cracks in ceiling

[alarman]

Hi all, can anyone tell me what is the best method for filling cracks in a ceiling, i did some and used one time filler, sands down great but cracks have come back a week later, caulk seems to leave a line, fine filler is good but tends to leave a mound. Any advice would be much appreciated

 

[Richard C]

Cracks usually appear along the board joints as a result of movement; this can be caused by incorrect boarding, insufficient support along the edges of the boards or the board joints weren’t properly tapped. If it’s upstairs, cracks are often caused by loft storage or someone walking about on the ceiling joists which in many new houses are not that strong.

Unfortunately, you will never stop cracks reappearing by using filler & as youve discovered flexible caulk isn't ideal either & even that can crack again, the only permanent cure is to rectify why they moved in the first place. This usually involves adding additional fixing screws along the board joints, adding one or more layers of glass fibre reinforcing tape over the crack, plaster skim & blend in the repair. It can be a lot of work to affect a permanent cure & even then there can be no guarantee they won’t reappear if the ceiling has been incorrectly boarded; unless they are really bad or really bother you, it’s often easier to just live with it.

 

[alarman]

Thx for your reply