Plaster repair is much.
Repairing plaster ceiling cracks.
Screw plaster washers to ceiling along and around cracked area.
What old house owner doesn t have a cracking or sagging plaster ceiling in need of repair somewhere.
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.
Plaster applied to wood lath is held in place by the keys that form when it squishes through the lath.
Expert advice and detailed instructions on repairing the most common plaster wall and ceiling problems including cracks holes and sagging.
Repairing small cracks in plaster is easy compared to plastering a whole room.
He asks us in an e mail.
Step 1 remove any loose plaster that s embedded in the crack.
For larger cracks you may need two coats of spackle because of its tendency to shrink as it dries in large gaps so double check before priming and painting.
An overview photo by david carmack.
Score the crack with a utility knife to remove any loose plaster or other material that may be inside the crack.
The key to any fix is to reunite the plaster with the strips of wood lath underneath.
For finishing you ll need primer and paint.
Otherwise the cracks come back no matter how many times you patch over them.
Here tom silva shows how to repair plaster walls to make them look as good as new.
Be sure to drive screws into wood lath above.
Typically plaster ceiling cracks have two causes.
To repair a crack in a ceiling.
For more about how plaster walls are built see plaster wall construction over time these.
If it s a small hairline crack you won t have to worry about this but larger deeper cracks will have debris in them.
If the plaster ceiling feels firmly attached to the lath then you can do the same repair as for the small cracks above.
House settling and temperature or moisture fluctuations in an attic which result in the expansion or contraction of framing members.
A ceiling crack is not an uncommon sight in older homes.
Use trowel to spread joint compound onto ceiling covering the repaired area.