Probably like lots of you here, I’m getting my house ready for the holidays. All those stupid projects one only works on if there’s a big event. I happily installed a piece of quarter-round I’d been neglecting as well as drawer front.
However, I thought it might be a good idea to get rid of the plaster cracks in my dining room wall. The guy that did my drywall didn’t want the job and told me to get some strectch caulk, fill the cracks, and paint over them.
I did this and I’m not very happy with the result. From reading here, some have suggested a coat of joint compound over the caulk.
Any thoughts on my next step here? (You’ll be helping to promote martial harmony too!)
Thanks!
Patrick
Replies
Sorry, you've got no choice but to tear the house down and start all over again.
(First off, it's very important to use paintable caulk.)
You're right on about tearing the whole place down, I've had that feeling more than once. Maybe we'll just have to go a restaurant for Christmas dinner. Did I mention my cooking skills are about like my plaster patching abilities?
Anyway, these are real plaster walls of the 1920's vintage. The cracks are above and below windows and near door openings. The instructions I recieved were to chisel out the crack to remove the loose and plaster, fill with the caulk and then paint. The picture attached is of my results, which are pretty bad. (Photo is not to scale, cracks are about 5 inches long)
I have very basic drywall abilities, but this one is beyond me by a long shot.
If you used plain (unpaintable) silicone bathtub caulk, then likely the paint is separating from the caulk and that's your problem. If you press on the bulging areas do they give easily (or even flake away), indicating that the paint has separated?Otherwise, if the patches were originally smooth it would appear that there's simply too much motion to stay smooth. But that seems unlikely given the location and size of the cracks.
If your view never changes you're following the wrong leader
PS: You may have opened up the cracks too much for caulk. When caulking you only want about a 1/8 to 1/4" crack, while if using drywall mud or spackle you want something wider.
If your view never changes you're following the wrong leader
The largest gaps aren't more than 1/4", the photo is not a very good representation.
Everything seems solid with the caulk. Maybe I need to do another layer of caulk and feather it out more?
Would doing joint compound in these cracks be a terrible idea?
Thanks, Dan. I really appreciate your help!
Edited 12/10/2007 1:32 pm ET by Corrib
I've tried everything under the sun with similar cracks in my house.Nothing has worked !Sorry to rain on your parade, but the cracks "keep coming back"Kind of like a bad penny or ex wife
It may be that you simply did not level the caulk sufficiently. You'd generally scrape out the crack with an old knife or a beer can opener, then vacuum clean, then caulk to achieve a perfectly smooth, flush finish, with no bulges. In some cases it may produce a smoother finish to caulk a little "proud" and then shave the caulk down with a razor, but that's a bit of work. (But don't plan on sanding the caulk -- it won't sand down at all but will instead ball up and get rough.)If the plaster is especially chalky it would pay to prime the notch first (and allow to dry) before caulking.Or, if you're confident that the cracks aren't moving seasonally, you can use drywall mud (and probably tape as well). Or use a spackle. I especially like the premixed Ready Patch spackle from Zisner, and I suspect it's more flexible than mud. It's goes on easy and sands down real smooth.
If your view never changes you're following the wrong leader
It's unclear: Is this wall with the cracks real plaster or is it drywall? If real plaster, do the cracks open and close seasonally? Where are the cracks -- above windows, down the middle of the walls, in the corners, or where?
You probably should not have used any caulk. Spackle for nail holes, some kind of patching compound for cracks. If it's sheetrock, pre-mixed joint compound would work well. If it's real plaster then something else. You probably need to remove the caulk.
"Put your creed in your deed." Emerson
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
Caulk is the right choice if they're "live" cracks, such as you often find in older homes. Any rigid material will break out as the cracks "breathe".Another option is to use a sort of special wallpaper -- I forget what it's called. You apply it horizontally and then paint over it.Finally, you can go over the entire wall with 1/4 or 3/8" drywall.
If your view never changes you're following the wrong leader
Lining paper is what you were looking for
mike
Yep, I think I heard it called "wall liner".
If your view never changes you're following the wrong leader
Thanks for all the responses!
The big box didn't have much for spackle so I went with regular setting-type mud. I've got two coats and it looks pretty good. Is there a way to decide whether a third coat is needed?
Anyway, my main issue now is how to match the texture of the plaster. It doesn't have to be perfect (the walls aren't), but I would like to get it close.
I used some of the "texture in a can" when my Great Dane punched a rather large hole in the drywalled portion of my house and it worked okay. However, it doesn't look right for matching the plaster.
Any thoughts? (I'm already winning points on the homefront thanks to Breaktime...)
Thanks!
Someone recently suggested rolling on "block filler" for duplicating plaster texture.
Forrest
I don't see any texture in the picture, other than what the paint provides. Of course, it's a little out of focus. Can you describe the texture?
If your view never changes you're following the wrong leader
I don't remember where I find out about this but it works GREAT.
BONDO. Yes Bondo, the car stuff. I widened the crack & in my case I also had a large "hole" in the ceiling next to the diningroom lamp opening(yes that lamp) that I had to fill also. Cleaned the loose stuff out (vacuumed too) & then misted water on the old plaster. I used fiberglass mesh as a filler for the "hole". Tied a piece of thread to the center of the mesh & attached the other end to a pen/pencil. Positioned the mesh & let the pen/pencil drop (this was to weigh down the mesh).
I then had 2 hands free to put on a rough coat of the BONDO. Let that dry & then put another couple of thinner layers on top. The very last layers were pretty smooth but I also used a fine sandpaper to make things pretty level. Vacuumed everything clean again. Washed it down with a HOT water & vinegar mix. Let dry, primed & painted it. I'm very happy with the results & will use it for the reoccurring cracks that I patched with joint compound earlier.Come & trim myyy Christmas treeee with some Marvin windows, I need seven, please.
My house is 1903- horsehair plaster over wood lath. I've owned it for 25 years, repaired A LOT of plaster cracks. The ones that come back (over doors/windows, like yours appear to be) can be permanently repaired as follows: 1) open up crack with a 'back cut' so the repair will key
2) clean thoroughly
3) if it's really crumbly, prime first, otherwise dampen with a spray bottle/water
4) repair with mesh tape and setting compound- small cracks (less than 1/4" or so) can be filled with lightweight vinyl spackling compound without tape- do as many coats as necessary to get a smooth surface, sanding if necessary
5) once repair is done and DRY, use "No More Cracks"- a product made by the "Goof Off" people- comes in small spray cans- two coats provides a thin, flexible membrane over the crack
6) once that is really dry, prime with Z-Prime or similar, paintCracks I've repaired this way haven't returned. I wonder if one could use a thin coat of RedGuard or similar elastomeric coating instead of the spray stuff which is expensive and noxious for large areas?Good luckBill
Dan,
I guess the wall texture on the plaster might be considered a VERY light orange peel. It's about half the amount of texture that I have on my drywall.
Is using the texture in the can the best bet? Or something else?
Thanks again for all your advice!
Simply using an eggshell paint with a nappy roller may be sufficient. If not then mix a little drywall mud into the paint.
If your view never changes you're following the wrong leader
Get your pointy 'church key' bottle opener and scratch out the caulk and any loose plaster. Then mesh tape everything. Then joint compound and the finish texture or smooth.
If the walls are painted smooth and/or shiny, hit everything with 80 or 100 grit before the joint compound. Pole sander works well for this.