Wall Crack advice

[CJC]

Hi, I was hoping for some advice on a crack I have in my bedroom. I had my room plastered a few months ago and a crack has re-appeared so I chipped out the loose plaster and filled it but it doesn't seem to go away. The house is over 100 years old so my question is not about should I be worried by the crack but simply some advice on what you would do if you have a crack in your room which you wanted to hide so that the finish looks better.

I was thinking of putting a unit in the corner with something like a mirror on top, but was also of thinking about turning the corner of the room into a focal point by put a couple of strips of patterned paper or something along those lines up covering the cracks.

So really there is two questions, is there a way to definitely get rid of a crack, if not what would you suggest to hide it so the rooms finish is not spoiled by it??

[George]

When I'm plastering over old plaster ie 100 years old I tend to use plasteres scrm tape I run it vertically and horizontaly over the whole wall and it works a treat.

What you have is probably foundation movement or the old plaster has blown if you had it plastered over it?

Squeeze a rubber silicon in there and wipe off excess immediatly...filla over cracks doesn't work. :-)

[CJC]

Thanks for the reply George,

I know the plasterer did use tape underneath maybe he didn't put enough. I used flexi-filler, and the flexible polyfiller? But didn't think of using a rubber silicon, is there one you could recommend as rather go for word of mouth.

Thanks

[George]

My guess is as you have stated never used enough, as the wall in my bedroom had two cracks from floor to ceiling which were foundation movement I used the method as I stated and putting scrim over the crack horizontaly and vertically moreso in the crack areas,plastered it and tested it... when dry by jumping up and down on the floorboards like a madman :-) stll no cracks

11 months on thereabouts?

[CJC]

mind lesson learnt. Thanks for the link, I'll get some over the weekend.

Many thanks.

[John Rumm]

Part of the answer is obviously to find out why there is a crack, and how it is moving. It may be that it is seasonal and opens and closes. These are often down to tree roots in places with shallow foundations. Especially on clay soils.

A way to fix it so that it does not show up is to hack the plaster off for about a foot either side. Now inject resin bonding into the crack. Next get some expanded metal lath sheets and cut them to the size of the exposed brickwork. Fixed this in a grid every 6" or so with screws and plugs with penny washers under the screws. Now replaster. The lath will help restrain the movement a little, but also allow it to happen independently of the plaster.

[dg]

Cracks will often reappear.

If you are confident that it is not a significant structural issue, then the best thing to do is board out the wall with plasterboard and scim it.

dg

[CJC]

Thanks for your comments dg and John but unfortunately I am at the stage where the whole room is pretty much decorated, and for me to now have to put these remedies into place would put me behind schedule, so I will try the less drastic option of the silicon, though can this be painted over? But thanks for the other two comments as I think I'm going to have the same problem in my dinning room so will suggest to the plasterer these options.

[John Rumm]

You can with oil based paints, but not water based.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Never use silicone to fix cracks - use decorators caulk. Same idea, but acrylic, and takes all paints well.

[CJC]

Thanks Natural philosopher do you have a link to where I could buy it, so I know what Im getting??

Thanks

[Steven Campbell]

Any of the sheds (B&Q, Wickes etc) will have it as it is commonly used in the decorating trade.

?_dyncharset=UTF-8&fh_search=caulk

[manatbandq]

WTF is "a rubber silicon"?

MBQ

[John Rumm]

Its like a bouncy beach ;-)

[The Natural Philosopher]

Good heavens..Any decent builders merchants and PROBABLY B&Q..

Or screwfix mebbe..tho postage for such a cheap item will be a lot.

Here ya go

You need a sealant gun thing as well.

Welly it in and use a wet sponge or finger to smooth it out.

You can put emulsion on it after half an hour or so..it takes a day or two to set completely.

It is a LOT smoother than plaster so it is a shade noticeable..but if dobbed with a sponge it might pick up a nice texture..

As far a I can tell its simply arcylic primer 'done thick'.

Somewhat akin to very sticky emulsion paint, haha.

There's probably a bit of plasticiser in it as well to make it flexible..it can take a LITTLE movement without cracking.

Acrylic Frame Sealant is a similar beast, but more expensive and probably has more plasticiser in.

Unlike the silicones, which are truly great till you need to paint em (I don't believe ANY paint sticks to silicone) acrylics are paintable even when still soft..with water based paints anyway: Oil I have never tried.

My standard decorating algorithm is first clear up the loose stuff, then make good major gashes with filler, then sand everything down, then use caulk to fill cracks between walls and ceilings and woodwork and plaster, then paint away..wit Farrow and Ball, cots they have ten times the pigment anyone else does.

End results are good.