Plaster/paint cracking repair ?

andrew1977

Hello Folks

Some plastering/paint cracking along the top of my ceiling/wall. Attached are the pictures.

I see more and more of it appearing in little clusters, just in the 1 wall/area of the room

Whats the fix here please ? Full replaster and paint of the ceiling ?

Thanks in advance, I just need some ideas and thoughts before I get somebody in to look at it.
Or if its a bigger problem I have to worry about.

wait4me

If it was my problem, I'd clean all the broken stuff off and fill with filler, sand down, refill if needed, sand down again and paint when fully level.

Outkast_IRE

it could be a nail popping on some of the shots. Those nails for plasterboard are a curse they always slip somewhere after years.

I would be knocking off all loose material and refilling and then sanding back.
If its a nail after popping think about taking it out and putting a plasterboard screw in near it instead.

andrew1977

Thanks for the replies, I don't have much knowledge on DIY repairs, what filler would you recommend to try fix this or would I be better off getting somebody to do the repairs for me ?

I don't want to make a complete mess of it and I guess to have to paint the whole ceiling/wall again ?

Robbie085

It's nothing to worry about. I'm a plasterer by trade. Previous answers are spot on. Just remove the loose plaster. Fill it.. Sand it. Its nothing serious. You can get a ready mixed filler in dealz for a quick cheap fix.

baaba maal

It is actually quite easy and even enjoyable to repair small cracks like this. Clean out the crack with a stanley knife, leaving a V-shaped groove instead of all the loose, crumbly stuff. Use an interior filler, premixed and quick drying- apply it with a pallette knife or paintscraper so that it slightly higher than the painted surface of the plaster. Let it fully dry and use a fine sandpaper to level it off. In some parts you might need to apply the filler in two stages if the gap is too big. If you have some of the original paint, use a small roller and you may get away with not needing to paint the whole thing again.

GreeBo

Just make sure you address the cause before filling, or it will all happen again.
Looks like something popping through alright, take a pic when you have removed the loose stuff

andrew1977

GreeBo wrote: »

Just make sure you address the cause before filling, or it will all happen again.
Looks like something popping through alright, take a pic when you have removed the loose stuff

That's why I am thinking I need somebody knowledgeable to tackle it and have a look at it for me, I have 3-4 of these " lumpy cracks " on the same wall , I wouldn't be confident I can sort it myself , its the main living room, so I don't want to make a balls of it.

wait4me

Clean it out and have a look; put up a pic here and one of the gang will tell you if you need go to Plan B

andrew1977

wait4me wrote: »

Clean it out and have a look; put up a pic here and one of the gang will tell you if you need go to Plan B

Yeah will have a go at it the weekend, I have already been warned by herself not to touch it today as she doesn't want a disaster/eyesore on her hands.
And with my history of DIY attempts, I fully understand
Thanks.

wait4me

And to keep her happy.... when you go to clean it out, use a folded newspaper in your other hand to collect the debris. You wont have a lot to come out but it saves it going everywhere on the floor./carpet. Don't look too professional or you will end up getting tasked with more DIY :D

dok_golf

They are just screw heads popping . rake out the loose stuff, fill and sand. run a bead of caulk along the wall/ceiling joint. I'd say you have a bit of movement there. The caulk should be flexible enough to deal with it in future ( unless movement is very bad). Then paint as normal.

Some of the premixed fillers you get in deals,Mr price etc are crap .
They sometimes have the decent stuff alright but you need to be careful.
The crap stuff is really smooth like mayonnaise and is more like silicone than plaster.
It doesn't sand at all even though it says it does on the tub .

andrew1977

Herself has told me I am not to touch any of the attempted repairs and want its done and assessed properly, and a few other minor cracks/tidy ups around the place on ceilings.

The builder who built the house 10 years ago is no longer in action , long shot but would anyone have any recommendations of a reliable fella in the Drogheda area who would be interested in tackling the few minor jobs ( hoping its minor anyway)

Thanks again for all the help