Papering over a settlement crack in an internal wall

I have a floor-to-ceiling settlement crack in an internal wall, at a point where a newer extension joins the older building. The gap has been there for years, opens a small amount (perhaps 2mm) in winter and closes again in the summer - we live with it. I suspect that, in the newer extension, the foundations are deeper than they are for the original building, hence the seasonal movement.

I would very much like to wallpaper over the crack and at the same time avoid the inevitable tear in the paper along the "fault line" which always results. Would anyone know, please, if there is any way I can treat or repair the crack in such a way as to render the area stable enough for papering over? A builder friend has suggested deeply hacking out the crack and plug-fixing wire mesh into the brickwork to bridge the gap, then making good the plaster, but I feel that, somewhere, movement would still occur. Is there perhaps a type of wall-paper which would tolerate this kind of small movement?

I'd be greatful for any thoughts, please.

Reply to
Gordon
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You could try papering it when the crack is at its widest. That way, when the crack closes, the paper will wrinkle a bit rather than tear - and then straighten out again when the crack opens again.

Alternatively, could you design a wall to ceiling "feature" which covers the gap, and allows the wall move a bit behind it?

Reply to
Set Square

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