Drywall Nail Pops

If you’ve noticed a single drywall nail pop, then you might not think too much of it, especially if it isn’t very visible. Once you start noticing more, however, you might wonder if it’s something you should worry about. The truth is, it doesn’t matter if it’s a single nail pop or multiple; at the first sign of one, you should take action. 

When to Worry 

A sudden nail pop on your drywall is something you should always worry about because of what it implies. While it is true that drywall nail pops can appear thanks to poor materials or installation, you never really want to take a chance with your home’s structural integrity. 

Because there’s always the possibility that your foundation could be settling, you don’t want to wait on getting that inspection to make sure that your foundation is stable. Doing so can cost you thousands in repairs. Dry Pro offers free inspections, so you won’t be losing anything by doing so. 

Why You Shouldn’t Wait 

Even if there are only a handful of nail pops, there’s still a chance for things to get worse quickly. Charlotte’s soil erodes rapidly due to the amount of clay the subsoil contains. The erosion is especially bad during the summer when rainfall is constant and the exposure to moisture is high. 

Given how quickly soil erodes and how much a foundation can settle, the handful of nail pops on your drywall can turn into an excessive number of holes. While it is true that the holes can be patched up, you don’t want to wait for it to get that far, especially because it’ll cost you more time and money the more holes you need to cover up. 

Because drywall nail pops are usually a structural problem, you might be wondering if you’ll need to replace your drywall for the problem to be fixed. Despite how ugly nail pops may be, replacing the entire wall may not be the best way to go about doing things. 

Replacement 

Before you go on to replace your drywall, think about why the nails are popping in the first place. If it’s a foundation problem, then you it would be best to get that issue resolved first before thinking about replacing your drywall. Drywall replacement can be anywhere between $1,000 to $2,000 depending on how big your house is and how much drywall you mean to replace. 

By not addressing the problem first, you’ll be spending thousands of dollars on a new wall that will eventually display the same issues later. Before you think about replacing, you should speak to an expert first to determine what the best course of action is. 

Repairing 

Repairing drywall with nail pops can be done no matter how many nail pops there are. It’s relatively easy to replace the nail and then cover up the holes, although you might want to hire a professional if your wall is covered with an excessive number of holes. You’ll want to make sure that all the nails are in place properly, and it can be difficult to make sure of that because of how small the holes can be. 

In the case of nail pops due to poor materials, hiring a professional is immensely helpful. They’ll be able to tell you which bad materials caused the nail pops and will provide your drywall with better materials. A professional also will be able to tell you what needs to be repaired first before the drywall is even looked at. If there are any foundation problems, then those need to be addressed before the wall is. 

If your drywall problems are caused by foundation issues, then there are multiple ways to go about fixing them. Usually, foundation problems are caused by settling.  A settling foundation can be stopped with the right solutions, and, luckily, DryPro has the right ones for homeowners in Charlotte, NC. 

Helical Piers  

Helical piers are made of solid, galvanized steel. They have helix blades attached to one end of the shaft, which helps installers drive them deep into the ground until they reach load-bearing soil. Foundations settle because the soil underneath the house is no longer stable, which is what causes the house to settle and tilt against the uneven soil layer. Because the house shifts, the nails in the drywall pop out. 

To rectify this issue, the house needs to rely on something more stable than the uneven soil that causes the settling in the first place. Deep underground, load-bearing soil layers reside. These soil layers are capable of supporting the weight of the house without shifting. The helical piers transfer the weight of the house to the stable soils and permanently stabilize the house. Once stabilized, the weight of the house is distributed correctly, so the drywall nails will no longer have a reason to pop out. 

Push Piers 

Push piers are similar to helical piers except they are hollow and don’t have any blades. Instead of being driven into the ground like a screw, they are hydraulically pushed in until reaching the necessary soil depths. They also help support the house and transfer its weight to the load-bearing soils below. Like helical piers, they are a permanent solution to foundation settling, meaning that you won’t have to worry about drywall nail pops after the piers are installed.  

Push piers rely on the weight of the house to act as a counterbalance so that the piers can stay in place, which is why they are more suitable for larger, heavier homes. Lighter homes aren’t heavy enough to keep the push piers in the ground, in which case helical piers should be used instead. Because push pies have to carry such heavy loads, our push piers come with a specially designed external sleeve that prevents bending below the bracket. This design makes our push piers more reliable than commercial-grade push piers.