A hairline crack keeps returning where an old plaster wall meets a newer drywall section. I fill and paint it, and a few months later a faint line reappears. The two surfaces probably move differently with temperature and humidity. Would a flexible paintable joint, reinforcing tape or a different compound be more durable than another rigid patch? I'd rather acknowledge movement than keep hiding the same crack every season.
Repairing repeated cracks where two different wall materials meet
- home-improvement
- repairing
- repeated
- cracks
17
4 replies
If the crack keeps coming back, I’d treat the joint itself rather than just the surface. A flexible, paintable caulk or a proper movement jo...
If the crack keeps coming back, I’d treat the joint itself rather than just the surface. A flexible, paintable caulk or a proper movement joint is more promising than another rigid filler that will just split again.
I’d be careful with tape over an active joint unless you know the movement is tiny. Tape can hide a problem for a while, but if the two materials are still moving a lot it may not hold up.
Agree with the movement point. I’ve seen people keep redoing the finish when the real issue was that the plaster and drywall were never going to behave the same way.
So would you still fill it first and then use a flexible finish, or just cut it back and redo the seam properly? I’m trying to picture the a...