How do I fix a crack in the wall that keeps coming back?

Question

I have a crack that runs from the floor to about 5' up the wall. It is a small crack, only about 1/16" wide.

I fix it with spackle and paint it but it always reappears a couple months later. Last time I fixed it I sprayed it with some polymer before painting it and it stayed fixed for a month or so longer than usual but now it's back again.

Is there an easy way to fix it permanently?

The wall is not drywall, it's plaster.

I live on the 5th floor of a condo building that was constructed in 1971 so settling/foundation issues aren't a consideration.

Answer 1

i have had the same problem and have tried everything mentioned so far i found out they are called stress cracks and can be hard to remove

this is what i finally did

i cut the section out completely i remove the surrounding drywall and screw metal bands (galvanized plumbers tape works well ) from corner to corner making an X ... this will hopefully stop the movement in a wall caused by expansion /contraction which causes the stress crack
i then install a 4x8 sheet of drywall ( smaller cracks take smaller sheets ) usually i try to install new board 2 feet of either side of the crack i use drywall screws not nails .......... any edge of the old and new wall board should be supported ( i use a 1x 4 pine furring strip )

using a powder mix of joint compound ( careful on what you use it dries fast ) and seaming paper i soak the paper in water for a minute or two (cut it to length first) and tape and mud the seams......when coat one dries ( 4 inch drywall knife ) i knock down the high spots and apply coat two......(6 or 8 inch drywall knife )
for coat three i use a premixed topping (12 inch drywall knife) when it dries i sand mostly with a damp sponge and do any necessary touch ups

then i can primer the repair with a pva primer and paint the wall

good luck stress cracks are a pain in the.......... well you know

by the way the more you practice spreading mud the easier it gets

Answer 2

Spackle alone will not fix a crack, think about what a piece of drywall/Sheetrock looks like. The inside which is a chalk like substance is covered with paper. If the paper wasn't there it would always crack. The same with a repair. You must use a drywall tape which is then Spackled over with several coats and then sanded smooth and then primed and painted. If you have a major stress crack over a header or window on a bearing wall I would suggest that you check the basement or crawlspace under the crack and make sure that everything is structurally sound. To much settling may be a sign of damage below.

Answer 3

My brother is a farrier, he's repaired cracked hooves before. He's not here with me, but I can tell you that he used this mix of two chemicals that gets really hot and has the consistency of putty when its first mixed. He applied it to to the hoof in the crack, then let it get hard. Then he pared the hoof as normal, taking a little extra off this mix so the hoof could grow into the space, whilst the rest of the hoof was supported and didn't crack any worse. I reckon its best to leave it to the farrier to take care of this, but it will be a fairly long process and it might be expensive to keep him coming out, as this mix stuff requires regular replacing. Depending on the crack, that stuff might not even work - again, your farrier will tell you more. I think the best thing that you can do is provide the horse with a high protein diet, as thats needed to replace hoof kerratine.

Answer 4

I'm a drywall contractor. You need to tape the crack with drywall tape and setting compound (USG Sheetrock 90 or 45) then coat it twice with a lite or regular mud.

If the crack keeps coming back after that, the issue is not with the drywall, it's with framing that keeps moving due to settelling (sp?) or humidity.

Answer 5

Check the link below for step-by-step instructions on how to fix plaster walls, especially the repair hairline cracks part. I think the culprit is the drywall-reinforcing tape -- I don't see that mentioned in your repair list above. Good luck!!

Answer 6

You don't mention what kind of foundation your house has, or what part of the country you live in. If your foundation is settling or reacting to movement in the ground beneath, you may never get rid of the crack without fixing the underlying problem.

Answer 7

you need to find out what caused the crack and why it keeps returning!! your foundation may be shifting creating the crack!! once you find and fix this then your next repair on the crack should end up being permanent!!

Answer 8

You need to use some drywall tapeover the crack to provide stability to the repair. If you use the self-stick fiberglass mesh tape it should work well.

Answer 9

Is the substrate drywall or concrete? repair methods would vary greatly.

Answer 10

What's up, just wanted to mention, I enjoyed this discussion. very inspiring replies