After a century or so plaster walls and ceilings can develop a variety of problems from neglect or abuse. Your plaster can tell you a ton about issues that may be developing around your house if you know how to listen to what it is saying. In this post I’ll show you how to diagnose the most common plaster problems and what they mean. Plaster is often like the canary in the coal mine. If there is a problem brewing it will likely show up first in the plaster.
So knowing how to diagnose plaster problems will help you solve little problems before they become big ones. Cracked Plaster This is probably the most common problem people notice with their old plaster walls. The good news is that cracks in your plaster don’t necessarily mean trouble. Sometimes they are a warning sign but other times they’re just like wrinkles on our faces that appear with age. How do you know the difference?
Hairline Cracks. Hairline Cracks – These cracks are small enough that you can barely fit a fingernail in them. It doesn’t matter which way they are running either, vertical, horizontal, or diagonal these are the most benign of all the cracks and unless they are growing or you really can’t stand the sight of them there is no reason to mess with them. Delaminating Cracks Delaminating Cracks – These cracks are a sign of plaster pulling away from the lath behind it.
These show up on both ceilings and walls, but can be the most dangerous on ceilings. When plaster begins to pull away from the lath there is a chance it may fall away from the wall or ceiling and come crashing down. The cracks often run parallel to the lath (horizontally on walls and lengthwise on ceilings). You may see multiple cracks or bulges running parallel on the ceiling like in the picture which is a sure sign of plaster pulling away from the lath.
Small Hairline Cracks In Plaster Walls
You can use the to learn how to reattach the plaster and prevent further damage. Settlement Cracks Photo Credit: //www.warreninspect.com Settlement Cracks – If a part of the house is sagging you may find converging cracks running across your plaster walls. Yes, you’ll want to patch and fill these cracks, but address the bigger issue of foundation problems first.
A group of cracks converging in one direction are often signs of settling. If you see this kind of crack call a professional, especially if they are new and growing. Discolored Water Stained Plaster Discolored Plaster This is the early signs of water damage to plaster. Brown water stains will begin to show up soon after a leak begins. The easy way to solve them is with a stain blocking, but that won’t do anything to resolve the water issue. You need to find the leak and seal it up before things get worse. Bubbling Plaster Bubbling Plaster Once the water damage becomes severe then the plaster will begin bubbling and bulging.
You may reach this stage without any noticeable water stains, but when this happens a portion of the plaster will have to be removed and patched. Use the steps in my post to repair the damaged sections.
If not repaired soon the damage will just continue and you run the risk of developing mold in the affected area. Water and plaster are not a good combination so find the source of the leak first and do everything you can to stop the water. Bulging Plaster Plaster is a pretty incredible material. I have seen a plaster wall come completely loose of the lath and bulge out about 4 inches from the wall with falling or even cracking! It’s not just cracks that mean plaster has come loose of its lath.
Just like delaminating cracks bulging plaster looks exactly the same except this time there aren’t cracks in the surface. If you see bulges in your wall or ceiling and the plaster can be pushed back up against the wall then it’s time to reattach that section of plaster. Use the steps in my post to get things stabilized again. Remember, plaster is the canary in the coal mine and these are just some of the most common plaster problems. It will start showing you leaks and settling before anything else so look for the signs and fix the issues before they demand your attention in a more expensive way.
If you have any plaster issues not mentioned here leave a comment below and I’ll try to answer as many as I can about how to resolve the issue. Good luck and watch that plaster!
We just had a mold issue taken care of in the attic of our 1969 townhouse. Also, we had the old insulation removed, and will be reinsulating. Yesterday we noticed three small bubbles, in a straight line in the bedroom ceiling plaster which is directly under the attic. One has cracked. And then another appeared in a different area which wasn’t so much a bubble, but just like a pushed out piece of plaster about the size of a quarter.
We were able to simply push that back in. From your article (thanks!) I’m leaning towards water damage. Does that make sense? Does that happen in such a straight line?
The water/mold company is coming back to reinsulate, but I assume the bubbling should be addressed first, yes? Thank you again for the article. Do you think encapsulating crawlspace and installing dehumidifier and pump would help dehumidify home?
We have a 100 year old large home across the street from the Bay in Tampa. We have ground water intrusion and after heavy rains, water pools under home (mainly under front porch area), but house gets humid.
We use dehumidifiers which helps. We have balloon frame home (three story). We are worried it will cause structural damage.
We have regraded land, installed drains, gutters, etc (used an engineer and spent thousands over the years.). Crawlspace people are advocating closing vents but we are afraid that will just trap the ground water underneath the vapor barrier.
Any opinions on encapsulating, to use or not to use vapor barriers, vented vs. Unvented crawlspaces? Our home is wood and in very good shape. No warped floors, etc. We are installing a whole house dehumidifier inside.
There is tremendous controversy on this and we do not know who to believe. I wish I could post a picture of what my ceiling is doing!
It literally looks like a checkerboard of squares that are all cracking and sagging and looks like it will start falling any minute! Our landlord “assured” us it isn’t an issue that needs him to repair it, but it’s an older home probably built before the 60s! I’m just worried that my ceiling will start crumbling all over my furniture or someone will get whacked in the head! Is there anyone I can send a picture to that can tell me if I need to worry?? Hi, I just noticed a huge patch of bubbled plaster in the wall of an interior closet.
About a foot long and 6-7 inches wide, it’s dry and crumbles to the touch. My clothes hang in that closet; will mold get into my clothes? The building is old and my landlord never does repairs. I can’t repair it myself or he will have a fit. It doesn’t rain much here (southern California) so if I put up a plastic shield of some sort will that protect my clothes? If I keep the lightbulb in the closet on and the door open will that discourage it spreading?
Is it harmful to be near (my bed is next to closet)? I only noticed that one patch; I’m afraid to check for more! Hi again, before I read this article I wrote you about a problem with very shallow surface damage in a bedroom in my brick veneer house. However, I am not certain there is lath on that wall (east side of house). On the west side, there is definitely a bedroom & stairwell that are plaster over lath, but in another west-side room (laundry room), the plaster appears to have been laid directly on masonry – no lath visible, but plaster has fallen off leaving a crumbling concrete-like surface both above and below grade. How can that be fixed? (I am going to fix the west-side bedroom that does have lath using the Wally’s Magic product).
Thank you so much, and I’m very glad to have found your blog. Susan, Big Wally’s can be used on plaster on masonry walls as well you just don’t have the ability to utilize the anchors. I have found that’d plowing their repair steps and finding an alternate way to keep the loose plaster pressed firmly against the wall for 24-36 hrs will result in a lasting repair. You may have to get creative to find a method that will apply the right amount of pressure against the wall for that time though.
Usually plywood on the wall with angled 2×4’s installed as temporary braces will work. It’s not as pretty but it gets the job done!
Mike Birdy/Pexels.com So you’ve moved all your furniture back into place after a long weekend of painting. The house looks clean and new and you smile at the awesome job well done. But then you take a closer look and you find a crack in the paint, and then another, and even more! Having cracks appear on your wall may just be a cosmetic problem, or it could indicate a more serious, structural issue. The first step to fixing the problem is identifying which one it is: Structural damage vs hairline cracks Al.i.sA/Shutterstock.com A good indicator of structural damage is looking at how long and large the wall crack is. If it is substantial (more than 1.5 inches wide), and the crack persists even after numerous repair jobs, or you have difficulty closing your windows and doors, it might signal a structural problem.
At this stage, it is best to rope in a professional to assess the situation and handle the job for you. Non-structural cracks—hairline cracks—however, are more common in most homes and are sometimes unavoidable. They tend to surface near windows and doors and can appear due to a variety of reasons. Identifying the cause and learning how to repair the crack properly can help you avoid similar situations in future. Why do cracks occur on walls? Here are a few common reasons:.
Contraction and expansion: The materials (paint, plaster) that make up your wall contract and expand because of fluctuations in humidity levels and temperature changes. This is usually a problem if the wall is within a room that is periodically air-conditioned or it faces the afternoon sun quite a bit. The movement of contraction and expansion can cause hairline cracks to appear. Low quality paint: Inferior quality paint results in poor paint adhesion on your wall, which leads to cracks over time. In addition, using different paints for each paint coat can also cause cracks on the wall. There’s no way around it! Keep your paint consistent and use a.
It might hurt a little now, but it’s better than suffering for it down the road. Impatience during plasterwork: Sometimes, patience is the best way to go. Not letting cement plaster completely dry before applying paint is actually quite a common factor attributed to cracks. So put on some Netflix and chill out!
It’ll be better than buying new paint to redo your walls. Poor paint job: Painting an entire house can be a huge amount of work, and it can be tempting to rush through it. But mistakes like missing out layers, or not letting previous layers completely dry can hamper your overall efforts. A good paint job takes time, so around it! Get cracking: how do we resolve hairline cracks?
Auhustsinovich/Shutterstock.com If you find a hairline crack, don’t panic! While you can engage a contractor to, most hairline cracks can be resolved with a DIY job. It might seem counter-productive, but you should first create a deeper hairline crack (using a scraper, screwdriver or utility knife) before starting the repair work.
This “opens up” the crack so that you can clean out the loose concrete, paint, debris or old filler (using a cloth, dry brush or vacuum) before mending. This also helps the filling solution to properly fill the insides of the crack. After cleaning the crack, fill it with filling solution/joint compound. Make sure the filler covers the entire crack. Even out the surface with your scraper and let the filling dry out for a day. Keep point 3 and 4 in mind. Don’t rush the process!
Once the surface has dried, sand it down so the surface is completely smooth and even. Then apply paint. If you are applying two coats, always make sure the first coat has properly dried before applying the second coat. A good paint option is, which is specially formulated to cover hairline cracks.
To find out more about how to use paint to achieve your desired looks, check out how to and. About Nippon Paint Singapore At Nippon Paint, we believe everyone can become an expert in paints. By furnishing our customers with the finest paint products you can paint the world in the way you desire.
Our wide range of & boasts of breakthrough technology as well as being environmentally-friendly. With our, you are assured of our finest paint products and exclusive warranty. Browse through our extensive for painting techniques and experiment with and via our and before even picking up a brush!