Loads of thin cracks in reskim

[kerry452]

So i stripped wallpaper, waited two months for my housing association to send out a plasterer to reskim my walls only to find out the guy disagreed and only did a patch...2 days later woke up to find loads of thin cracks all over my reskim. I would actually rather do this my way and hire a decorator to reskim all my walls but does anyone know what could possibly be the cause of the cracks and should i fill in the cracks on all my other walls before gettin a plasterer out. Just to be clear, my first flat and i've never done building diy before.
Overall i want a wall that i can paint. Any help much apprechiated!

 

[joe-90]

The wall needed prepping with PVA - which hasn't been done so the wall has sucked the water out of the mix and it isn't fixed to the wall. It has to come off. Get on to the housing association.

 

[kerry452]

Grrrrr i knew it should of took longer then 2 hours. Before he reskimd he did put a sort of watery paste on the wall then left about 5mins before the other stuff. -k-

 

[joe-90]

It should really have been applied the day before.

 

[opps]

It should really have been applied the day before.

???

My plasterer gets annoyed if someone pvas before hand. He goes ahead and re-PVAs it, waits till it is tacky and then starts work.

Anyway...

 

[opps]

So i stripped wallpaper, waited two months for my housing association to send out a plasterer to reskim my walls only to find out the guy disagreed and only did a patch...2 days later woke up to find loads of thin cracks all over my reskim. I would actually rather do this my way and hire a decorator to reskim all my walls but does anyone know what could possibly be the cause of the cracks and should i fill in the cracks on all my other walls before gettin a plasterer out. Just to be clear, my first flat and i've never done building diy before.
Overall i want a wall that i can paint. Any help much apprechiated!

Sorry

I am confused. You say that the fellow only patched one small area? Are the cracks in the patched area or all of the walls?

Approximately how old is the property?

Hairline cracks can be the result of the plaster drying too quickly, possibly as the result of the moisture sucking into the wall due to insufficient PVA. there can be other causes though.

 

[joe-90]

It should really have been applied the day before.

???

My plasterer gets annoyed if someone pvas before hand. He goes ahead and re-PVAs it, waits till it is tacky and then starts work.

Anyway...

Yes, that's the way to do it. A single coat of PVA isn't always enough.

 

[opps]

It should really have been applied the day before.

???

My plasterer gets annoyed if someone pvas before hand. He goes ahead and re-PVAs it, waits till it is tacky and then starts work.

Anyway...

Yes, that's the way to do it. A single coat of PVA isn't always enough.

Tnx for clearing that up.

 

[kerry452]

Sorry

I am confused. You say that the fellow only patched one small area? Are the cracks in the patched area or all of the walls?

Approximately how old is the property?

Hairline cracks can be the result of the plaster drying too quickly, possibly as the result of the moisture sucking into the wall due to insufficient PVA. there can be other causes though.

I have hairline cracks in every wall but the housing association decided that over the fireplace is worst and i can do all the others myself, funny considering there mostly all the same size and thickness.
I was also told that the guy was going to fill the cracks in before reskiming which i guess he couldn't be bothered doing as i've matched up a crack from my normal wall (which was there before) going straight across my reskim.

Sorry i have no idea how old the flat is.

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ok i've got quite a few different types of wall in my living room that i've tried capturing on my camara.

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• kerry452
• 2 Dec 2012
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Yep i know they look crap but they were the best shots that i could get and the reskim cracks were a no show.
Basically i trying to show that i have bare plaster (the pale gey plaster) with completley stuck-on yellow on top and then on some patchy white flaky stuff (paint?). On one i was trying to show a hairline crack

-k-

 

[joe-90]

Well that's a disgrace. Those walls haven't been skimmed at all, just patched badly.
It's only natural that you want to turn your new flat into a comfy home and you've been let down badly.
What you will have to do is this:
Get a small tub of fine surface filler from Wilkos or similar hardware shop, apply it to the cracks with a cheap filler knife from the same shop. Force the filler into the cracks and don't leave too thick - just enough to fill the crack.
Next day sand it down with a bit of fine sandpaper. Then you'll have to coat all the walls with Zinsser Garz (using a roller) as it looks like there will be paste residue on the walls that will cause your paint to crack.
Then roller on two coats of vinyl matt paint. B&Q have crown Magnolia for £15.50 for 10 litres which would coat the whole room twice.
The matterials will cost around £50 that you shouldn't have to find.
Is there no-one can help you? Brother? BF? Parent?

 

[opps]

Thanks for posting the images Kerry, it shows us that your walls are pretty crap (as is your phone's camera ).

Joe's advice is pretty much on the ball but if the HA are your landlord I would suggest that you complain to them, that said, I don't know what the ageements in place are. They might be willing to pay for the filler etc and leave you to find the dosh for the paint.



BTW I cannot recall ever seeing Joe-90 being "nice" to someone- be very flattered. All too often he acts as though he is Cartman's lost twin (well sort of)

Best of luck

 

[gregers]

do they not do a redec grant??

down my way they used to give you a voucher to spend in 1 of the local sheds so you could bring the flat/house up to some kind of standard that was acceptable.a lot cheaper then getting there decorators in to give it a splash of paint all over.

 

[kerry452]

Hi all, first of all thank you for all your replies and sorry i'm only replying now.

Now where am i with my flat...well all i've done is:
•sand/filled all bathroom walls (it now looks like a road map, infact there were so many cracks that my housing officer asked me why i had missed the tiny sections with paint - its filler not paint!!!)
•sanded the bedroom 2xplaster walls yet to do the 1 painted wall
•living room...god help me this room is a nightmare reskim cracks are moving, sanding the plaster - i can get it smooth but its still bumpy in a very noticable way so dissapointing as i started the first & i keep coming back to it and i was thinking maybe an electric sander, still have to do painted window box and ceiling.

Anyway decorating grants...yes i got £65 b&q vouchers, small print on back only for paint materials, cant even get filler or wallpaper believe me i tried!!!

-k-

 

[kerry452]

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• kerry452
• 8 Feb 2013
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• 8 Feb 2013
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[opps]

Thanks for the update.

If you have bounce in the cracks, try some pva/wood glue first. It can help to "knit" the areas.

then fill and sand lightly, apply little pressure when painting though.