House is cracking up!

S052_2

Hey guys really need some help.. Bought house last December, it's 13 years old semi detached 3 floors.. Last month we noticed the ceiling of the ground floor kitchen, interior stud wall of kitchen, first floor interior wall of bedroom and tiles behind first floor shower start to develop perfectly horizontal and vertical cracks. Got a builder round who thought it was due to the movement of the plasterboards on the joists that had not been secured properly. Rang our home insurance who said it was normal wear and tear or faulty workmanship (but it has been fine for 12 years) and so was not covered. Has anyone suggestions on how to go about fixing it, and how to argue the point that buildings insurance should cover it. Took out premier m and s insurance so was surprised they were so unhelpful. Thank you !

stef73

Are the cracks getting bigger? Tell tales will tell you this here is 1 site i found with a quick search http://www.surveyexpress.co.uk/Home-Inspection/Crack-Monitoring/c-1-131-142/?gclid=CKD34KWT6LICFaTHtAodxE8AzQ

S052_2

They're not getting wider, just longer along where the joins between the plasterboards are (joists?)

Tucker

Are we talking cosmetic - hair-line cracks or can you poke the tick end of a pen into the gap?

May well be poor plastering where they have failed to tape the joints in the boards.

pka_2

agree with the post above. Are the vertical ones about 1.2m appart and the horizontal ones about 2.1m from floor? if so then almost certainly they havent taped and jointed the joints in the plasterboard correctly.

S052_2

They're hairline really you couldn't poke a pen tip in the gaps, and if I push you can feel some movement. About that distance apart too. Any idea how big the job would be for the plasterer and what sort of quote? Are you in agreement that this isn't something insurance would cover since it sounds like faulty workmanship. Thanks so much for your help!:j:j

Tucker

It doesn't sound anymore than poor quality plastering to me, but without seeing it, it is hard to say. If the cracks are very straight, vertically and horizontally, it is quite likely a bad job.

Prior to skimming they should tape up all the joint in the plaster board and then skim. This prevents exactly what seems to have occurred as it stops the skim cracking where two boards meet as a little expansion movement is normal.

It basically needs taping and re-skimming, so depends how much square metres are needed etc...

I paid a plasterer £120 per day and bought the materials myself. Obviously a whole house will take numerous days and will be somewhat messy.

lucywillow

I had the same problem 2 years ago with the plasterboards in my main bedroom. After doing some online research as I could not afford to have the ceiling re-plastered I bought a can of WICKES ceiling paint & repainted the ceiling. It's slightly thicker than normal emulsion & flexible & it filled in the hairline cracks between the boards. So far they have not returned and you would never know they were there. I think it's about £17 for a 2.5 litre tin. It only comes in white but in theory I don't see why you couldn't paint the walls with it too and then paint over with a colour of your choice once it had dried thoroughly ( although I must advise I haven't tried this). Might be worth trying it on your ceiling & seeing if it works for you.
Hope this helps.

S052_2

Thanks that's really helpful