Repairing Plaster Ceiling Cracks

Here tom silva shows how to repair plaster walls to make them look as good as new.

Repairing plaster ceiling cracks. Otherwise the cracks come back no matter how many times you patch over them. If it s a small hairline crack you won t have to worry about this but larger deeper cracks will have debris in them. Typically plaster ceiling cracks have two causes. Score the crack with a utility knife to remove any loose plaster or other material that may be inside the crack.

Expert advice and detailed instructions on repairing the most common plaster wall and ceiling problems including cracks holes and sagging. An overview photo by david carmack. To repair small cracks in plaster you ll need patching compound medium and fine grit sandpaper a sanding block a putty knife a masonry chisel a paintbrush a rag and a screwdriver. Plaster applied to wood lath is held in place by the keys that form when it squishes through the lath.

A ceiling crack is not an uncommon sight in older homes. Besides the normal wear and tear of living plaster and lath ceilings are at the mercy of gravity and they can take only so many water leaks and structural movements before they pull away from the framing. If the plaster ceiling feels firmly attached to the lath then you can do the same repair as for the small cracks above. Screw plaster washers to ceiling along and around cracked area.

Be sure to drive screws into wood lath above. For more about how plaster walls are built see plaster wall construction over time these. House settling and temperature or moisture fluctuations in an attic which result in the expansion or contraction of framing members. For larger cracks you may need two coats of spackle because of its tendency to shrink as it dries in large gaps so double check before priming and painting.

He asks us in an e mail. In this video this old house general contractor tom silva explains how to repair a plaster ceiling. Use trowel to spread joint compound onto ceiling covering the repaired area. To repair a crack in a ceiling.

For finishing you ll need primer and paint. What old house owner doesn t have a cracking or sagging plaster ceiling in need of repair somewhere. Plaster repair is much. No matter what the cause you can repair the plaster cracks by using drywall tape and joint compound.