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dyhgarden

Cracked plaster caused by adjacent room

DYH
6 years ago

Hi,

I have a 1939 center hall Colonial home.

Yesterday, the plaster in my kitchen lounge area (was the original kitchen and is now a TV/sitting area), cracked horizontally.

On the other side of the wall is my powder room with wood wainscot that is 47" high --- that contracts and expands during the year.

In summer, there are no visible cracks in the powder room paneling. In the winter, the cracks are crazy! Then, they disappear again during the a/c season. There's a wall vent for HVAC in the teeny, tiny powder room.

The plaster crack is 47" high across the shared wall, so I have to assume the wainscot caused this issue.

Before I spend money to repair the plaster, should I open my wallet and have the wainscot removed from the bathroom to avoid these issues? I know the cause. It will happen again.

I purchased the house in February 2015, spent a year renovating, so I've seen what happens with the wainscot for two years.

Now -- how difficult will it be to have someone repair this plaster? That's the window on the left. The interior wall is a bit over 48".


Here's the original wall vent in the powder room -- I don't want to move that vent.


Here's an example of the wainscot separation on the shared wall. This completely closes back together in the summer when the a/c is on. That's a lot of movement! I hate to remove the wainscot, but I worry about further damage to my walls.


Thank you for your help!

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