How To Repair Plaster Ceiling Cracks

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.

How to repair plaster ceiling cracks.

If when you push on the wall it flexes as though it has broken away from its support base call a plaster specialist the repair will involve removing the loose plaster and replacing it. Small cracks in plaster are relatively easy to repair with one condition. No matter what the cause you can repair the plaster cracks by using drywall tape and joint compound. House settling and temperature or moisture fluctuations in an attic which result in the expansion or contraction of framing members.

This will allow the mud to bond directly to the plaster which will make the repair stronger. Here is a step by step guide to how to fix plaster ceilings in your old house. Use mesh tape to cover the crack. 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.

Typically plaster ceiling cracks have two causes. Be sure to drive screws into wood lath above. By using modern materials and a traditional technique it is possible to repair plaster ceilings that are cracking and delaminating. What old house owner doesn t have a cracking or sagging plaster ceiling in need of repair somewhere.

Subscribe to this old house. Screw plaster washers to ceiling along and around cracked area. The plaster must be firmly anchored to the lath behind it. How to fix plaster ceilings.

Use trowel to spread joint compound onto ceiling covering the repaired area. If the plaster ceiling feels firmly attached to the lath then you can do the same repair as for the small cracks above. Score the crack with a utility knife to remove any loose plaster or other material that may be inside the crack.