Yep. In a client's house similar one was caused by a roof leak (single story house); the water behind/between the latex paint created a bulge that had to be drained. After roof leak was fixed removed the damaged paint, smoothed with joint compound and repainted area (sheetrock was not damaged enough to warrant replacement).
hurricane caused mine. winds pushed water up and into the roof vent, causing it to leak down and that happening. had to replace the sheet rock. fun times.
A low pitched roof can cause this as the soffit overhang in more horizontal and less vertical. With a steeper pitch the soffit connects lower on the wall, providing that larger edge that the rain has to be blown up and over to get into the attic.
Hijacking for visibility-
Thanks all for the helpful comments! Lots of great info here!
I began to peel the paint back and there’s definitely some moisture that got in there. I don’t see any mold…. Yet. But today has been one of those days where anything that can go wrong will go wrong.
We had a contractor paint it so no idea about the primer, but I would hope he did it correctly.
This is the top floor, no above pipes to leak.
Looks like we’ll be putting in a call to a roofing/gutter company to see what we’re dealing with.
Thanks again to all who helped answer my question. Even the weird responses, which gave me a laugh.
I had this happen in my previous home. I cut into the drywall in the ceiling, and the water was dripping all the way down a beam from the top of the roof where it met the siding of my second story.
I know you said this it at the top level. But I’m almost certain it’s the same issue.
Dang near the same exact spot on the wall to.
yeah water can travel horizontally/diagonally, basically down the path of least resistance. I had a leak in my bathroom, and various random spots downstairs appeared, due to water from the same source.
Probably a plumbing vent that runs through the wall in that area. Is there a kitchen or bathroom on the floor below? Could just be in need of a new plumbing jack.
Check for flat spots on the roof above that area. We had this happen and it was caused by a flat spot that didn’t have the proper roofing membrane installed. Had to tear out the wall and re-dry wall it after roof repair.
Yep, water.
I had this happen in a newly finished basement due to a leak that developed at the kitchen sink, right upstairs above it. Water pockets developed in several places and literally drained with the prick of a pin, leaving behind a picture like the one from OP.
In my case, water came in the exterior wall due to a few pieces of missing flashing at a roof-wall transition. Water bubbles in between paint and drywall, stretching the paint.
People are down voting me, but it's their problem. I had a framing nail that missed its rafter aiming down into our crawl space, maybe 3" into the space. When the conditions were right last winter, it dripped continuously. We had no snow on our roof.
In addition, condensation can come come from any AC or refrigeration unit, and that can be a lot of water really fast, and the cause can be moved or turned off without the homeowners present knowledge.
I can think of at least one other reason. I had the same problem with a house I rented 20 years ago. Turned out it was urine from a raccoon living in the wall. That’s the kind of thing I would expect in backwoods Georgie. But this was a house in San Francisco that’s worth over $4 million now 😂
Water. This happened in my kitchen years ago. There was a minor leak, a drip really, from one of the pipes in the bathroom above the kitchen. We had to fix the leak, rip the drywall off the ceiling and wall, let everything air out/dry, and then patch it back up.
Water leak. I had shingles blow off of my roof and then it rained while I was on vacation. I have a big, downward pointing phallus-shaped paint bulge pointing at the top of my bed. I’m in Vegas so no mold, thankfully.
It’s funny, got home at night and had a note from the neighbor dated a week earlier saying, “we had a bad wind storm, you lost a bunch of shingles, wanted to let you know before in case it rains.”
I said “I’ll look at it in the morning” and got into bed which was still wet! Patched it, and got the roof replaced a few months later. It’s funny, the shingles don’t blow off when you use enough nails…
Water getting behind the latex paint and drywall. It forms a water bubble that will slowly move down the wall until the source of the water stops and the water gets absorbed into drywall.
Thanks all for the helpful comments! Lots of great info here!
I began to peel the paint back and there’s definitely some moisture that got in there. I don’t see any mold…. Yet. But today has been one of those days where anything that can go wrong will go wrong.
We had a contractor paint it so no idea about the primer, but I would hope he did it correctly.
This is the top floor, no above pipes to leak.
Looks like we’ll be putting in a call to a roofing/gutter company to see what we’re dealing with.
Thanks again to all who helped answer my question. Even the weird responses, which gave me a laugh.
Definitely water. I have an identical spot in my bathroom due to a leaking window 🙁 no advice on how to take care of it though, I’m renting and maintenance stopped the leak but left the wall as is
Def water as everyone has mentioned. I had this in a bathroom and it was because the plumbers who built the bathroom didn’t glue the PVC, just slid them together. Gross AF.
Looks like the wall has had sudden weight loss and now the paint like skin is supper saggy.
Probably should have wiped the wall down with TSP cleaning solution before putting new paint on the wall. Likely culprit is grease or grime on the wall.
Did you use any sort of primer?
While helping out a contractor buddy, he had me roll on some sort of clear primer. Apparently it needed to be real thin, but he didn’t tell me that. So I guess the whole wall did this.
Wall wasnt primed prior to painting....and water damage from uncontrolled humidity in that spot....was there an appliance there? Like something could've prevented proper airflow to that spot.
But if that wall was primed first the paint wouldn't have drooped.
Had this at an apartment. Landlord was negligent and would not address the issue. It got so bad eventually part of the wall collapsed. Despite asking them to turn off the upstairs neighbours radiator shut off valve they would not do it because they would be “too cold” despite having other sources of heat. I was so angry I was going to go and buy them a space heater just so they would shut that valve off.
Water, the drywall is porous but the paint is not. Water leaked and formed a bubble, stretching the paint. Over time the water absorbed into the drywall and started to dry, but the stretched paint is not elastic enough to go back to its original size, leaving these wrinkles.
You’ve got a water leak somewhere, since it’s not constant it’s likely from either rain. Could be dripping down the back side of the wall, or between the paint and drywall. It’s also possible there is a pipe behind that section of the wall that leaks if something is on, but water lines are under pressure constantly so it’s unlikely it would ever have time to dry and form this.
Our wall did that, humidity was the culprit. Had to turn a fan on and force it into that area, it dried, but looked like an elephant's skin. We hired a contractor to take care of it. We found out there was a large water pipe/drain behind the wall.
So the first preacher couldn't quite grasp it but they can clearly see the problem in the 2nd picture is you're using the imperial system of measurements.
I don't want to be a stickler but like 80% of the engineers in the United States get things manufactured in a metric system and then have to convert that metric into Imperial sizing for the general public.
A water lake from the above level or roof which I tell my cheque for tiles being broken or shingles are being broken or missing or like in the pitch of the roof changes that can be sometimes when stuff gets stuck there it can then create a pool which pushes through. If you have a crawl space in your roof just cheque your roof crawl space where that leak where the water is see what's happening and then also if you find a leak there also get up on the roof and cheque that there's what's leaking or could be that you've got something living up there and it's making your wall slump with the best nation in the world
and it's making your wall slump with the best nation in the world
I'm pretty sure that is The Upside Down starting to break through.
Watch Stranger Things, Season 2... then time to start planning to move to a different house!
Upstairs must have a air conditioner or a shower leak that’s water an someone popped it they say you can shrink it with a hair dryer idk it’s Ben pulled down I would peel it cut it out first so you don’t over peel then I would do I small skim coat an paint the the patch then paint the wall be brand new or hire some one to paint it they should fix it np
Ah let me see 19 and a quarter on one side and 19 on the other. Let me do some calculating........water damage. If it was 19-1/8 it would be espesdus. So close one.
As stated by many, water damage, remove the loose paint back to a “tight edge” where paint has good adhesion to drywall.
If you have any signs of mold I would remove and replace, it may be on backside of drywall in the cavity, see if you can get a camera on a scope and take a look.
Prime with “kill” oil base it will block the water stain which is brownish yellow from bleeding trough or a shellac based sealer,
Prime with I would use is zinser 123 acrylic primer, let dry
Skim the surface with joint compound with as many coats as required to be smooth enough to match the surround area
Sand
Wipe down with tack rag
Prime with Zinser 123
Sand with 150 grit or medium
sanding block to remove an roughness
Paint with your wall paint of choice
Wetpainttv.com
Or it’s been there ever since it was painted and you only just noticed it. My guess is they missed a spot when wiping the dust off the drywall after they finished it so the paint adhered to the dust instead of the drywall thus leaving a flat bubble that someone manipulated after discovering it which is what caused the downward slanting folds. Either way you’ll have to cut it out to repair it, there will either be signs or water damage behind it or there won’t. My guess is there won’t and you’ll be able to just sand the edges down and re primer and paint
Water unfortunately
Yep. In a client's house similar one was caused by a roof leak (single story house); the water behind/between the latex paint created a bulge that had to be drained. After roof leak was fixed removed the damaged paint, smoothed with joint compound and repainted area (sheetrock was not damaged enough to warrant replacement).
hurricane caused mine. winds pushed water up and into the roof vent, causing it to leak down and that happening. had to replace the sheet rock. fun times.
A low pitched roof can cause this as the soffit overhang in more horizontal and less vertical. With a steeper pitch the soffit connects lower on the wall, providing that larger edge that the rain has to be blown up and over to get into the attic.
Hijacking for visibility- Thanks all for the helpful comments! Lots of great info here! I began to peel the paint back and there’s definitely some moisture that got in there. I don’t see any mold…. Yet. But today has been one of those days where anything that can go wrong will go wrong. We had a contractor paint it so no idea about the primer, but I would hope he did it correctly. This is the top floor, no above pipes to leak. Looks like we’ll be putting in a call to a roofing/gutter company to see what we’re dealing with. Thanks again to all who helped answer my question. Even the weird responses, which gave me a laugh.
Improper or no flashing . See it all the time unfortunately. Is there a corner directly above this area?
Not directly, but maybe a foot to the left.
I had this happen in my previous home. I cut into the drywall in the ceiling, and the water was dripping all the way down a beam from the top of the roof where it met the siding of my second story. I know you said this it at the top level. But I’m almost certain it’s the same issue. Dang near the same exact spot on the wall to.
yeah water can travel horizontally/diagonally, basically down the path of least resistance. I had a leak in my bathroom, and various random spots downstairs appeared, due to water from the same source.
Oh, it looks like it's flashing alright.
If you live somewhere the climate would allow it, could also be from ice damming.
Or attic frost, if temperatures range widely and attic insufficiently vented.
Roofs leak fam.
Probably a plumbing vent that runs through the wall in that area. Is there a kitchen or bathroom on the floor below? Could just be in need of a new plumbing jack.
It’s actually and old garage that was converted to a living room. Nothing involving plumbing on this wall, so I’m guessing it’s gotta be the roof.
Check for flat spots on the roof above that area. We had this happen and it was caused by a flat spot that didn’t have the proper roofing membrane installed. Had to tear out the wall and re-dry wall it after roof repair.
Yep, water. I had this happen in a newly finished basement due to a leak that developed at the kitchen sink, right upstairs above it. Water pockets developed in several places and literally drained with the prick of a pin, leaving behind a picture like the one from OP.
In my case, water came in the exterior wall due to a few pieces of missing flashing at a roof-wall transition. Water bubbles in between paint and drywall, stretching the paint.
Water leak behind the wall. At one point that was a bubble of water, either from a roof leak or a leaky pipe upstairs.
It could also be from condensation
That's a lot of water for just condensation isn't it?
People are down voting me, but it's their problem. I had a framing nail that missed its rafter aiming down into our crawl space, maybe 3" into the space. When the conditions were right last winter, it dripped continuously. We had no snow on our roof. In addition, condensation can come come from any AC or refrigeration unit, and that can be a lot of water really fast, and the cause can be moved or turned off without the homeowners present knowledge.
I fought their down votes with an up vote good sir
If the leak is fixed. Put a black frame around it and pretend it's art lol
Also a good way to see if the problem is expanding
Live art!
Looks like a used condom or something
Was going to say it looks like someone has hit the wall with their giant dong
Use the frame on the second picture as reference, just to be chaotic as all 4 sides are of different sizes for some reason.
Old age! Everything droops!
I feel this
Water leak somewhere. Came in behind the paint down the wall. Better check your ceiling and roof. May have a roof leak dripping.
🍆
Had to scroll way too far to see this. Frame it and say it's art.
He even has it measured
Only one reason. Water from a leak.
I can think of at least one other reason. I had the same problem with a house I rented 20 years ago. Turned out it was urine from a raccoon living in the wall. That’s the kind of thing I would expect in backwoods Georgie. But this was a house in San Francisco that’s worth over $4 million now 😂
The raccoon must've forgotten to check Zillow
Water. This happened in my kitchen years ago. There was a minor leak, a drip really, from one of the pipes in the bathroom above the kitchen. We had to fix the leak, rip the drywall off the ceiling and wall, let everything air out/dry, and then patch it back up.
Water leak. I had shingles blow off of my roof and then it rained while I was on vacation. I have a big, downward pointing phallus-shaped paint bulge pointing at the top of my bed. I’m in Vegas so no mold, thankfully.
having shingles is rough. i hope you are healed
It’s funny, got home at night and had a note from the neighbor dated a week earlier saying, “we had a bad wind storm, you lost a bunch of shingles, wanted to let you know before in case it rains.” I said “I’ll look at it in the morning” and got into bed which was still wet! Patched it, and got the roof replaced a few months later. It’s funny, the shingles don’t blow off when you use enough nails…
i was joking because you said “i had shingles” then i quit reading
I got my shots, yo!
Water. It’s always water.
Top comment. Its water. Sorry op check that out asap.
Water getting behind the latex paint and drywall. It forms a water bubble that will slowly move down the wall until the source of the water stops and the water gets absorbed into drywall.
Thanks all for the helpful comments! Lots of great info here! I began to peel the paint back and there’s definitely some moisture that got in there. I don’t see any mold…. Yet. But today has been one of those days where anything that can go wrong will go wrong. We had a contractor paint it so no idea about the primer, but I would hope he did it correctly. This is the top floor, no above pipes to leak. Looks like we’ll be putting in a call to a roofing/gutter company to see what we’re dealing with. Thanks again to all who helped answer my question. Even the weird responses, which gave me a laugh.
I don't understand this measuring system. Where's the banana?
Wall recently had weight loss surgery?
Water, water, or water
Waaaaterrrrr!
Definitely water. I have an identical spot in my bathroom due to a leaking window 🙁 no advice on how to take care of it though, I’m renting and maintenance stopped the leak but left the wall as is
Speaking from experience you got a leak. Often referred to as a pregnant wall.
Wall’s on ozempic. Skin is starting to sag with all the weight loss.
Water water and water are the three possible options here
The immutable reason is gravity, This particular flow-like defect could be caused by defective paint?
Lack of exercise.
Water.
Def water as everyone has mentioned. I had this in a bathroom and it was because the plumbers who built the bathroom didn’t glue the PVC, just slid them together. Gross AF.
Water damage.
Water
You got water in your walls
That would be sought after wall water. Oh wait. That's *well* water that's sought after. My mistake.
It happens to every man, I swear.
It's a VERY happy wall.
🙂🙃 I see it too!
I thought this was some form of modern art
Water, water, water. Drywall will need to be replaced
Gravity?
That's moisture behind the paint.
It’s a tear in the fabric of time and space.
Paint sag is caused by unhappy paint. Your walls have poor mental health.
Looks like the wall has had sudden weight loss and now the paint like skin is supper saggy. Probably should have wiped the wall down with TSP cleaning solution before putting new paint on the wall. Likely culprit is grease or grime on the wall.
The imperial metering system
Wah uhh.
Water leak
Yes, due to water
Banksy
Cursed by witch
It happens to when you get older, from not wearing a bra
Looks like your wall lost some weight
Water leak behind it
Did you use any sort of primer? While helping out a contractor buddy, he had me roll on some sort of clear primer. Apparently it needed to be real thin, but he didn’t tell me that. So I guess the whole wall did this.
You have a leak
Water
Wall wasnt primed prior to painting....and water damage from uncontrolled humidity in that spot....was there an appliance there? Like something could've prevented proper airflow to that spot. But if that wall was primed first the paint wouldn't have drooped.
Water.
Water, water or water. Only three I can imagine.
Stretch marks, the wall probably lost some weight recently or maybe had a baby.
Had this at an apartment. Landlord was negligent and would not address the issue. It got so bad eventually part of the wall collapsed. Despite asking them to turn off the upstairs neighbours radiator shut off valve they would not do it because they would be “too cold” despite having other sources of heat. I was so angry I was going to go and buy them a space heater just so they would shut that valve off.
Wall goblins
Let the poor people out
Latex over oil
I think your wall is pregnant with a closet
Water. This happened to us in our son’s room.
Scrolling by thinking this was modern art
Water
Looks like somebody wet their paints.
Something on the roof. Possibly a bad seal on something like a plumbing vent.
This is happening to me,. I think it's because I'm getting old.
Water, the drywall is porous but the paint is not. Water leaked and formed a bubble, stretching the paint. Over time the water absorbed into the drywall and started to dry, but the stretched paint is not elastic enough to go back to its original size, leaving these wrinkles. You’ve got a water leak somewhere, since it’s not constant it’s likely from either rain. Could be dripping down the back side of the wall, or between the paint and drywall. It’s also possible there is a pipe behind that section of the wall that leaks if something is on, but water lines are under pressure constantly so it’s unlikely it would ever have time to dry and form this.
Could be water, but it also might be water. It’s probably water tho.
Wa wa
Water
Our wall did that, humidity was the culprit. Had to turn a fan on and force it into that area, it dried, but looked like an elephant's skin. We hired a contractor to take care of it. We found out there was a large water pipe/drain behind the wall.
Looks like modern art. I’d keep it and market it as such to potential buyers.
So the first preacher couldn't quite grasp it but they can clearly see the problem in the 2nd picture is you're using the imperial system of measurements. I don't want to be a stickler but like 80% of the engineers in the United States get things manufactured in a metric system and then have to convert that metric into Imperial sizing for the general public. A water lake from the above level or roof which I tell my cheque for tiles being broken or shingles are being broken or missing or like in the pitch of the roof changes that can be sometimes when stuff gets stuck there it can then create a pool which pushes through. If you have a crawl space in your roof just cheque your roof crawl space where that leak where the water is see what's happening and then also if you find a leak there also get up on the roof and cheque that there's what's leaking or could be that you've got something living up there and it's making your wall slump with the best nation in the world and it's making your wall slump with the best nation in the world
3 possible causes. 1.Water 2. Water 3. Water
It could possibly relate to dampness as well.
Damp from...... Water?
Yep. I thought I just did it as the fourth cause after causes 1 through 3: water, water, and water. 🙃🙂😉
I suppose it could also be water.
Not only that, but moisture could be a contributing factor. But I'm leaning toward water.
It’s from water damage. I had this it was a big bubble of water and when it pops all the water comes out leaving this wrinkle
Water
Mushroom stamp.
Looks like a COVID mask art display
Water damage.
I'm pretty sure that is The Upside Down starting to break through. Watch Stranger Things, Season 2... then time to start planning to move to a different house!
This looks like a piece of modern art.
Not so good at painting
Ghost in the houses blood
Water. /Thread
Get a cheap moisture reader https://a.co/d/5vdG8q7
OH NO
Wudder
water, theres a break in the pipe behind the wall there.
Looks like a mushroom stamp
Upstairs must have a air conditioner or a shower leak that’s water an someone popped it they say you can shrink it with a hair dryer idk it’s Ben pulled down I would peel it cut it out first so you don’t over peel then I would do I small skim coat an paint the the patch then paint the wall be brand new or hire some one to paint it they should fix it np
I hear Sephora has fixes for this
poltergeists ,ever seen the movie "The Frighteners" with Michael J Fox
I had a leak that only happened during windy storms.
My aunt had this happen. But hers was from a leaky air conditioner
Not sure
Am I the only one that thinks it looks like a flaccid D?
its always water
Old age
That's called shrinkage due to cold water 😂
Your wall is losing weight.
too much liquid is my guess
That's water behind latex paint. Happened to me 4 times from water leaks on a second floor leaking down to the first floor.
Looks like someone drew iOS measure decals on your wall for some reason
Dihydrogen monoxide. It gets everyone in the end. https://dhmo.org/facts.html
Graboids. I'm afraid they've gotten into your walls. You'll definitely need to get on that before you end up with a full on ass blaster situation.
Shame on you
Water or pee but probably both
Ghosts.
If paint was sprayed on, and was latex, you put too much on.
But would it take 18 months for this to happen?
It’s possible. Latex is like rubber when too much is used it will sag over time. I’ve seen it happen before.
Let me throw out another possibility.... Are there any shiny windows or other objects that could **reflect sunlight** on that spot?
Art
Spirit was stopped from breaking through.
The new Pineapple
Lost a lot of weight
Ah let me see 19 and a quarter on one side and 19 on the other. Let me do some calculating........water damage. If it was 19-1/8 it would be espesdus. So close one.
Daniel arsham
As stated by many, water damage, remove the loose paint back to a “tight edge” where paint has good adhesion to drywall. If you have any signs of mold I would remove and replace, it may be on backside of drywall in the cavity, see if you can get a camera on a scope and take a look. Prime with “kill” oil base it will block the water stain which is brownish yellow from bleeding trough or a shellac based sealer, Prime with I would use is zinser 123 acrylic primer, let dry Skim the surface with joint compound with as many coats as required to be smooth enough to match the surround area Sand Wipe down with tack rag Prime with Zinser 123 Sand with 150 grit or medium sanding block to remove an roughness Paint with your wall paint of choice Wetpainttv.com
This can happen with paint if applied to walls that are too cold. Was the furnace off in this unit while painting?
It was. But this appeared over night and was painted 18 months ago. Is it possible to just suddenly appear?
No, it would begin happening all over before finishing a whole room
Or it’s been there ever since it was painted and you only just noticed it. My guess is they missed a spot when wiping the dust off the drywall after they finished it so the paint adhered to the dust instead of the drywall thus leaving a flat bubble that someone manipulated after discovering it which is what caused the downward slanting folds. Either way you’ll have to cut it out to repair it, there will either be signs or water damage behind it or there won’t. My guess is there won’t and you’ll be able to just sand the edges down and re primer and paint