Hairline crack repair in plaster
My daughter just bought a 1940's house with plaster walls. The house is in good shape, but there are a number of hairline cracks in the interior plaster that she would like me to repair before she re-paints. None of the cracks looks serious: I suspect they have been present for decades, the surrounding plaster is well-adhered, and none of the cracks look like they need to be excavated before filling (or maybe a tad here and there). I've got extensive experience with drywall repair, but not with plaster. Since the walls have a slight texture to them, I prefer to not fill and tape the cracks because I think there is a likelihood that a smooth patch line might be obvious due to a slight difference from the existing surface. My inclination is to apply a thin bead of something flexible, like painter's caulk, and then rub it into the small cracks as I think it would be less likely to open up than if I simply spackled and didn't use tape.
I'd appreciate any critique of this approach, or alternate suggestions that don't involve running the risk of mismatched surfaces.
Here is an example of one of the walls:
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4 years agoRelated Discussions
Repairing badly cracked plaster ceilings
Comments (2)I would imagine you could repair the cracks and sand out some of the lumps, or at least skim coat over it if it really bothers you. It really depends on whether the plaster has become severely detached from the lath. And even if that has occurred, you can re-attach the loose areas with plaster washers. Don't expect 'perfect' surfaces in an old house, or you will be constantly disappointed. A couple of our ceilings have cracked, and in one room it is because the ceiling joists have sagged. You really need to spend a little more time examining the house before you can determine what has happened and how or if it can be fixed. As I've mentioned in previous posts, plaster can seem to be in pretty bad shape and still be salvageable, and it's worth the effort to do so, IMO....See Morerepairing cracks in plaster ceilings and builtins
Comments (2)More specific answer -- Old Plaster has a tendency to show cracks. You can just paint over it, which many old house owners do or do a skim coat of new plaster, hard to work with, or joint compount, preferred over the small cracks to make it smooth again. A skim coat is just a very light layer of compound that you smooth over teh existing layer and then sand with a high grit sandpaper to get a smooth surface. My prefered method when I have time is to do light weight joint compound where teh crack is,you are really just putting a very thin coat on with the knife, let it dry and then sand with an orbital sander attached to a shop vac. Looks great and no mess. As i rarely have time, I more often just paint over the cracks and don't bnotice them except when I am being picky. Is the areas that is stinky over the crawlspace, if so thats another advantage to completely sealing the crawlspace floor -- non-stinkiness. The keeping of moist vapor out should also help the smell. Caulk or expanding foam should also help, but I would think that stopping the source of the problem would be much more effective and they might not do much by themselves....See MoreHairline crack in plaster ceiling
Comments (7)> Old home built just after WW2 I've never lived in an old house with plaster walls and ceilings that didn't have cracks. They might not have been immediately visible when I moved in, but they were there all right, hidden under a layer of spackle or plaster patch. My guess is that your swirl texture is a recent addition, and that your crack was there and was patched before the texture was applied. Plaster cracks are a fact of life in an old house. You patch them when you paint. Sometimes they return. Sometimes they'd don't. It depends on whether that part of the house is still feeling restless, or has settled into its bed for a nice long snooze. :) You can demolish all the old plaster and replace it with drywall. Then you won't have plaster cracks any more. Unfortunately, you also won't have plaster any more....See MoreHow would you repair this corner plaster crack?
Comments (1)looks like a job for; backer rod. think of the theme song to; wonder dog....See Morekrissie55
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