Hairline cracks on joins

[hvendlor]

Just had a couple rooms plastered a month or so ago (skim coat over dot/dab plasterboard + boarded ceilings)

I can see some hairline cracks where the joints in the boards are. All joints were mesh taped prior to skimming by the plasterer.

Dried out too quick perhaps?? would you try and fill the hairline cracks or just hope the paint covers it up?

 

[Richard C]

Paint won’t cover it up & filler will most likely crack again; are the cracks on the walls, ceilings or both?

Did you force dry it? What thickness boards did you use? Were they close butted or gaps? Did you put extra adhesive dabs down the edges of the boards to give them support? What did you use for adhesive?

 

[joe-90]

Hey Richard. Are you ex Gestapo?

 

[Richard C]

Hey Richard. Are you ex Gestapo?

Silence, I vill ask der qvestions

 

[hvendlor]

Paint won’t cover it up & filler will most likely crack again; are the cracks on the walls, ceilings or both?

Did you force dry it? What thickness boards did you use? Were they close butted or gaps? Did you put extra adhesive dabs down the edges of the boards to give them support? What did you use for adhesive?

Cracks are on both wall and ceiling, they're only tiny cracks. 12.5 boards, close butted, plenty of adhesive around edges, used dry wall adhesive from b&q, gyproc I think.

It wasn't force dried, the only thing I can is it's dried out too quick in the warm weather.

 

[Richard C]

If you haven’t force dried it & it wasn’t during the very high temperatures we had a while back then there isn’t really anything that should cause it to dry out quickly enough to cause cracks.

Apart from that, cracks are caused either by movement or differential thermal expansion, which amounts to the same thing really. Ceiling cracks usually occur from people walking around in the loft (if applicable), insufficient support for the boards, insufficient fixings or incorrect boarding. Were they ceilings over boarded or were new boards fitted over the joists?

For the walls, you’ve countered all the possible reasons I can think of but there clearly is movement for some reason, how old & what type of property is this? The only other thing I can think of is that the boards haven’t set properly; adhesive mix too hard, not enough dabs, wall too dusty/absorbent; but without seeing it, clutching at straws really.

Sorry if I came across as “Herr Flick”

 

[hvendlor]

It's a 60s build....

Walls were brick, I dampened them down prior to drywall to stop them sucking up too much moisture. Boarding was done day or 2 before skimming. I can't see there being any movement in this wall TBH.

Ceiling was overboarded by me, no one's being walking in the room above.

Not sure what the cause is really, we haven't painted it yet. might give it a couple coats and see how it covers. if they cracks/joins are obvious then I guess the only option is to tape them and reskim.