ceiling crack repair advise

[Reeves2k2]

Right guys need a bit of advise here
i have a customer i skimmed a bedroom for some weeks ago who has just called today to say the crack they initially had in their ceiling prior to me reskimming has re appeared.
Initially the crack to the ceiling was an old crack that was quite wide and looked like it had been painted over a good few times
The ceiling was old lathe and plaster and i did advise that unless re boarded the crack may re appear alas it has.
Now the has asked me if i could go back and repair this crack which me being me and wanting to be right with my customer said yes of course i will
The problem now being they dont want the ceiling totally re skimmed after the repair as the room is now fully decorated

Before i did the skimmiming initially i prepped the offending crack by giving it a bit of a gouge and reinfored with scrim pvad and skimmed as normal
Now the crack thats re apeared is in hairline form but in the same place as the old crack
what would be the best course of action to take without totally re boarding and skimming again
Ive done many crack repairs before using scrim and easifill but im a little apprehensive with this one as scrim was used over the initial crack and it has reappeared
Now i dont have to repair this for free as i did advise the customer before the job over the possibility of it coming back withoit re boarding as its a old house with lathe ceilings but i want to do it!
So any advise guys other than the norm of gouge a little wider and pva and scrim and fil would be appreciated[/i]

 

[HERTS P&D]

"i did advise that unless re boarded the crack may re appear"

Did you put the above in writing?

By you going back to repair the crack you will be opening yourself up to endless calls when the ceiling cracks again.

You gave him the correct advice telling him that he needs a reboard, he didn't go with your advice and now he has a problem.

He wanted to save money, Now it will be costing you if you go back.

Andy

 

[Reeves2k2]

The reason why i want to help this guy out is because he is a friend of a friend and althoigh he didnt take my opinion on what needed to be done
I would still like to help him out but i have said i will only do it once and if it re appears again i wont do it unless the ceiling is re boarded
to me then i have been right with him even though i have no obligation to do this anyway
So what would be the best option to take

 

[stevethespreader]

So what would be the best option to take

how long is this crack? you could rake the crack out and then see if you can put some screws in either side of the crack for this to work the screws would have to bite into the laths also make sure the holes are countersunk, then fill the crack and holes with bonding or skim then easyfill and paint,
the screws will pull the plaster into the laths firming it up and there will be less chance of it coming back, if it comes back after that then they will have to live with it

 

[joe-90]

My guess is they've got a leak in the roof. Only water makes wood expand and shrink.

 

[stevethespreader]

My guess is they've got a leak in the roof. Only water makes wood expand and shrink.

i dont think so joe i think you get cracks and sags in lath and plast ceilings because the render is coming away from the laths and is loose

 

[joe-90]

Well press it and see. If it moves it's got to come down or it'll land on somebody one night.

 

[roy c]

I would get a piece of plasterboard ,say 6" wide and about 3" longer than the crack and I would hold it in place and mark around it then cut the old plaster back to the lathes and either screw it to the lathes or stick it then cut an edge all the way around it and scrim and pva it then skim it over . All this depends on how thick the original plaster is if its too thin then dont put the plaster board in just bond it and skim it .But like Joe said check that there is no movement in the ceiling first, if so tell them it's a re-board.....But scrim tape does'nt crack, are you sure it's not a new crack.....

 

[stevethespreader]

.....But scrim tape does'nt crack, are you sure it's not a new crack.....

scrim tape itself dosent crack roy but ive seen a few cracks that have been taped come back where the cause of the crack wasent treated, i skimmed one of my own bed rooms over artex and i taped a crack up before skimming and it came back so i done what i said in earlier post with the screws and painted it and its been good for about a year now very little effert is needed i also done it to my hallway as well thats still crack free

 

[Reeves2k2]

I think thats the route im going to take put a few screws into the lathes to secure any loose plaster (although it did feel solid) then tape and fill
Hopefully ill be nipping round after finishing a few falls tomarrow
See how that holds up
But other than that they are going to have to live with it or take my original advice
not done any snagging for a while so it will be good for the old tricks to come back out haha

Cheers guys there is always somebody out there that can think of something you havent already thought of! And never to late to learn new tricks

 

[stevethespreader]

(although it did feel solid)

my lid felt solid as well thats why i dident put the screws in in the first place i suppose i should have done cracks dont appear for no reason