Plaster Cracks

I am going to get a few articles behind me before I let anyone know about this blog.
I was doing a little research on plastering so I could sound like I knew what I was talking about. I found a site that tells you almost everything that you ever wanted to know about plaster repair. It's actually a National Park Service site. I didn't explore more of it but I will soon. http://www.cr.nps.gov/hps/tps/briefs/brief21.htm#Common%20Plaster%20Problems

I figured out a few things on my own based on some of my experiences, I live in an 80 year old bungalow in So. Seminole Heights that I bought 2 1/2 years ago, right after I had finished working on a 1928 house in SE/Belmont Heights. It had been vacant for 3 years when I got it. When I first walked in here is a little of what I saw.

If you look close in the far end of the livingroom you can make out the water damage. Part of the LR ceiling had dropped 1/4". It's also on the bedroom ceiling. You can't see it here but almost all of the walls and ceilings had spiderwebs of stress cracks.

I had used elastomeric "paint" in the past on a water damaged drywall seam in a ceiling and it lasted over 2 years 'til I sold the house. It comes in brush or trowel grade and textured (fine) or smooth. As the name hints it is elastic (rubbery).

I brushed it into the cracks thoroughly making sure that it went in below the surface and left very little to feather out on the surface. In the bad places I used multiple coats. No cracks have reopened anywhere even the worst spot (1/4" drop).

I used a bonding primer where the original primer (and paint) had fallen off the ceiling due to water. Then primer mixed with drywall compound and paint texture artisticly applied with brush and roller to match the original finish. This area the had worst water damage and the 1/4 inch drop.

This is the cat attacking the dog ( No, she's not an irish setter)


More later