Repairing Cracks In Plaster Walls Before Painting

Plaster repair is much.

Repairing cracks in plaster walls before painting.

If you have ever repaired drywall you may know that it is often easier to replace entire portions with new pieces of drywall it s possible to remove just the section that needs fixing and a few. Some like a small hairline crack usually aren t a big deal. Repairing small cracks in plaster is easy compared to plastering a whole room. Whether found in drywall plaster or concrete a crack in a wall is an eyesore.

Again let the compound dry sand it smooth and dust it down. Scrape the plaster compound into the crack and flatten it on to the wall with your paint scraper. However if the plaster separates from the lath or the structure of the wall it s called blown plaster and it requires a more extensive repair. Use a five way tool or other scraping device image 1.

Most small cracks will easily be covered by normal wallpaper but when walls or ceilings are to be painted with ordinary paint the cracks will need to be filled before painting and this article deals with filling small cracks for this purpose. Otherwise the cracks come back no matter how many times you patch over them. Repair procedures for large holes and cracks differ depending on the size of the hole or crack and the construction material of your walls. How to fix cracked walls permanently.

Understanding how plaster walls are constructed will help you fix your cracked plaster wall. Here tom silva shows how to repair plaster walls to make them look as good as new. Small cracks in plaster should first be widened so that filler can be pushed right. For finishing you ll need primer and paint.

The key to any fix is to reunite the plaster with the strips of wood lath underneath. Once the compound is dry lightly sand it until it is smooth. An overview photo by david carmack. Dust the wall off and apply a second slightly wider coat of plaster compound to the wall.

The process is different for plaster than for drywall. Generally caused by the natural settling of a house over time you can repair. In the case of larger cracks with plaster falling out remove the damaged plaster to reveal the binding course. Knock old plaster through keys in the lath to establish a better binding course for the new plaster to adhere to image 2.

There are a couple of reasons why cracks can form in plaster walls. To repair small cracks in plaster you ll need patching compound medium and fine grit sandpaper a sanding block a putty knife a masonry chisel a paintbrush a rag and a screwdriver. Alternatively you can use repair mesh to cover imperfections in drywall.