plaster cracked on walls?

Question

there is hairline cracks in the plaster on my walls, willl the plaster need replaced or can i plaster (skim) over it....the plaster isnt crumbling, the cracks cover the whole wall

the house is 60 yrs old & still has the original plaster on the walls

Answer 1

You can also use plaster washers to stabilize the plaster on both sides of the crack. They hold the plaster tight against the underlying lath. See link below on historic plaster repair... image of washers in action about halfway down the page.

Answer 2

When we moved into our house, we were eating breakfast when a great chunk of wall-paper slowly flopped down, revealing cracks... & when we removed the wood-chip from the walls we found every single wall had cracks & pitted holes of all sizes...

I was freaking out at the thought of all that poly-filla when our old neighbour said:
"Nah! Don't use that stuff! Just go to any builder's merchants & buy a bag of dry-lining mix (which sets rock hard) + a tub of ready-mixed jointing compound (for finer finishing on surfaces).

We did. & the results were cheap & so good, we haven't had to wall-paper - only paint the walls, which look like new plaster. Only down-side, the sanding.

Answer 3

If your home has plaster walls, you can resign yourself to patching before every paint job. Harmless cracks will return with regularity no matter how often you fill them. Watch, though, for loose or crumbly cracks, holes, and bulges; these may mean you have a leak. If you have a leak, fix it before doing any work on the walls.

Assess your problem and try one of the following:

Plaster Patching Materials.

Dry-mix joint compound is strong, making it a good choice for wide cracks and holes.

Vinyl surfacing compound is soft and flexible. Use it for narrow cracks or holes.

Patching plaster or gauging plaster creates a genuine plaster surface, but it takes time to learn how apply it correctly.

Latex/silicone caulk stays flexible and so can accommodate shifting cracks.

Aerosol crack seal is ideal for small cracks. Spray it just before priming.

Answer 4

Spackling would work as long as the plaster is sound. If the house sat for a while with no heat in it, these could be thermal cracks and are not likely to return if the house is kept heated. Localized plaster loosening can be repaired. I would NEVER, NEVER replace plaster with (shudder) wallboard. That would be like replacing the Mona Lisa with a bright yellow smiley face. Wallboard is inferior in every way to plaster.

Answer 5

if they are all over the wall !!! it sounds like either the plaster was put on to thin or the backing surface was not prepaired correctly !!!!!::::::::sugest try to remove existing plaster then re skim ::::::putting "pva" glue on the backing surface first (the instructions when dealing with plaster will be on the tin !!!

Answer 6

Minor cracks can be spackled. I would not replace plaster unless some is falling off the wall.
If you replace, there is no guarantee that the cracks will not return.

Answer 7

Get yourself a roll of self adhering fiberglass tape, cover cracks with tape and skim coat 3 light coats of joint compound, use your broad knife in between coats and knock the high edges down. after applying your coats use 150 grit paper and lightly sand if done correctly (light coats) there won't be much to sand, then prime and paint good luck Les the painter.

Answer 8

Cover cracks with scrim tape and then skim over it. should stop it cracking again.Also if your using plaster board, use it over the joints to stop that cracking.

Answer 9

p v a it and then skim it