Cracked ceilings in 1st floor rooms

callmechar

We have a sixties ex council house. We've noticed that there are cracks in the bedroom and bathroom ceilings upstairs. The cracks are straight, looks like in line with the plaster board. Some cracks are only a metre or a bit less apart ruining parallel to each other but isn't plaster board wider than this?

Some cracks follow a pattern eg 1m straight line then 90 degree angle and then another 1m etc. We've screwed the plaster board back up add some was loose (the cracks are a few mm and one side of the crack is lower) but even with filling they ate noticeable. I want to get to the bottom of what's causing the cracks. It must be the loft but there are cracks in places my husband hasnt even been near or on. What could be causing this please?

themull1

Mine's a 1950's house, and i've got cracks like that, but i've lived here 15 years and never had any problems. I thought most ceilings had cracks - my mams does as well.

Crinkmeister

Whoever put the ceiling up probably didn't use scrim tape and just skimmed over the un-taped joints.

callmechar

Actually we also have this in downstairs hallway so not just upstairs.

jcb208

If you want to get rid for good you need to scrim over the cracks and feather the tapes out with filler,making sure all boards are screwed up firmly

sk240

The easy way to fix this is to use flexible ceiling paint.
I recently had all of my ceilings skimmed over, and got a few cracks just the same as you where the plasterboard joints are.
Painted with wickes flexible celling paint, and now I cant see any of the cracks anymore.

http://www.wickes.co.uk/Wickes-Flexible-Ceiling-Emulsion-Paint-White-2-5L/p/214103