Crack in walls

[stevedam850]

Just moved into a new house and found these cracks in the wall.

How would I repair these?
I’m a newb when it comes to these types of issues.

Thanks all!!

 

[stevedam850]

Other question is what creates the horizontal crack like in the 1st picture

 

[nealtw]

Other question is what creates the horizontal crack like in the 1st picture

Something has moved, if you have a basement see what might have been changed, like a wall recently removed , is this wall exterior or beside a stair case ?

 

[stevedam850]

Something has moved, if you have a basement see what might have been changed, like a wall recently removed , is this wall exterior or beside a stair case ?

Nothing’s been moved. There is a fireplace on the right hand side. Crack is old.

 

[Gary]

Crack in second photo is so clean, almost looks like a seem that was mudded without being taped first. It happens. I was looking to step up the completion date of our build and had a contractor come in to tape and finish the foyer. A crack showed up almost immediately. When I dug into it, they ran the tape beside the seem? Missed it.... Too anxious to get to the next job I suspect.

 

[stevedam850]

Crack in second photo is so clean, almost looks like a seem that was mudded without being taped first.

Yea I know. It’s bad. I’m thinking just using paintable caulk to cover it up.

Or maybe just using drywall repair gunk in a can to fill it in.

 

[Gary]

If it is a defective tape job, you could grind it out enough to tape it, re-mud and the crack would be completely gone, provided that's all that caused it originally. A caulked seam, while a faster fix, would always be a little noticable.

 

[nealtw]

Just cut a 1/4" v out of the crack and tape and fill , 3 coats with drywall filler. You can buy a small bucket of filler and regular drywall tape.