Bathroom wall cracking

[DIYConfused2]

Hi All,

I am a first time buyer and new to DIY thanks to always living in rented accommodation. I am starting to redecorate the place, but I noticed in the bathroom a crack that the previous people had painted over, that snakes its way up the wall from the corner of the window. It’s not very deep, but there looks to be a wide area of darkening to the paint work around it.

It is on a masonry external wall with a plaster finish. Would I be right in thinking it’s probably a crack in the plaster that damp has affected? It is not well ventilated and I was about the stick some bathroom Dulux paint over the walls, but I would like to know what I’m dealing with first. I have endeavoured to include a couple of images below.

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[ree]

From your pics it appears that previous repairs have been attempted - badly attempted.

Do you want a newly skimmed blemish free surface to decorate or are you content to codge it up and carry on painting?

Such cracks are common - they pose no structural threat but you could expose back to brickwork and reveal the extent of the crack.

Is the exterior rendered, and is the wall solid or cavity?

Have the old window frames been replaced with PVC frames?

 

[DIYConfused2]

Thanks for the reply.

The previous owners replaced all the windows on the property prior to selling to new PVC windows.

The bathroom is in the extension which is probably about 20 years old. The wall is brick exterior (no render) with a blockwork inner leaf (assuming the block in the garage goes all the way up). The bathroom is not well ventilated as the windows don’t have trickle vents and there is no mechanical ventilation which may have caused the patch of darkening around the crack.

I was thinking of using a patching plaster for a skim coat over the crack then use a moisture resistant paint.

 

[ree]

If you skim you will have to open up an area a few mm's deep, or the skim will sit proud on the surface.

I wouldn't use any other paint than an emulsion. But the decorating forum might advise further.

If you have a sander then go over the whole area - i noticed bubbling(?) or lumping(?) under the window head. I dont see any dark/damp stains?

Patch repairs, or filling-in in one place, tend never to look quite right but will usually do for the time being.

Installers of PVC frames often leave a troubling situation - minor cracks and dampness etc. Just make sure that all the frames have lintels.