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Paint Home Repair Remodeling

Is this ceiling crack something to be worried about?

6 years ago

Interested in what a more experienced eye thinks of this crack in the ceiling. Comes directly out of a corner that turns into another room and is just past an old seam where renovations extended a house we are considering purchasing. Is it a cosmetic or structural concern?

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Comments (3)

PRO
GN Builders L.L.C
6 years ago
Katie, is this Plaster? If it is, it is the cause could be anything. Unkeyed plaster separated from the lath due to a seasonal movement, lumber drying and shrinkage or a stress crack caused by to much stuff in the attic, etc Most common cracks in plaster are cosmetic unless you see more signs of failure, on the floor below or in the basement like foundation crack, beam/floor settlement, etc.

Cracks in plaster less than 1/8-inch thick are considered to be stress cracks and pretty much a normal occurrence and cracks over 1/4" considered to be more serious and should be investigated... On your picture, it looks cosmetic, if this was the connection point where the new extension was connected to the main house, most likely the new lumber dried up and made the plaster loose the grip and over time with seasonal changes it got worst...I would add some screws to secure the plaster if its lose, clean out the crack, fill it with caulk and leave a slight indentation, let it dry and tape and patch the ceiling and keep an eye on it.

Good luck
Katie Reid
Original Author
6 years ago
Many thanks, incredibly helpful GN Builders
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How cold does it get where you are? How long is the run between the leaking valve and the faucet? How hard is it to access that run? Is that run in an insulated area? I would probably not worry about it. First, be sure the drips aren't just residual water draining out. Second, say you leave it as is. One option is to let the faucet drip on really cold nights--won't waste a lot of water and will eliminate any real problems. Other option (if it's always below freezing where you are) is to close up the outdoor faucet. If it's a short run, there will be very little water in there and it may not burst even if it freezes solid. And even if it bursts, you're not going to have a flood, since it will be on the closed side of the valve--you'll at worst get some dripping until it's fixed. Third, if access is reasonably easy and it's a short run, you could just take a chance. Replacing a short run of pipe won't be much more expensive than replacing the valve. They could do both at the same time for only a bit more material and not much more labor.
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Comments (21)
No problem. As for the staining, there is a product called Kilz, it's a primer and stain-stopper. If you just paint over the stain it'll come through again so treat it with Kilz first, a couple of coats, then paint over it. If it's a non-painted coating on the ceiling you will probably have to paint the whole hallway so it doesn't look odd but the other rooms should be ok if the colour difference isn't too noticeable. An airless sprayer is your best bet for painting the ceiling if the coating is too delicate for a roller. Over the crack itself I'd use fibreglass tape then mud it. If there is mould up there, you'll want to remove all affected insulation and spray the affected areas with a mould treatment. At least we know what it is now, and it's not structural. When I bought my house we had a mystery ceiling stain but the valley on the roof was quite obviously done for, as the previous owner had attempted a repair. We replaced the roof a year or so ago. You should be ok just replacing the boot, or caulking it. In the meantime tape over the joint might even suffice if you can get up there.
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It should be cut out and replaced. They should have a person responsible for QC. The vertical boards (studs) were likely nailed to the plate (subject) and it broke as the large assembled wall was placed. Crews in production home building are very specialized, and fixes, repairs, stud straightening (they were straight and unbroken when installed but stuff happens) occurs before frame inspection by another carpenter. This is done later as there are many trades through the home between framing and frame inspection, creating a small pile of repairs.
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Comments (5)
If you go to fix it, please make sure after it is sanded, and you primer it, you use a small roller to put the stipple back, so it matches your plaster, or use the stiff end of a paint brush, to stipple it after brush painting, so it matches in.
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User
6 years ago
also, some plaster cracks close up in the summer and reappear every winter as wood expands and contracts. My sister's 1760 house does this every year.

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