Missouri landscape

St. Louis has one of the largest concentrations of pre-WWII brick housing in the Midwest. Neighborhoods like Soulard, Tower Grove, The Hill, and Lafayette Square are full of homes built between 1890 and 1940, mostly brick construction with plaster interior walls. When you're doing drywall work in these neighborhoods, you're usually dealing with walls that have a complicated history — original plaster, patches from the 50s and 60s, drywall over plaster from the 70s, and whatever the last owner did three years ago.

The clay soils in much of St. Louis City and County are notoriously expansive. They absorb moisture in wet seasons and shrink when dry, which causes the kind of gradual foundation movement that shows up as recurring cracks above doorways and at corners. These aren't cosmetic problems. Patching them with compound will work for a season, but they'll come back unless you address what's causing them — or accept that the caulk-and-paint approach is an ongoing maintenance task rather than a permanent fix.

Summers in St. Louis are genuinely humid. July and August regularly see relative humidity above 70%, sometimes hitting 85-90% during overnight hours. This affects drying times significantly. Compound that dries in 24 hours during a mild spring day might take 36-48 hours in August. Working indoors with AC helps, but most older St. Louis homes don't have central air in every room, and open windows can introduce humidity that counteracts the drying process.

Climate: Humid continental; hot humid summers with avg July high of 89°F and 70%+ humidity, cold winters with freeze-thaw cycling
Typical Homes: Large stock of pre-WWII brick construction; significant mid-century neighborhoods; modern suburbs in Chesterfield, Wildwood
County: St. Louis City (independent city) / St. Louis County (metro area)

Common Considerations in St. Louis

  • Expanding clay soil foundation movement
  • Plaster-to-drywall interface problems
  • Humidity-slowed drying in summer
  • Brick moisture infiltration leading to drywall damage
  • Freeze-thaw cracking at joints

Key Neighborhoods: Soulard, Tower Grove South, The Hill, Lafayette Square, Dogtown, Maplewood, Webster Groves, Clayton, Kirkwood, Benton Park

Local Requirements: St. Louis City and St. Louis County both require licensed contractors for permits; DIY work on owner-occupied homes generally exempt from licensing but may require permits for larger projects

St. Louis Articles

Common Drywall Problems in St. Louis Homes

The most frequent drywall problems in St. Louis homes, from clay soil cracking to humidity damage in older brick construction. What to expect and how to address it.

St. Louis Drywall FAQ

Answers to the most common drywall questions from St. Louis homeowners, covering clay soil cracks, brick home moisture, humidity timing, and working with plaster walls.