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## kmp (Jan 30, 2011)

Try using clear caulk and caulk it tight and keep a damp rag handy.


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## Tundra02 (Oct 22, 2014)

IDK how much of a carpenter you are .But this would be the best way IMO


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## Redux (Oct 27, 2018)

Tundra02 said:


> IDK how much of a carpenter you are .But this would be the best way IMO


I’ve scribed thin laminate strips rather than using tear away beads in a few instances when terminating drywall at uneven masonry and other surfaces, securing the laminate to the drywall with spray adhesive followed by applying a bonding agent to the laminate face and feathering out the edges with mud. I’ve used the laminate when beads aren’t an option. The drywall surface needs to be really flat before installing the laminate. It’s a bit time consuming but works really well.


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## Masterwork (Sep 13, 2020)

What about j mould


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## Pete Martin the Painter (Nov 8, 2012)

Joe67 said:


> Makes me crazy when the drywallers do stuff like this. There are multiple ways to make that a clean line without attaching to the brick and making for the problems of expansion / contraction.
> 
> A pc of trim of some kind will be very fast and easy (finish coat it first). The tearaway will be "cleaner" but will take longer. My own approach would be to consult with the HO, especially if it's a T&M job.


This is a very nice house on the water in one of the more affluent towns in MA. Based on some of the comments that the HO made seems like some of the contractors were either of low quality or they cut corners. 

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## Pete Martin the Painter (Nov 8, 2012)

Redux said:


> I’ve scribed thin laminate strips rather than using tear away beads in a few instances when terminating drywall at uneven masonry and other surfaces, securing the laminate to the drywall with spray adhesive followed by applying a bonding agent to the laminate face and feathering out the edges with mud. I’ve used the laminate when beads aren’t an option. The drywall surface needs to be really flat before installing the laminate. It’s a bit time consuming but works really well.


I have very limited carpentry skills. I have been forced to learn, with the help of a friend that is a carpenter, on my 212 year old house. So, this option is a bit more than I would want to take on. 

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## celicaxx (May 29, 2015)

One thing you can do for a caulk line in that scenario would be to use tape. Obviously due to the brick waviness it's not going to be 100% perfect of a line, but you can caulk and possibly even use tape on the drywall and use a silicone caulk style spreader. Then you're not worried about trying to wash it perfectly with the bricks, and using the silicone style spreader will allow a thicker fill. 

Of note, if you need to caulk with silicone you more or less have to use this tape method, or use alcohol for cleanup, but using masking tape will give a better line.


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## celicaxx (May 29, 2015)

Tundra02 said:


> IDK how much of a carpenter you are .But this would be the best way IMO


I'm not a great carpenter. :/ That would be something above my paygrade. At the same time, I do keep a miter box (not whole power saw) and saw in my supply boxes, and I think doing some minor carpentry has helped me over the years. People are thrilled if you tack on a little to their bill if their bathroom has a missing baseboard or two, or you can rehang a railing on studs, give it brand new metal bits, and make it feel rock solid. Same with a screen door not shutting properly, if you can in some minor manner shim it out and put a few screws in some place before you paint, I feel like it pays dividends for some customers.


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