ceilings cracks
- Thread starter hooly
- Start date
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How large is the ceiling and how many cracks are there?
The cracks are very likely forming because of loose or sagging boards, a repair may only be of short cosmetic period, the cracks will return.
I would firstly screw the boards back up at either side of the crack-line if possible.
You may have to work from above in floor void to add securing timbers to re-secure boards.
Then as an alternative to skimming, you could tape over cracks, using dry line repair tape. Then apply easifill, you will require possibly 3 applications of this, sanding after each on drying. The application and sanding process will be done in such away that the compound is blended in to the ceiling to make it look smooth. This is sometimes a difficult time consuming process and a little messy, with dust.
If the area was only small I would be tempted to over-skim after repairing the sagging boards.
The cracks are very likely forming because of loose or sagging boards, a repair may only be of short cosmetic period, the cracks will return.
I would firstly screw the boards back up at either side of the crack-line if possible.
You may have to work from above in floor void to add securing timbers to re-secure boards.
Then as an alternative to skimming, you could tape over cracks, using dry line repair tape. Then apply easifill, you will require possibly 3 applications of this, sanding after each on drying. The application and sanding process will be done in such away that the compound is blended in to the ceiling to make it look smooth. This is sometimes a difficult time consuming process and a little messy, with dust.
If the area was only small I would be tempted to over-skim after repairing the sagging boards.
That is great advice. I have just finished repairing plaster ceiling cracks in my son's room, and in my living room. I did as PrenticeBoyofDerry suggested.
For my son's room I went into my loft and no-nails'd some 2 by 1 inch battens across each crack, ensuring the no nails worked its way into the crack. I then screwed each end of the batten into the loft ceiling supports (the wood spaced a foot apart running the length the the loft).
Leave the no nials to dry.
Back in my son's room I scraped a 1cm wide v-grove into each crack, seperating the two sides of the crack and vacuumed it out. I filled the crack to half depth with solvent free coving adhesive, and ran my finger along it to ensure the adhesive had good contact with either side of the crack. Others may suggest better adhesives for the job - but this worked for me.
Don't leave the adhesive to dry.
Drill pilot holes a cemtemeter either side of the crack into the supporting wood above, every 6 inches then countersink each hole. Use plasterboard screws to fix the plaster board firmly to the supporting wood above. This should stop movement between the plasterboard edges to stop the crack reoccuring. If you have a few cracks comming from the same point, where plasterboard corners meet, you could put a large washer on the plasterboard screw to hold up a slightly larger area. Make sure you chistle the plaster a little soe the washer does nto stand proud og your plaster.
Let the adhesive dry.
If you are worried about the screw heads rusting, paint them with a dab of gloss now.
Vacuum the crack areas again, and spray with 30% PVA water solution. This should stop the plaster removing water from your filler material. Get some fine filler, fill the crack and smooth with a wet filler knife. Leave the filler to dry. I tend to sand the crack area, and repeat the pva spray and filler step until I am happy with the finish (about 3 times).
If the crack is deep you may want to use plaster before using fine filler.
For the living room I didint want to lift the bedroom floor boards to put wood over the cracks in the living room ceiling. Instead, after putting a v in the crack in the ceiling I chisled through the crack to make a 0.5 cm gap al the way along the crack. I then went about fashioning my alternative 'thingy': I put a line of holes 3 inches apart, in 1 ft long by 2 inch wide strips of thin ply board, fed 15 cm lengths of string through each holes and knotted the ends. I fed this thin strip of plyboard up through the gap i had made by chisling away at the crack. I then pulled the strings which made the plyboard lie flat the other side of the crack. I screwed though the plasterboard, either side of the crack, into this plyboard to secure either side of the crack.
A bit hastily written, as I am supposed to be glossing skirting boards! The above took me a few days per room. But my son's room is crack free for 6 months now, and my livingroom for 2 months.
I have tried to quick-fix cracks in the ceilings of my previous house (just skim the crack with fine filler) but they always came back. I also paid a plaster to fix the cracks in my old house livingroom. He v-d the crack, applied plasters tape (which I think is absolute rubbish) then filled the crack. The crack came back after a few months.
For my son's room I went into my loft and no-nails'd some 2 by 1 inch battens across each crack, ensuring the no nails worked its way into the crack. I then screwed each end of the batten into the loft ceiling supports (the wood spaced a foot apart running the length the the loft).
Leave the no nials to dry.
Back in my son's room I scraped a 1cm wide v-grove into each crack, seperating the two sides of the crack and vacuumed it out. I filled the crack to half depth with solvent free coving adhesive, and ran my finger along it to ensure the adhesive had good contact with either side of the crack. Others may suggest better adhesives for the job - but this worked for me.
Don't leave the adhesive to dry.
Drill pilot holes a cemtemeter either side of the crack into the supporting wood above, every 6 inches then countersink each hole. Use plasterboard screws to fix the plaster board firmly to the supporting wood above. This should stop movement between the plasterboard edges to stop the crack reoccuring. If you have a few cracks comming from the same point, where plasterboard corners meet, you could put a large washer on the plasterboard screw to hold up a slightly larger area. Make sure you chistle the plaster a little soe the washer does nto stand proud og your plaster.
Let the adhesive dry.
If you are worried about the screw heads rusting, paint them with a dab of gloss now.
Vacuum the crack areas again, and spray with 30% PVA water solution. This should stop the plaster removing water from your filler material. Get some fine filler, fill the crack and smooth with a wet filler knife. Leave the filler to dry. I tend to sand the crack area, and repeat the pva spray and filler step until I am happy with the finish (about 3 times).
If the crack is deep you may want to use plaster before using fine filler.
For the living room I didint want to lift the bedroom floor boards to put wood over the cracks in the living room ceiling. Instead, after putting a v in the crack in the ceiling I chisled through the crack to make a 0.5 cm gap al the way along the crack. I then went about fashioning my alternative 'thingy': I put a line of holes 3 inches apart, in 1 ft long by 2 inch wide strips of thin ply board, fed 15 cm lengths of string through each holes and knotted the ends. I fed this thin strip of plyboard up through the gap i had made by chisling away at the crack. I then pulled the strings which made the plyboard lie flat the other side of the crack. I screwed though the plasterboard, either side of the crack, into this plyboard to secure either side of the crack.
A bit hastily written, as I am supposed to be glossing skirting boards! The above took me a few days per room. But my son's room is crack free for 6 months now, and my livingroom for 2 months.
I have tried to quick-fix cracks in the ceilings of my previous house (just skim the crack with fine filler) but they always came back. I also paid a plaster to fix the cracks in my old house livingroom. He v-d the crack, applied plasters tape (which I think is absolute rubbish) then filled the crack. The crack came back after a few months.
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