Best Way To Repair Cracks In Plaster Ceilings

Score the crack with a utility knife to remove any loose plaster or other material that may be inside the crack.

Best way to repair cracks in plaster ceilings.

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. The old way of doing this was by using plaster washers which are a larger wash the is screwed through the face of the plaster into the lath to mechanically support the plaster. Use mesh tape to cover the crack. An overview photo by david carmack.

The key to any fix is to reunite the plaster with the strips of wood lath underneath. One of our favorite ideas for this material is covering popcorn ceiling with beadboard. There is another trick that professionals use to repair plaster walls and ceilings that have failed leave the old plaster in place and reface the entire area with new drywall. For small repairs on popcorn ceilings such as hairline cracks in ceiling dab on this stuff.

Step 1 remove any loose plaster that s embedded in the crack. Larger cracks can be fixed in a similar way. The traditional plaster ceiling repair method is to mix up some plaster or drywall compound or use spackling compound to fill in the crack. For finishing you ll need primer and paint.

A ceiling crack is not an uncommon sight in older homes. Here tom silva shows how to repair plaster walls to make them look as good as new. The preferred way to resolve this is not by pulling the ceiling down and replacing it with drywall but rather to reattach the plaster ceiling to the supporting lath. Compare wood and vinyl options and choose the one that best suits your budget and diy aspirations.

The problem is the compound used to repair this is even weaker than the plaster since it lacks the fibers and as the house continues to settle the crack. Repairing small cracks in plaster is easy compared to plastering a whole room. House settling and temperature or moisture fluctuations in an attic which result in the expansion or contraction of framing members. Typically plaster ceiling cracks have two causes.

This will allow the mud to bond directly to the plaster which will make the repair stronger. Start with a light application let it dry and add more if needed. No matter what the cause you can repair the plaster cracks by using drywall tape and joint compound. Otherwise the cracks come back no matter how many times you patch over them.

Once dried you sand this down and all looks good. Beadboard panels are an efficient economical way to get that popular tongue and groove porchy look to cover up an unattractive ceiling. Plaster repair is much. If it s a small hairline crack you won t have to worry about this but larger deeper cracks will have debris in them.