Unpopular opinion: That corner seam method everyone uses is wrong

I've been fixing jobs from three different crews this month where the seams are separating at doorways, and it's always because they used a straight cut instead of a staggered seam. A customer in Salt Lake City showed me a 6 foot gap that opened up after 2 months. Has anyone else seen this fail pattern in high traffic areas?

2 comments

2 Comments

robertsmith7d ago

A butted seam is a weak point. A staggered one shares the load differently.

-1

laura_knight546d ago

Notice the same thing happens with bricklaying or even good old plywood subflooring. It's just how stress finds the path of least resistance in any material.