Crack in new "fake" ceiling

moneyistooshorttomention

I've recently had a fake plasterboard ceiling put up immediately underneath the original plasterboard ceiling (ie because of it being easiest/cheapest way to deal with what had been put on that ceiling by the builder of the house).

So, plasterboard all duly put up on battens and then skim-plastered over and painted.

This is only a few weeks down the line and a hairline crack has appeared. It runs from end wall edge along about 3' and is about an 1" or so out from side wall edge.

:eek:. My newly-done room, complete with nice new carpet laid:eek:

1. What is the cause of this? (NB: It's a bungalow, so it won't be down to people running around upstairs).

2. What is the remedy for this?

I do hope the remedy isn't going to be messy, thinking of my new d!cor/new carpet/new everything in that room....

Right now I don't know whether to have a hollow laugh, cry or throttle the builder and have settled for crying...

anotherbaldrick

Not so much Fake as "False" ceiling ! It may just be shrinkage of the board, but it does worry me that the crack is 1" out and parallel to the side wall. If you get up the ladder and press the ceiling upwards does either side of the crack lift or does it all feel solid ?

moneyistooshorttomention

anotherbaldrick wrote: »

Not so much Fake as "False" ceiling ! It may just be shrinkage of the board, but it does worry me that the crack is 1" out and parallel to the side wall. If you get up the ladder and press the ceiling upwards does either side of the crack lift or does it all feel solid ?

Just got out a ladder and had a closer look at it.

I cant feel any movement in the ceiling at any point.

The crack itself isn't just one straight-ish line crack. It's a few inches wiggly type crack, followed by another wiggly type crack, followed by etc.

I can also see that at the start point of the cracking (ie an end wall of that room) that there is minute hairline cracking going along that side wall for about 2' at the join point between ceiling and wall.

I couldn't see that cracking from the floor but, having got up close to the ceiling, then that is visible too.

My suspicion is that maybe one of the battens holding up that particular piece of plasterboard might possibly be at fault? (as in not screwed up tight enough to the original ceiling)?

What do you think?

moneyistooshorttomention

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I have just attempted to draw a diagram to indicate.

The cracking I noticed from ground level is going along the downwards (bracket) type wall. The hairline cracking along join between ceiling and wall is along the (straight line) type wall.

The two lines show the intersection of the wall at a corner edge of the room if that helps.

EDIT: I've had to go back and type in rows of x's to push the "bracket wall" (ie the right-hand one) out to the position it needs to be. The hairline cracking along end wall would be represented by that first row of x's iyswim. The bracket wall is the side wall of the room, where the cracking I first noticed of wiggly bit, then wiggly bit is.

lee111s

Can't you take a picture and post it?

moneyistooshorttomention

A worthwhile thought re taking a picture, but I have no means of taking a photo (ie I haven't got a camera and my mobile phone is a very basic one only) and wouldn't have the faintest idea how to "translate" that into posting up a link here anyway.

Sorry.

moneyistooshorttomention

Am now guessing that this sort of thing is why some people do coving at ceiling edges, as that's exactly where this cracking is.

But...the thing is I don't do coving. I hate it and am getting this house together in a totally plain modern sort of way and without things like coving.

andyhop

If only the ceiling was skimmed then its going to crack on the wall edges. Wall edges should have been taped and flushed

Other than a decent acrylic caulk or a full skim there's nothing that can be done to fix

moneyistooshorttomention

The wall was replastered too.

So, what does "flushed" mean please?

sk240

I had some hairline cracks in my new plastered ceiling, I didn't fix it as such, but wickes do a flexible ceiling paint, I used this and cant see any of the cracks anymore.
http://www.wickes.co.uk/Flexible-Ceiling-Paint-White-2-5L/p/214103