cracks in ceiling keep reappearing

T3RRY

Hi All
We moved into our Mid-terrace, 3 Bed 1950's ex council property about 4 years ago and in the first 3 years all seemed fine with the house. Early last year we started to notice cracks on the ceilings throughout the house, along joists and in some places where there weren't joists.

Some time in August last year we had a painter and decorator come in to sort the cracks in the Living room ceiling and repaint the room and this year we had the bathroom renovated too, all the cracks in both rooms have reappeared and we haven't even started looking at the worst cracks. Three days ago, we attempted to sort out one of the shorter cracks in the WC by scraping the paint along the area and removing loose bits of plaster in the crack then filled it with filler (EverBuild - Deep Gap ready mix).

Today, the crack reappeared. How can I win this fight? could it be something more serious?

A friend suggested rebounding the ceiling will sort the issue, but what good will it be if the joists ate moving. Won't he issue just reappear?

Mutton_Geoff

Cracks along plasterboard joints need scrim tape then blending in (or whole ceiling reskimmed). Filling locally will never last long.

askeym

I don't want to be an alarmist but if cracks constantly reappear it could be something quite serious. This might be worth checking out but as I can't post links yet (why on earth not?) just close up the space in front of www: https:// www.esurv.co.uk/home-buyers/spotting-the-signs-of-subsidence/

452

The cracks keep reappearing as there's movement in the boards, they'll keep coming back while that movement is still there. In the first instance I'd try adding some additional screws to the plasterboard either side if the cracks. 

T3RRY

Mutton_Geoff said:

Cracks along plasterboard joints need scrim tape then blending in (or whole ceiling reskimmed). Filling locally will never last long.

I noticed when I removed the paint and bit of crumbling plaster that there was no tape. Would removing the filler and plaster on the area then taping the area and refill with ready mix do the job or does it have to be a full re-skim? 

askeym said:

I don't want to be an alarmist but if cracks constantly reappear it could be something quite serious. This might be worth checking out but as I can't post links yet (why on earth not?) just close up the space in front of www: https:// www.esurv.co.uk/home-buyers/spotting-the-signs-of-subsidence/

We are not seeing any cracks on the walls that meet with the Ceilings of any cracks on the wall for that matter. could this be subsidence? the link talks about cracks but on walls.

452 said:

The cracks keep reappearing as there's movement in the boards, they'll keep coming back while that movement is still there. In the first instance I'd try adding some additional screws to the plasterboard either side if the cracks. 

The boards are made of this weird plasterboard (with string fibres in it) that is old I guess, and when we removed some of the plaster there were no screws attached to the board and the gap between boards was about 2mm. I may give that a go, plus the tape to cover over.

RelievedSheff

You will always be fighting a losing battle trying to keep plaster crack free.

We are in a 1 year old new build and the OH has spent the last six weeks going round each room filling shrinkage cracks in the plaster.

Our previous 1930's semi was the same. Plaster is very brittle and any slight movement will crack it.

FreeBear

T3RRY said: We moved into our Mid-terrace, 3 Bed 1950's ex council property about 4 years ago and in the first 3 years all seemed fine with the house. Early last year we started to notice cracks on the ceilings throughout the house, along joists and in some places where there weren't joists.

First question - Are the cracks in straight lines parallel to any wall ?

If so, you have plasterboard ceilings, quite probably with nails fixing the boards.

If the cracks are diagonal and/or in random areas, then the ceiling is likely lath & plaster - A quick look in the loft will confirm this as there will be thin strips of wood nailed to the joists and nibs of plaster pushed through from the other side.

In the first case, overboarding (using screws to fix the boards) would give you a long term fix. I wouldn't recommend overboarding a lath & plaster ceiling - It will add to an already considerable weight on the joists, and if the original lime plaster is starting to fail, there is no guarantee that the plasterboard will support the weight. Taking down a lath & plaster ceiling is a very messy job, and will generate a tonne or two of waste (lime plaster can be recycled). But it does give you the opportunity to deal with poor insulation under the eaves (assuming upstairs rooms) and an excuse to redecorate.

But in either case, if the house is not structurally sound, no amount of plasterboard is going to fix the problem of cracks appearing.

Mistral001

Was the house owned by an elderly person before you bought it?  

TELLIT01

Cracks reappearing in the same place on a ceiling probably isn't anything to worry about.  Slight movement of the joists would be enough to cause that to happen.  If you are constantly getting cracks appearing in new places it would suggest settlement / subsidence or some other potential serious structural problem.

Davesnave

Mistral001 said:

Was the house owned by an elderly person before you bought it?  

I'm an 'elderly person' as defined by the jokers who govern us. My house has no cracks in the plaster at all.

When I pop my clogs, will the next owners expect to see joints opening up as I mysteriously influence the structure from beyond the grave, or is there a rational piece of reasoning behind your question? 

Grenage

Davesnave said:

When I pop my clogs, will the next owners expect to see joints opening up as I mysteriously influence the structure from beyond the grave.

Good to see you've got a retirement plan, Dave!