big cracks in plaster

[dawnareid]

i have peeled off wall paer in a bedroom in my house only to reveal a large crack running from the floor up the wall and then along the ceiling. the ceiling crack is ok but the wall crack is quite bad, ive heard a lot of people talk about dry wall joint filler, is this the sort of stuff i need to use to hopefully prevent it coming back worse in the near future? also can you get it in the likes of B&Q ?
is this better than polyfila? ive heard that polyfila only covers up the crack. at the minute it has some sort of gauze stuff stuck over it all the way up the wall, im asuming its ok to take this off and start repairing the crack?. i want a good surface for painting - no wallpapering.
any advice would be great.

 

[Static]

how wide is the crack, is it an external or internal wall and what is the wall made from (blockwork, timber stud etc)??

 

[jbonding]

i have peeled off wall paer in a bedroom in my house only to reveal a large crack running from the floor up the wall and then along the ceiling. the ceiling crack is ok but the wall crack is quite bad, ive heard a lot of people talk about dry wall joint filler, is this the sort of stuff i need to use to hopefully prevent it coming back worse in the near future? also can you get it in the likes of B&Q ?
is this better than polyfila? ive heard that polyfila only covers up the crack. at the minute it has some sort of gauze stuff stuck over it all the way up the wall, im asuming its ok to take this off and start repairing the crack?. i want a good surface for painting - no wallpapering.
any advice would be great.

is this along the crack? if so it sounds like its been repaired in the past. Fixing EML (expanded metal lathing) acrss the crack and fill with sand and cement is your best bet but i would be concerned why its cracked again.

 

[dawnareid]

we have taken the gauze stuff away, the crack appears to be very deep at the top and more superficial at the bottom. it is an internal wall (breeze block i think) upstairs. it is not just plaster that is cracked youcan see in quite deep. im a bit concerned that it is something serious - should i call in a builder / surveyor to take a look? Im scared of being ripped off by someone telling me i need to rebuild the wall or something.

 

[Nige F]

If it`s the only bad craic in the house .....don`t worry too much you could fill it with Resin like is used for resin anchor fixing ....comes in a tube like for a mastic gun .ask @ a builders merchant . then go for the ex. met. lath as suggested and finish with a one coat plaster.HtH

 

[Static]

Ok again, how wide is the crack? 1"? 2ft? 23mm? just a rough guess would help.. if its 2ft wide you have real problems
Maybe a photo or 2 if possible.
Also what is below the wall and check outside for cracking in external walls.

 

[dawnareid]

sorry forgot to say its only 1/4 - 1/2 inch wide at most, but it goes in quite deep although there is not crack on the other side in the other room - then i would be worried! the wall is between 2 bedrooms and the wall below is also an internal block wall, no cracks there. thanks for your replies guys.

 

[Static]

1/2 inch crack is quite big and probably structural if the wall is load bearing. Check what bears onto it above. How old is the house? as its been "repaired" in the past and if its a modern house the wall may have been knocked during construction and patched up..

 

[dawnareid]

checked in the roof space there is nothing located over it. the house was built around 1960. i asked a local builder to have a look and he thought it might have been the result of a bomb blast in the area about 10 years ago (the biggest bomb in NI history to be exact!). said to patch it up it should be fine. thanks for your replies guys.