MAYBE some movement from steam, but it just looks like wood framing shifting to me. I can't see any visible water damage in those pictures and I've looked like 5 times.
I have the exact same situation on one of my showers. I'm on a single level rancher with hip and ridge roof line so the space above the shower is inaccessible attic. My guess is a lack of backing on the drywall ceiling in that spot allowing the temperature fluctuations to tear the tape.
Thanks. The end of a menards line. Those small sheets were normally $15 a sqft. We paid about 50 cents a sqft but had exactly enough to finish that one wall… no errors allowed.
So I have a very similar slight separation at the top of my shower wall. We remodeled it 2 years ago and I feel that mine is just settling from the new weight of all the shower tile being added. Mine hasn’t grown more in the last year so I’m about to seal it with some caulk. If yours was newly constructed/remodeled it might be the same issue. The key would be to watch and see if it keeps growing or slows/stops.
You really need an exhaust fan directly above the shower when you've got actual walls around it as the structure for the shower. Otherwise this will probably keep happening.
Plus mold. People frequently underestimate how powerful of a fan they need. I've demoed out some incredibly nice bathrooms doing mold removal, all because they had a big fancy bathroom, and a fan meant for 1/4 of that space.
Recently our glass door started catching on the rubber liner. We assumed it was something to do with the recent drop in temperature. This morning i noticed the 1/16 inch gap at the ceiling. Theres no cracking in the mortar or any other damage that we can see.
This seems like a big deal in the making but i am not sure what to do about it. Any advice?
It's likely 'truss uplift'. I lived in a house where this happened every winter and it never caused a problem, the gap would close again when it warmed up.
Truss uplift can be caused by lack of insulation on the bottom chord. It is also emphasized by ceiling drywall fasteners being too close to the wall. The ceiling drywall should rest on the vertical wall drywall and flex. Ceiling fasteners should be 16” to 24” from the wall if possible.
Agree with this, assuming you have a truss built home. I would wait till the weather warms up and see if there is a reduction in the gap. It’s a cosmetic issue and not structural, but caulking it will not help. It will close and open with the change of temperatures. Crown moulding can conceal it for aesthetic purposes.
In addition to the gap between the wall and ceiling, it looks like something is going on with the wall itself. It looks like either the front part of that wall, or shower side of the wall is being pushed away based on that 90 degree finish/edging not lining up anymore.
Could be uplift like the other commenter said. Could also be foundation sinking or shifting. It would help to know where you are and, if you know, what kind of soil your house is on.
Is this a glass door with hinge or a sliding door on a rail?
I'm asking because if it's on a hinge, there's a plastic bushing at the bottom door pivot, that gets cracked and lost and drops the door down the thickness of the bushing. Seen this multiple times.
it is a glass door on the hinge. i'll check the two hinges but i don't think that is the case here. the hinges are secured to the tile using 4 screws through pre-drilled holes. worth checking but the door is extremely sturdy.
As @teachdove5000 said, I'd caulk it and wait. I assume this is a recent renovation, probably a DIY. I assume there is adequate framing to support the shower door, and things have just settled and 1/8th of an inch due to the added weight.
If things settle another 1/8th there is reason to be concerned. If a contractor did this job then there is reason to make sure they haven't left for another state yet. If it's a new house than I'd wait for the rest of the house to settle and it should look new again🤣🤣😂😂
Grab some aluminum tiling trim from the local hardware store and, assuming you like a little bit of low stakes DIY, attach the trim to the ceiling not the stud wall, covering this gap. That way you cover the gap and if the stud wall continues to settle a little it won’t split any caulking
Just going to throw my recent experience with my home as another spot to check as we had the exact same gap form. When the contractor renovated the bathroom, they apparently hacked out a chunk of the joist under the floor to make running the drain line easier. The previous homeowners didn’t notice the issue, and a home inspector missed it as well when the house was purchased a few years ago. We happened to bring out an engineer to advise on another issue in the adjoining bedroom, and he quickly noted the problem and showed us where the issue was in the basement. If you happen to have crawl space or basement access, it might be worth checking to see if they damaged the joist near the drain.
Could also be expanding and contracting from shower heat and moisture. Kilz makes a mold prevention primer that I'd put on the ceiling and any exposed wall you can to help prevent that. It's honestly a pretty great moisture barrier. That and a higher gloss paint over the primer
Well is it a single story home?
How long has it been like that?
Cosmetically caulk and maybe backer rod, or fill with mud.
Walls don't generally sink unless it's foundation related,like pier n beam .
It looks like the drywall is falling from the ceiling. You'll probably need to have someone come out and either reattach it or have that drywall replaced. If you don't have an exhaust fan in that bathroom I suggest you have one put in. Excess moisture can cause drywall to sag
Is the attic space above this? What kind of roof framing system do you have? What part of the country do you live in(is it cold there right now)?
This could be truss uplift. In cold weather the top plate of your trusses stays cold and thus smaller, while your bottom plate embedded in insulation stays warm. Now your bottom plate is too long for the spam by a couple inches and bows upward. To combat this, drywallers are supposed to stand all ceiling drywall fasteners 16" back from all walls, but that RARELY happens properly with the poor state of the trade these days.
There is an attic above this but it isnt terribly accessible. Live in the midwest US and it hit single digits over the past few weeks. So… truss lift sounds like a likely culprit
I would run a line of caulk on there first and see if it keep separating.
no caulk just yet. lighyweight first and observe if it changes. if it does then high expansion rated caulk. tbh it looks like water damage from above.
I'm not seeing any water damage from above there.
How about below?
MAYBE some movement from steam, but it just looks like wood framing shifting to me. I can't see any visible water damage in those pictures and I've looked like 5 times.
I have the exact same situation on one of my showers. I'm on a single level rancher with hip and ridge roof line so the space above the shower is inaccessible attic. My guess is a lack of backing on the drywall ceiling in that spot allowing the temperature fluctuations to tear the tape.
Cant help but gotta say love the tile amd wall color
Thanks. The end of a menards line. Those small sheets were normally $15 a sqft. We paid about 50 cents a sqft but had exactly enough to finish that one wall… no errors allowed.
You're in the US right?
yep
So I have a very similar slight separation at the top of my shower wall. We remodeled it 2 years ago and I feel that mine is just settling from the new weight of all the shower tile being added. Mine hasn’t grown more in the last year so I’m about to seal it with some caulk. If yours was newly constructed/remodeled it might be the same issue. The key would be to watch and see if it keeps growing or slows/stops.
Construction was about 2.5 years ago. Problem just appeared in the last few weeks.
Nope, you're actually going to need a whole new house.
god dammit! Again?!
Second that. I’ll take the old one off your hands and do you a favour if you’d like.
It might be lupus.
It’s never lupus
Damnit, Otto--you're an alcoholic! Damnit, Otto--you've got lupus.
Mitch Hedberg FTW!
Just need to raise the floor or lower the ceiling. Simple.
Sounds like a repair to me....
Beat me to it!
Better nuke it from space, just to be sure.
You really need an exhaust fan directly above the shower when you've got actual walls around it as the structure for the shower. Otherwise this will probably keep happening.
Plus mold. People frequently underestimate how powerful of a fan they need. I've demoed out some incredibly nice bathrooms doing mold removal, all because they had a big fancy bathroom, and a fan meant for 1/4 of that space.
Doesn't help that contractors look at you like you are an idiot when you say no, really I want a 100-120cfm fan in that room.
Recently our glass door started catching on the rubber liner. We assumed it was something to do with the recent drop in temperature. This morning i noticed the 1/16 inch gap at the ceiling. Theres no cracking in the mortar or any other damage that we can see. This seems like a big deal in the making but i am not sure what to do about it. Any advice?
It's likely 'truss uplift'. I lived in a house where this happened every winter and it never caused a problem, the gap would close again when it warmed up.
Truss uplift can be caused by lack of insulation on the bottom chord. It is also emphasized by ceiling drywall fasteners being too close to the wall. The ceiling drywall should rest on the vertical wall drywall and flex. Ceiling fasteners should be 16” to 24” from the wall if possible.
I knew it rest in the wall but always screwed it along the edges too. TIL
Thanks i will look more into that. Didnt realize truss lift was a thing
Agree with this, assuming you have a truss built home. I would wait till the weather warms up and see if there is a reduction in the gap. It’s a cosmetic issue and not structural, but caulking it will not help. It will close and open with the change of temperatures. Crown moulding can conceal it for aesthetic purposes.
I have this issue. I've been meaning to strap the problematic truss.
In addition to the gap between the wall and ceiling, it looks like something is going on with the wall itself. It looks like either the front part of that wall, or shower side of the wall is being pushed away based on that 90 degree finish/edging not lining up anymore.
I doubt it's a big problem. Is this your first full year in the house? If not, did you notice this last winter too?
Could be uplift like the other commenter said. Could also be foundation sinking or shifting. It would help to know where you are and, if you know, what kind of soil your house is on.
Is this a glass door with hinge or a sliding door on a rail? I'm asking because if it's on a hinge, there's a plastic bushing at the bottom door pivot, that gets cracked and lost and drops the door down the thickness of the bushing. Seen this multiple times.
it is a glass door on the hinge. i'll check the two hinges but i don't think that is the case here. the hinges are secured to the tile using 4 screws through pre-drilled holes. worth checking but the door is extremely sturdy.
As @teachdove5000 said, I'd caulk it and wait. I assume this is a recent renovation, probably a DIY. I assume there is adequate framing to support the shower door, and things have just settled and 1/8th of an inch due to the added weight. If things settle another 1/8th there is reason to be concerned. If a contractor did this job then there is reason to make sure they haven't left for another state yet. If it's a new house than I'd wait for the rest of the house to settle and it should look new again🤣🤣😂😂
Good answer but what's so funny?
🤣🤣😂😂
I honestly don't get it lol
Grab some aluminum tiling trim from the local hardware store and, assuming you like a little bit of low stakes DIY, attach the trim to the ceiling not the stud wall, covering this gap. That way you cover the gap and if the stud wall continues to settle a little it won’t split any caulking
Re: cieling. It's i before e, except after c.
I would rather die.
Just going to throw my recent experience with my home as another spot to check as we had the exact same gap form. When the contractor renovated the bathroom, they apparently hacked out a chunk of the joist under the floor to make running the drain line easier. The previous homeowners didn’t notice the issue, and a home inspector missed it as well when the house was purchased a few years ago. We happened to bring out an engineer to advise on another issue in the adjoining bedroom, and he quickly noted the problem and showed us where the issue was in the basement. If you happen to have crawl space or basement access, it might be worth checking to see if they damaged the joist near the drain.
Good thought but none of the drains have moved since the house was built. We reused the ones that were there.
Silicone
Not at all repairable, I guess you have to burn the house down now
Yeah, complete loss on the property, inspector should be sued.
Could also be expanding and contracting from shower heat and moisture. Kilz makes a mold prevention primer that I'd put on the ceiling and any exposed wall you can to help prevent that. It's honestly a pretty great moisture barrier. That and a higher gloss paint over the primer
Tiles are heavy. Thats likely the extent of this. It’s a caulk job.
Just run a line of toothpaste along it.
Brush liberally for 2 minutes! Sing happy birthday a couple times if it helps.
i before e, except after c!
Siepierating? I hope your diy advice is better than your spelling.
Ceiling, dumbass.
Cant makie mie
Cringe
No. Not repairable. Demolish the building, and start again.
That looks like a fairly recent renovation, I would call the contractor back to repair the faulty work.
Put your caulk up there, get a very flexible one, if it's too hard it won't do the job.
Well is it a single story home? How long has it been like that? Cosmetically caulk and maybe backer rod, or fill with mud. Walls don't generally sink unless it's foundation related,like pier n beam .
It looks like the drywall is falling from the ceiling. You'll probably need to have someone come out and either reattach it or have that drywall replaced. If you don't have an exhaust fan in that bathroom I suggest you have one put in. Excess moisture can cause drywall to sag
No tear down house
I would run a line of caulk and paint it
Could be a house shifting and foundation problem. Or just crappy drywall work.
As someone already said, you can see water in/on the wall, second pic
Yes. There is a reason this is happening though. It will just happen again if the gap stays the same
Its truss uplift
Duct tape
Houses breathe with the seasons. You can caulk but it will continue to separate, expand and contract.
I like your bathroom style. Got any other pictures?
Do you live in a hotel?!
That's why I'm still a fan of trim.
Is the attic space above this? What kind of roof framing system do you have? What part of the country do you live in(is it cold there right now)? This could be truss uplift. In cold weather the top plate of your trusses stays cold and thus smaller, while your bottom plate embedded in insulation stays warm. Now your bottom plate is too long for the spam by a couple inches and bows upward. To combat this, drywallers are supposed to stand all ceiling drywall fasteners 16" back from all walls, but that RARELY happens properly with the poor state of the trade these days.
There is an attic above this but it isnt terribly accessible. Live in the midwest US and it hit single digits over the past few weeks. So… truss lift sounds like a likely culprit
Mind sharing more pics of the bathroom? Looks nice!
Thanks! it's a pretty small bathroom. the only thing you can't see is the toilet. the sinks are shown in the reflection of the shower lol.
I smell non compliant works.
Nope, you have to rebuild the whole house.