Barndominium Bookshelf Wall Girt Ghosting

Are you starting to see bookshelf wall girts through your barndominium’s gypsum wallboard (drywall)? If so, you are witnessing a phenomenon called wall ghosting.

It occurs when condensation interacts with trapped dust and can have a couple of different causes. It results in shadowy-looking lines on your walls or ceilings.

If you’ve been wondering, ‘why do I see wall girts through drywall?’ Let’s look at all the answers. 

Wall ghosting is a result of trapped dust, poor circulation, and poor insulation.

In inadequately insulated walls, cold will come through, mainly at bookshelf wall girts. If barndominium inside is relatively warm, this causes bookshelf wall girts to collect moisture where they meet drywall. This moisture then traps dirt and dust circulating throughout interior air, resulting in wall ghosting.

When you see these shadowy lines, you are actually seeing trapped dust particles collecting in front of bookshelf wall girts. And unfortunately, since dust is behind wall finish, you can’t just wipe it down.

Biggest thing you can do to stop ghosting on your walls is to find and fix cold air sources. This can include sealing all exterior surfaces, as well as sealing doors and windows. 

If ghosting results from poor or no insulation, having your walls insulated may be your best bet.

Other things you can do include replacing your furnace filters regularly, making sure any indoor stoves are adequately vented, and keeping indoor humidity low during cold months.

Once you’ve fixed the problem source, you can get rid of these dark shadow lines by allowing drywall to completely dry out, cleaning it, and then using a high-quality primer and paint. 

If you don’t fix the source, these lines will eventually show through again, even if you prime and paint.

Wall ghosting isn’t dangerous but can be a sign of poor air quality, inadequate insulation, or a combination of both. However, since ghosting results from dust build-up and not mold, it’s not usually a significant health risk.

To clean ghosting on walls, you first have to identify and fix problems. If you don’t, no cleaning method will work. However, if you have fixed root causes of your wall ghosting, here’s what to do:

• Wipe down walls with an all-purpose cleaner to remove as much dirt as possible. Then, allow wall to dry.
• Prime wall with a high-quality, high coverage primer.
• Paint your walls.