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Home Repair Paint

hairline cracks on newly painted coffee ceiling

5 years ago

We had coffee ceilings repainted a few months ago with BM Advance. Looked great. Now we are
Starting to see hairline cracks and the beam joints. Husband has figured out its from the joists on upper level slightly moving during regular walking etc. All cracks are in the middle of the room. We had a latex paint on there before and never had this problem. I guess BM Advance is a more brittle paint.

Can’t fix easily as it is on the flat joints. Dont want to fill and respray as it will likely happen again once paint cures. Any other ideas?

Anyone seen this before? Should painter be somewhat liable? He picked the BM Advance.

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Comments (5)

paintguy22
5 years ago
It makes sense. Oil based paint is more brittle than latex and Advance does have an oil component. I guess technically you could blame the painter but the movement isn't his fault certainly and he's just trying to use a good paint and that is what Advance is. You could try a very small bead of caulk that is close in color to the paint, push it into the crack and wipe all the excess away with a clean, wet rag. The caulk will allow for some movement.
PRO
User
5 years ago
Wood expands and contracts over the seasons due to normal fluctuations in humidity. It is perfectly normal to see telegraphing of the joins in wood caused by that normal wood movement. Maintaining the home’s humidity at the 30-50% that cabinet and flooring manufacturers require for their warranties also helps to minimize the appearance of the issue.

This issue comes up enough that most cabinet manufacturers have an “acknowledgment sheet” that must be signed so that the customer understands that it is not a defect.
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The hairline cracks you could fill with caulk if they are truly hairline cracks. The caulk is going to flex while any patching compound will not. But, any crack bigger than hairline will still show if you caulk it because the caulk will shrink and the crack will not be filled. There is a certain technique to caulking small cracks...you want to lay a very small bead of caulk over the crack and then smooth it over with a wet finger. You want to do this carefully so that you do not push the caulk deep into the crack but you also want to make sure that you do not leave the caulk on top of the crack as that will certainly show when you paint over it. Mesh tape is probably the best way to repair a bigger sized crack, but you are right in that when it cracks again and that mesh tape seperates itself from the wall, it is going to be ugly. Also, in order to disguise that mesh tape, you will have to float your mud out pretty far so doing the repairs that way can get pretty involved.
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I'm a professional residential and commercial painting business owner. Benjamin Moore and Sherwin Williams both carry it as does home depot and lowes. The employees at either box stores have no idea its on the self. If you you look where the exterior paint is - the can says Elastomeric Masonry, Stucco and Brick Exterior Paint. I've used products from all three (Benjamin Moore, Sherwin Williams and Behr), take it from a professional and do yourself a favor - buy Benjamin Moore or Sherwin Williams. Remember there's a reason why these two companies' products cost more than Behr paint. You get what you pay for in quality, performance, coverage, and you have two major paint and coatings companies that specialize in only paints and coatings with great quality control. BTW they do not sell screwdrivers, wrenches, dishwashers, carpeting, tiles, plumbing, and so on. Point made.
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I'd go with the 'watchful waiting' approach. If you want to fill the cracks and repaint, I'd use drywaller's joint compound rather than caulk.
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If it bothers you get a tube of caulk, Dap Quik bathroom caulk red & white tube, cut off tip at angle & squeeze out a little on your finger & rub into the crack, comes in almond or white, or clear(don't like clear)can't tell color of paint but then you can paint over it in couple of days, it doesn't usually reopen, I used it in cracks after a quake at my house & they don't reopen. Just rub it in, don't gob it on crack, crack should be smooth so when painted won't show. I even used it where corners above garage cracked upward, stayed all these yrs. Outdoor caulk I bought once had to redo as it opened up.
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clt3
5 years ago
Um, they're coffered.
PRO
Filipe Custom Woodwork
5 years ago
Normal not considered a defect.
kudzu9
5 years ago
This is not something unusual, or something that can be easily fixed. I'm picky, but, if your picture is representative, that's not something I would lose sleep over. I wouldn't blame it on the painter...it's really not his fault. Besides, what would you ask from him since there is no point in re-spraying? Try to stop looking at the ceiling every time you walk through the room, and it will be unnoticed in a few weeks. Trust me: I've felt the same way with my own little house flaws, and learned over time that there is no perfect house and life is too short to worry over things that are not truly affecting my quality of life.

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