Cracked cieling

[MrsT]

Hello again all,
We have now decided to do the spare room and its the last job left for a few years at least. It is just a simple and straight forwad square room that we are repapering so should have no trouble there, but before we do that we need to sort a persistent crack in the cieling where there is a small slope at the one end of the room because of the roof as it is a bungalow.
The problem is that along the line where the cieling starts to curve there is a jagged crack that seems to always come back. it is now a bit wider than in the past and my husband says it is about 3/16 of an inch in places. The cieling is artex on top of lath and plaster so it ca'nt be a joint in boards as it is also not straight and is excellennt condition apart from this crack which keeps coming back.I would like to be able to show a picture but we have'nt got a camera that can connect to the computer.

Can anyone tell us the best filler or other product to stop it happening again please bearing in mind we have a combed artex patten.

Thank-you
Maggie

 

[madder]

I think this type of crack will always, eventually, come back unless you have the whole thing done again, and even then you might find a crack somewhere else. It's usually down to settlement. But this does seem quite wide in places. I reckon you'll just have to bite the bullet on this one and expect it to come back at some point in the future. However, if you fill it well, then it may not come back for a few years anyway, at which point you may be looking at repainting anyway?
My advice is to fill it with bonding first of all, and once that sets, throw a this coat of paint over the bonded area, then, skim it again with the filler you normally use. Sand the fillers down and paint as normal.

 

[MrsT]

Thank-you for answering so swiftly Madder.

When you say bonding, do you mean the stuff like plaster or is it some sort of filler. Sorry if it's an obvious answer but thats the only thing my husband knows of called bonding and we want to use the right stuff so that it will hopefully last abit longer. We are both well into our 70's and don't really want to have to do it again if we can help it.

Maggie

 

[TheDec]

Yes bonding is a plaster, yet madder is correct in saying that if this crack in the ceiling has been a long standing problem neither plaster or filler will be capable of providing a cure. With regard to the artex I would doubt it possible to perform a repair that could not be seen, the comb pattern better known as the circle is perhaps the most difficult of all artex patterns to both repair and disguise.

Dec

 

[MrsT]

Thans for confirming that Thedec - we will try that then unless you have a different option.

I think I may have got the pattens muddled up because ours is not circular but straight sections about a foot wide and long running in different directions all over the cieling. We have managed to fill it fairly successfully before but as I said it keeps coming back bigger. It looks like its been done with some sort of comb so sorry for confusing the issue but we will try it with bonding unless anyone thinks something else might be better/easier now you know which patten we have.

Maggie

 

[TheDec]

It is not you Maggie that laid confusion here just had the circle pattern in my head, it could be any number of combed designs. Maggie any form of repair here would in my opinion be only of a temporary and cosmetic nature, it is probably the lath & plaster ceiling that is to blame and the Artex is only cracking to accommadate it's movement. I really would'nt bother with regard to the bonding and just fill with something like Red Devil filler.

Dec

 

[madder]

Perhaps The Dec is correct Maggie. I honestly think, as you and TheDec do, that this will always come back. Fillers, including bonding, will never be good enough to disguise it completely in the long term. Bonding is stronger than your average filler and it 'bonds' to the 2 sides of the crack. Bonding usually leaves a rough-ish surface which is why it needs to be filled or plastered over again to smooth it out. It might keep the crack away for a bit longer than just normal filling, however, as TheDec says, if it's ultimately going to come back again anyway, then maybe you don't want to waste too much time with 'double' filling. Many homes have cracks like this and it's not that unusual. If anything it's even more common in newer homes as settlement hasn't fully happened yet.
If you use Matt paint on the ceiling, you can always fix the crack again when it reappears and you may only have to paint the area where the crack was?(depending on how fresh the ceiling is when the crack re-appears!!) It'd save you having to redo the full ceiling again. Half an hours work filling it, and then, the next day, another half hours work sanding and pulling the brush/roller over the area.
A few options to think about anyway...

 

[misterhelpful]

Just a thought, and don't want to cause worry, but as you say the crack keeps widening, is ot possible that there is some movement in the rafters/roof trusses? Have you had the roof re-tiled or work done in the loft.
As I say, only a thought but worth considering. If not, then one of the methods given would be the best way forward.

 

[TheDec]

Lath & Plaster ceilings are well known for their movement the textured coating is bound to split as a result.

Dec

 

[Richard C]

My advice is to fill it with bonding first of all, and once that sets, throw a this coat of paint over the bonded area, then, skim it again with the filler you normally use. Sand the fillers down and paint as normal.

It will still reappear unless you use overlapping layers of reinforcing tape over the crack before plastering/filling. This works well whe repairing boarded celings but, unfortunately, there are still no guarantees that will be a permanent solution either, especially on an old lath ceiling.

 

[MrsT]

Thank-you for the advice and we have put the bonding in this afternoon but it was messy work triyng to get it into the crack. How long will it take before we can paint it and put the filler on top?

We did have the roof tiled about ten years ago after the old slates started leaking and the crack was'nt there before that so do you think it could have something to do with that then?

Thanks
Maggie

 

[joe-90]

Your house is in London which is built on clay. You get far more heave today than you did years ago because the weather is warmer and wetter these days. This endless movement manifests itself as cracking in most house from time to time. It's nothing to worry about.

 

[MrsT]

HAHA I agree withyou that the weather is wetter but it's certainly not warmer. We are just wondering now because after recently painting the outside of the bungalow we noticed thet there was a gap about 3/4 inch wide in the ?soffet? above the window that this crack is on the inside of, if you understand what I mean. We've covered that gap with a beading and painted it now - lets hope it's not connected.

Maggie

 

[TheDec]

Well whatever the cause of the crack you are only performing a temporary repair, you should be ok now to finish the filling and continue with your painting yet, as said it will be only of a temporary nature.

Dec

 

[Nige F]

We did have the roof tiled about ten years ago after the old slates started leaking and the crack was'nt there before that so do you think it could have something to do with that then?

Thanks
Maggie

Tiles replacing slates - Yes it could be something to do with it - the extra weight . You should ask in the building or roofing forum here for advice - The good thing is a roof can usually be strengthened with extra timber@ reasonable cost. In fact I am doing that to my bungalow roof @ the moment . I genuinely don`t want to alarm you - and the place won`t fall down But you might end up with a slightly sagging roof like mine - But I knew what was wrong when I bought it 2 years ago. And it hasn`t moved in those 2 years - it all happened previously . Please use the forums and don`t rush out and find a builder without advice - plenty of people here willing to help. Best Wishes, Nige.