Drywall Repair

remove metal bead, sand down mudded area to allow for new bead and mud and start over. though this could be only a patch without finding the underlying cause of the cracks first. Movement in walls causing drywall to crack may be caused by many things and is a warning sign of a potential problem... have a pro investigate.

You don’t want to just feather over that. If cracks are showing along the metal corner bead, it usually means the bead is loose or the original mud has failed. The proper way to fix it is to open it up and do it right Cut and remove the cracked and loose mud along the corner Check the metal bead. If it’s moving at all, fasten it properly with screws If the bead is bent or damaged, replace it. No point trying to save it Once it’s solid, apply fresh compound in layers, feathering it out wider each coat Sand smooth, prime, and paint If you just skim over it without fixing the bead, the crack will come back. We see this all the time on rushed or older jobs. Done properly, that corner should stay tight and look completely seamless.

You must remove the loose mud, tighten the metal bead with screws, and re-mud because the cracking is caused by the metal shifting underneath. Simply feathering new mud over the top will mask the issue temporarily until the wall flexes again and restarts the crack. Scraping back the old material allows you to drive drywall screws through the metal directly into the wood stud, locking the corner permanently in place before you apply fresh compound.

Definitely remove the old mud first. Layering new mud on the existing mud will leave a weak joint and lead to cracking.