Drywall tape seaparting from celing in 5-8" sections-repair 4 repainting?

Question

Drywall tape is seaparting from celing in 5"-8" sections. We need to repair so we can repaint the ceiling. Superglue the answer? I am afraid if I rip it down (or cut the bad section) it will look obvious. Wife thinks best bet might be just to caulk the "bubbles" then it wont be so obvious. There are also some nails that have "popped" out. I have taken a nail punch and put them back in but should I just cut the drywall protrustion then cut out the drywall then re plaster? I tried to push it back but it didnt go back enough. The ceiling is lightly spackeled.

Answer 1

First strip away all the old tape where its peeling or damaged, continue stripping it until you get to a spot where the tape is still good. Cut the tape right there. While you're pulling all that old tape, be careful because dried flakes of the original compound will come off. After you've pulled all the damaged tape away, get a scraper and scrape all the loose compound away. You said the nails have popped out? You'll want to go back with screws instead of nails. The screws will hold better and help you to push the drywall back to its desired location. Next you need to reapply some new compound. Get a fairly wide putty knife, six inch one should do fine. Spread the compound into the seam where you pulled the tape off. Install the new tape, pushing the tape into the wet compound. Next, take your putty knife and smooth it down nice and flat. Don't worry if a little excess compound comes out, just scrape the excess away. You'll want to make sure you don't smooth it with the putty knife on too much of an angle or you'll push too much compound out of there. Keep it fairly flat and you'll be fine. Keep smoothing the edges until you get the air bubbles out. Now, let that dry. After it dries, sand down any high spots of the compound. Then you'll want to apply another layer of compound, but this time go about six inches wider on each side of the seam. Lightly sand that down. Let it dry. One more layer, going six more inches on either side than you did previously. Lightly sand all that down till its all feathered in over the surface. Just make sure after its all dry that there are no high spots or anymore holes to fill in. If it has some high spots, lightly sand it down till its smooth. If you see some pin holes or cracks, just fill them in and lightly resand it. That should do it, and you shouldnt have any trouble painting it. I know it sounds kind of tedious but if you just try to patch the old tape back in, its going to retain moisture and start peeling again. It's likely moisture that caused it to peel away to begin with and if you just use the same tape and glue it back, you'll wish you hadn't later on. Trust me. Just make sure that where the drywall has pushed out, that theres no water damage. If so, you will probably need to replace panels of drywall, which may be easier anyway. I strongly advise doing away with the nails and going back with drywall screws. They are much more effective and if you have a power driver to drive the screws, you should be able to push the drywall back in much easier than with a nail. If you need any additional help, feel free to email me at [e-mail].

Answer 2

Repair Drywall Tape

Answer 3

You might as well do it right. You are going to have to use drywall mud to cover the popped nails so you might as well fix the tape. Remove the bad tape, apply mud to the ceiling and retape it. Let that dry, lightly sand and repeat twice. This should get the joint flushed out and you are ready to prime and paint.