Plaster walls tend to hairline crack as a house settles.
Plaster is a material used in many buildings. It is applied while wet over the building material for the wall, such as brick or timber. Plaster is versatile and is often overlaid with wallpaper, stenciled or painted. As a house settles, or a wall is subjected to damp conditions or drastic changes in temperature, the plaster may crack. Compounds are available at most home improvement stores that allow you to repair a plaster wall without having to wait a long time for the patch to dry.
Instructions
1. Insert a chisel into the crack and pound it lightly with a hammer to remove any jagged edges and to turn the crack into a V-shape.
2. Vacuum the dust from the hole.
3. Mix together your quick-setting joint compound, following the instructions on the packaging. Apply a thin layer inside the crack, using a trowel.
4. Place a length of drywall paper tape in the crack over the quick-drying compound before it has dried.
5. Mix together your patching compound with water according to the instructions on the packaging label. Mix a small portion at a time. These compounds harden quickly, usually within 30 minutes.
6. Apply the patching compound in the crack, using a trowel. Make the patch as smooth as possible, and allow the patch to dry. Sand the patch even with the rest of the wall, using a dry/wet sanding sponge.
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