Structural clues

Interior · Walls · printed page 355 (PDF page 356)

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Book index entries

Structural Clues Structural Clues on Interior Walls Interior Walls

Text in the illustration

cracks on interior finishes show up on outside
exterior wall
movement of more than 1/4"
gaps between walls and ceilings
doors/windows out of square
interior wall
load-bearing or non-load-bearing partition?
non-load-bearing partitions often crack and sag if supported by a single parallel floor joist
sloping floors
walls out of plumb
joist direction

Generated explanation

A cutaway room corner illustrates visible clues to structural movement in exterior and interior walls. A crack extends toward a window opening, and a dark separation at the wall junction is labeled as movement of more than 1/4 inch. Other annotations identify wall-to-ceiling gaps, out-of-square doors or windows, sloping floors, and walls out of plumb, with a plumb bob shown beside the exterior wall. Dashed lines indicate floor joist direction, parallel to the interior partition. A note warns that non-load-bearing partitions often crack and sag when supported by a single parallel floor joist.