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Hairline cracks in new plastered wall

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  • 10-01-2008 12:33pm
    #1
    Vas_Guy
    Closed Accounts Posts: 436 ✭✭


    Can anybody tell me what causes hairline cracks in a newly pastered wall and how to cover them up


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    #2
    the_syco
    Registered Users Posts: 37,302 ✭✭✭✭the_syco


    Vas_Guy wrote: »
    Can anybody tell me what causes hairline cracks in a newly pastered wall and how to cover them up
    Inside or outside, and how new is the wall itself?


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    #3
    2 stroke
    Registered Users Posts: 2,921 ✭✭✭2 stroke


    I don't think there's enough room here to answer your questions without knowing more. Sometimes there is an obvious cause, sometimes there isn't. Get somebody to take a look before covering them.


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    #4
    Vas_Guy
    Closed Accounts Posts: 436 ✭✭Vas_Guy


    Its an inside wall newly plastered 1 year ago, the cracks are in a few rooms all were plastered at the same time.

    Some of the cracks have a slight lip on them. ie one side of the crack is higher than the other


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    #5
    Wertz
    Closed Accounts Posts: 11,909 ✭✭✭✭Wertz


    Where in the rooms are the cracks? Over/under windows? Over door heads? Exterior walls? Interior concrete walls?
    There's a few reasons for it happening...the "lip" you're talking about would suggest slight settlement of the structure, or possibly expansion/contraction due to heat/cold.
    Around wall openings, it's pretty normal to see and will be a recurring problem as the house continues to settle.
    Some cracks can be caused by too thick a skimcoat on a solid wall, or maybe that the skimcoat has dried out too fast; this is usually across the whole area of the wall like a crazy paving effect. These are usually very fine cracks and will fill very easily and remain filled after decorating, but I don't think that's your problem here.

    I doubt they're structural cracks (DON'T take my word for it) but even so, covering them up is a tougher task than it sounds, especially if it's expansion/contraction....any filler you use will crack just like the plaster did, no matter how much you overfill.
    I can only suggest trying powder fillers (sand off the "lip" first)...if it lasts a month or two without re-cracking it should last....if it doesn't you could try caulk applied with a wet filling knife. Be cautious using this approach, as you can't sand caulk once it dries, try not to leave it too proud or with too much texture to it as it will show through the paintwork and can be just as unsightly as the crack it covers.


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