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Drywall Finish Problems

By
©1993-2012 Tim Carter

        
Summary: Joint banding or telegraphing in drywall is caused by the drywall paper and the joint compound having different textures. They both absorb liquids differently. Seeing shadows on the drywall is a result of this. To repair your drywall, create a uniform textured surface that absorbs liquids evenly.

Related Articles: finishing techniques, drywall finishing tips, drywall problems

DEAR TIM: I have a strange problem. During different times of day and at night, you can see strange shadowing on my new drywall walls. When I slide my hand over these areas they feel smooth, yet they appear uneven. This problem comes and goes with the changing seasons. Is there something wrong or should I schedule a visit to the eye doctor, as my wife suggests? R. S.

DEAR R. S.: There is no need to go to the eye doctor. However, I do suggest that you schedule an appointment for your wife! Your photographs clearly show to me that you are a victim of 'joint banding' or 'telegraphing', as it is commonly referred to in the trade. To make matters worse, your walls were painted with a gloss paint which magnifies the problem.

In order for me to explain just what is happening, I had to dust off my high school physics book. The root of your problem lies in light reflection. The light bouncing from your drywall is not doing so in a uniform manner. This is caused by several things.

While the surface of the drywall appears smooth to the touch, it is in fact comprised of two entirely different surfaces. The drywall paper itself has a completely different texture than the joint compound used to fill the joints and cover the nails and screws. Not only that, the paper and the joint compounds can absorb liquids unevenly. Herein lies part of the problem.


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When your painter applied the paint, the paint film was not able to adequately disguise these different textures. When light hits these surfaces at a low angle (morning and afternoon), it reflects differently from the paper and the joint compound areas. Because the paper has a slightly rougher texture than the joint compound, the light rays from the sun are scattered by the rough texture. The light bounces more uniformly from the smoother joint compound areas of the wall surface.
This problem comes and goes with the changes in seasons, because the angle of the sun changes in the sky. Your problem is evident at night because of the recessed lights in your ceiling. These lights cast direct light onto the wall at a low angle.

You can solve the problem very easily. All that has to be done is to create a uniform texture on the drywall surface that absorbs liquids at a uniform rate. Ordinary paints do not have this ability, for the most part.

Fortunately, there is a very simple way to enable the light to bounce uniformly from your walls. There are special paints which can be applied to the drywall that will perform this task. These paints contain special compounds which seal the paper and the joint compound so that they absorb subsequent coats of paint at a uniform rate. These paints also contain lots of small solid particles that fill the uneven texture of the paper to make a uniform surface.

Many of these paints are very affordable. Almost all of them are both easy to apply and environmentally friendly. They can also be applied to your walls, even though they have already been painted. Many of them have rapid drying times which allows you to apply the finish coat of paint the same day.

One final tip, try to use flat wall paints whenever possible. These paints, generally speaking, when viewed under a microscope, have a rougher texture than glossy paints. This rough texture enables them to trap the light rays and scatter them as they leave the surface of the wall. This scattering effect can often hide very small imperfections which would otherwise be visible had you used a glossy paint.




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Comments:

Welcome! I, Tim Carter, don't answer questions here. If you post a question here in the Comments Area, perhaps another visitor will help you. You need to go to the Ask Tim page if you want a question answered. Once there, look closely at how many weeks behind we are. Please be patient as you use this free service. If you have an emergency and need to talk to me, there is an option there for you.
Rick
28 Jan 2008, 09:24
Tim,
You specify special paints, but do not say what kind of paint, what it's called, or where to get it. Can you please provide examples?
Thanks.
AsktheBuilder
28 Jan 2008, 11:15
Rick,
I do that on purpose....... Why? Paint companies disappear, they change names and discontinue products. So I always talk about *properties and characteristics* you need to buy. Go do that. Go to a paint store and take a printout of this column.
oak
15 Feb 2008, 09:59
i am about to undertake a new job, the customer wants the walls rougthing before being dabbed can you tell me the benifits of this as the walls are brick but fairly flat.
AsktheBuilder
15 Feb 2008, 17:38
Oak,
Sorry, I can't. Your terms mean nothing to me over here in the states.
Tiffany
02 Mar 2008, 13:14
Hello my name is tiffany and we are getting ready to remodle our mobile home but i have a question before i begin it we recently painted a room in this trailer and the painted pilled off the drywall some one said there is like a glossy like finish on the drywall they put in a trailer im really not sure but i wanted to know what i can do to prevent that this time is there something i can put on the walls before i paint so that it dont come off? please let me know thanks so much
AsktheBuilder
08 Mar 2008, 10:20
Tiffany,
Please go read ALL of my Painting columns. You will discover what to do and why the paint peeled. No doubt it was operator error.
Doug
11 Jun 2008, 17:06
My bedroom ceiling is untextured drywall. There are slightly dark stripes visible and they are spaced evenly (at the joists?) I don't think that this is "banding" as you have discussed, but may be related to moisture. Have you ever noticed this, and what is the cure? Thanks.
Mike
13 Nov 2008, 15:21
I started putting mold/moisture resistant gypsum sheetrock in my brothers basement, cause thats what he wanted. I just found out that it can't be plastered, Is that true? And if so, What can I do besides joint compounding the whole area? Thanks
Val
01 Dec 2009, 01:54
Hi,
My husband decided to install dry wall on a family-room to be. However since we have no experience, the final product is an uneven, bumping, and bolging wall. I do not want wallpaper the wall. Would you please give me any suggestion of do-it-yourself paint technique or texture paint?The ceiling has the same problem.
Thank you so much.
Dave
04 Mar 2010, 12:36
After 15 years in this home we are starting to see where all the drywall screws are. We've painted several times aver the years and never noticed this problem before. The problem is on all outside walls and the can be seen from floor to ceiling on each stud.Any help on a cause and a fix would be appreciated.

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