Softness in drywall - small fix or major problem?

[radhak]

The other day a minor brush of some chair-leg put a hole in the drywall in our living room, right under a window, just above the baseboard. Upon inspection I found an area of 4" x 12" around the hole that is soft to the touch, as if immersed in water. (image below)

I was thinking of cutting out just the soft portion and putting in a patch of some sort (never done this big a patch before). Do I have reason to fear a bigger problem here? Could this softness have developed just because of some quirk in the drywall, or is it going to be bigger than that?

Single home, built in 2001/02.

[dbhost]

I would be greatly concerned about moisture having caused that softness. You won't know until you get that wall open though...

[Stytooner]

It can only be bad news. The severity of the bad news can vary though.
If lucky, it is just a little moisture damage and hasn't molded too badly. Reseal the window, replace the insulation and replace the sheet rock removed. It could be termite damage as well.
I was repainting a two story apt. once. There was a little bubble on the wall. After probing, it was found that termites had destroyed everything inside both walls ground to roof line and the entire wall on both floors had to be replaced.
They ate the paper off the drywall on the inside and just the tunneling through the gypsum had made the drywall soft to the touch.
Granted this was a worst case problem, but you won't know until you open it up and investigate.
I hope it is only a little moisture.

[radhak]

Whoa, termites ! Does it help that we had a termite inspection (entirely voluntary) two years ago and certified clean? Ditto mold.

Reseal the windows, replace insulation and sheet rock? I am now out of my depth here - have not done any of that, can it be DIY, or do I need a 'licensed contractor'? Or just a handyman? (Of course, if a handyman could do it, I could, right?)

When I open the wall, what should I look for - what are signs of this-or-that?

[nickg]

If termites not the cause, and since the 'soft spot' appears to be directly beneath the window, I'd bet moisture is getting from somewhere on that window frame. In some cases the water will roll down the slanted sill and then under it. If there's not a good exterior seal (caulk) the moisture will infiltrate the wall, get the insulation wet, then start absorbing into the sheetrock. You won't know what's going on until you can get some of the sheetrock open. Not hard to later repair if you can cut the old rock along the middle of studs.

[toolguy1000]

Whoa, termites ! Does it help that we had a termite inspection (entirely voluntary) two years ago and certified clean? Ditto mold.

Reseal the windows, replace insulation and sheet rock? I am now out of my depth here - have not done any of that, can it be DIY, or do I need a 'licensed contractor'? Or just a handyman? (Of course, if a handyman could do it, I could, right?)

When I open the wall, what should I look for - what are signs of this-or-that?

if you're asking about hiring a contractor for a repair that's as potentially simple as this one is, then i'd hire a contractor. all an uninformed and unskilled H/O can do is make a bad situation worse.

[JimD]

With respect to patching drywall, it is made easier if the patch can be applied at the location of a stud. In other words, if you could cut an opening that encompasses the area that is damaged and expand it sideways and up and down to where there is a stud, it will significantly simplify the patching. The larger opening will also alloy you to more readily examine the area.

At least further north than Florida, I would be thinking of condensation off the window as the water source. If that is what is happening, it might be somewhat unavoidable but it seems like a lot of water for that. Maybe not.

Mold is typically black or sometimes white and looks like a stain and/or fluffy areas. Clorox is good at killing it. Breathing the spores is not recommended.

Going back, you need to think about insulation and vapor barrier. You might also think about green board - water resistant - and the dry wall board compound rather than the pre mix because it is also water resistant. But if you can stop the water instead of trying to make the area resistant, that is far better.

Jim

[BigguyZ]

I'll echo the other replies. Softness is moisture. Moisture is bad. It's right below the window= big hint that the window is leaking somewhere. You'll need to cut open the drywall and examine the area. If you don't already know how to do this, then that's a pretty good indication that you should hire someone.

Personally, I wouldn't say a contractor is needed.

[Cochese]

Cut a square around the spot, and then expand the hole until you get to dry drywall.

But you need to investigate what's causing it in the first place. Contained moisture under a window will lead to mold, and that's a much bigger problem than whatever is causing it.

[Raffi]

I'd say with some certainty you have a leaky window :-( . As has been said, you are going to have to open up the wall to find out. Regular drywall likes to feed many kinds of mold, so do this sooner rather than later.

[leehljp]

I can't add any more to what has been said except to say that I had a similar problem and didn't heed my first hunch. I patched a soft spot and did a great job, only to have to re-do it 2 years later. Thankfully, I did not have any major damage to any wood, only a leak around the window that needed to be re-sealed, and resealed well!

[LCHIEN]

if nothing else, damp wood attracts termites. fix the leak, fix the wood, keep termites away.

[herb fellows]

Open up the wall and look at the back side of the wallboard.

If it is black and scuzzy looking (not just dirty) you may want to consider someone with mold removing experience.

If it isn't, cut a couple of inches beyond the wet part and leave it open for a few days to dry it out and to observe it. You might even try having someone hose near the outside while you observe from the inside and see if you get any water coming in.

Even if you can't find a leak, it's probably best to caulk everything up as tight as you can.

As mentioned previously, if you can get to a joist behind the wall, do so.

Don't try to cut a patch to match the hole. Cut a larger square and then cut your wall to match that patch. I only mention this because you seem unsure of how to go about it, and that's a mistake I made when I first did drywall patches.

I would put 2 screws through the wall board replacement into the joist and let it sit without taping for a couple of weeks. You don't want to have to re tape if there is still a problem.
Unscrew the patch and make sure there is no wet on it. If that's the case, you're ready to screw the patch back in and tape it up and slap some mud on it.
Good luck with it!

[chopnhack]

Radhak, from the few patches I have done, if the area is not too big, the california patch is a winner. USG's got a video on how to do it. http://www.usg.com/rc/videos/joint-c...r-video-en.wmv

Not an uncommon occurrence when installing windows in florida is for the dumb a$$ installer to put screws through the pan (lower sill plate), especially on vinyl windows this leads to future leaks and voided warranties. You may want to check for screws in the bottom piece and see where they are located.

[mpc]

I'll echo what the others have said:
1. water most likely

2. Remove more drywall than just the damaged part - you want to have a nice square/rectangle opening to patch.

3. Don't be afraid to make a big hole that you'll have to patch; larger holes are often easier to patch. Ideally you'll keep making the hole larger until the left and right side expose studs; half of the stud thickness should be exposed in the hole so it'll be easy to screw the new patch to the studs. Look up and down in the hole as you're making it; there may be horizontal studs (esp. under the window) that you can cut to as well. You can toenail (or toe-screw) horizontal boards (1x2s) at the top and bottom of your opening to provide backing for the patch. That helps stiffen the drywall when you get to the taping part. You'll see "drywall patch kits" at the Home Depot/Lowes/etc. home centers; these are usually sticky metal screens of some sort that are supposed to bridge the damaged area and adhere to "good" drywall. Except the screen ends up being proud of the wall surface making sanding everything smooth virtually impossible. Cutting out "good" drywall all the way to the studs, and then having a nice straight square/rectangle to patch, is actually a lot easier - and usually cheaper too. edit: I don't know what "the california patch" is that chopnhack mentioned; the video is taking too long to start... hopefully it works better than the screen kit I tried... and eventually ripped out and threw in the trash.

4: Insulation:there are several types you might find but odds are it'll be simple fiberglass batting - readily available and dirt simple to install. And guess what? To install it you'll need to be able to access the studs that surround each insulation batting - same ones you'll need for the drywall patch. When buying new insulation, get the same style as what's in there now - paper backed or not (should be - the moisture barrier) and attach it with simple staples.

5: Have a flash light and mirror handy so you can inspect the insides of the wall once the hole is opened up and any insulation is removed. Look for discolorations in any material; that's a sign of potential water. Try to locate where it's coming from; that info will help when you're examining the window area from outside the house. Remember though water can travel a long ways... so it may be coming from the top of the window (or even above the window), hitting the window inside the wall and running down the side of it... then into the area with damage. Any pipes, electrical conduits, etc. penetrating the outside wall above the window? They could be the leak. Garden hose/faucet outside that wall or any other reason for a water line in that wall? Vent pipe?

6: What is the interior finish - primer & paint directly on the drywall? Or is there texture too? If there is texture, that'll be the biggest challenge during the repair. Home Depot/Lowes sell spray cans of texture stuff for small areas. They work well for typical textures; if the wall has the scraped texture (i.e. after texture is applied a flat blade/trowel is used to knock off the points) you may have to practice a bit to get close. Overlap the texture spray with unpatched/undamaged wall area to help blend them; don't try to texture just the new patch. Also, it may work better if you apply the texture lightly... let it dry... then come back and spray again to build up a deeper layer. The spray can textures have an adjustable nozzle; it sortof works. Using multiple "coats" works better than trying to find the perfect nozzle adjustment plus can-to-wall distance plus rate of moving the can as you spray it... all of those affect the final texture.

7: Save a clean painted 2 inch by 2 inch chunk of the drywall when you remove it; bring that to your paint supplier if you have to get paint mixed to match.

In my new house I had a couple areas on inside walls that were a little soft to the touch. Not spongy soft... but rubbery. Turns out the prior owners patched holes (anything from small nail holes up to tennis ball sized holes) by back filling the wall with wadded up newspaper and then injecting silicone caulk. And they then painted directly over the caulk.

good luck

mpc