Is it actually impossible...

[amfisted]

...to successfully repair plasterboard cracks in a heavily Artexed ceiling? Maybe an expert could do it, but I certainly can't.

Let me start by saying I know Artex is old fashioned, but this is stuff which has been done well and I want to keep it.

To be fair I was warned off on another thread from trying this, but try it I did.

In the kitchen of our 1970s bungalow we have a comb pattern textured ceiling of indeterminate age. The finish is of what I consider to be a professional standard, but a crack about six feet long has opened up, presumably where the plasterboard is jointed. So maybe the initial preparation of the ceiling wasn't so good.

I managed to ignore this crack for about 2 years after moving in, but a few weeks back I decided to have a go.

I put tape along the crack, carefully applied jointing compound, let it dry and then using ready mixed Artex repair, I attempted to blend the surface in with the surrounding comb pattern. After about 2 hours I gave up and ripped the tape off, leaving a flat spot on the ceiling which I've managed to more or less obscure in electric light by fitting a spotlight bar with the lights directed away from the affected area.

However, in daylight you can see the flat spot, and also that the crack has opened up again so I may actually have made the situation worse.

I want to leave it alone and cut my losses...but.

Never learn, me? Damned right.

 

[Nige F]

Shame, because a well executed comb pattern is actually very decorative

 

[Gerrydelasel]

How wide is this crack?? Surely it's less than a millimetre, in which case you would fill it by dabbing polyfilla with the end of your finger to match the 'lumpyness' of the Artex on each side of the crack, then paint everything to make it a uniform colour?

 

[amfisted]

It probably was less than a millimetre, but because the ceiling had dropped slightly on one side of the crack, even after using filler it still showed in fairly sharp relief once the electric light next to it was switched on.

Had my first step been to install a different light fitting which could be adjusted to direct light away from that portion of the ceiling rather than fiddling with the crack first, I could have saved myself a lot of trouble. As it is, I've done a fairly good job of making good the area immediately around the crack, but only in a flat profile about two or three inches wide, meaning that in certain light conditions the repair is still visible.

Its an OCD thing, you see.

 

[Chud]

because the ceiling had dropped slightly on one side of the crack, even after using filler it still showed in fairly sharp relief

I think it would be worth checking why this has happened - you could drill a hole in the crack or near it and pop an inspection camera up there - artex is good at hiding issues but it would be a shame to get it repaired etc only for it to open up again because the reason for the crack has not been addressed.

 

[Brigade77]

I can say this now 'cos there's probably very few of 'em left in use.

One of the best CRT TV screens in general use is/was the Sony Trinitron, fitted in millions of TV's regardless of the badge on the box. If you look closely at a white screen on one of these you will see 2x very fine black lines 1/3rd & 2/3rds down the screen running horizontally across the screen.

Now that you've seen them you will always see them. They're there & they won't go away. Nobody see's them till they look for them, & now they will always haunt you.

I used to tell this to folk who pi$$ed me off, 'cos most would eventually buy a new TV at great expense after suffering weeks of turmoil.

The moral is . . . cracks have a massive psychological effect & it's best to NOT go looking for them !

 

[Gerrydelasel]

I never do anything put paint over them, along with the rest of the wall / ceiling. Patch repairs are rarely seamless, and that just makes it more noticeable. An old house is allowed to be full of cracks; gives it character!

 

[amfisted]

Thing is, its not an old house. Well, only circa 1974, anyhow. Our previous house was Victorian, and had the messiest stipple effect Artex you can imagine plastered all over the downstairs ceilings to hide a combination of war damage, old age and settlement. The ceilings here are fine, by and large, except for this one damned crack.

The pattern has been done well but as I said earlier, the preparation of the plasterboard joints might have fallen short of that standard. I should have left it alone and painted it but I didn't and now, if anything, its more obvious than before.

I did have a hare-brained thought about taking some 1400 grade lining paper, making templates of the area of the repair , applying Artex to the paper to reproduce the now flattened areas of comb pattern and sticking the pieces to the repaired part of the ceiling to blend in with the adjacent patterned areas. It would either hide the crack for good and probably more or less match the rest of the ceiling once I'd applied about 20 coats of paint, or more likely make it look dreadful and persuade me to get a plasterer in to skim the lot.

Dork..its a phenomenon well known to me. Once seen and dwelt upon, some things are impossible to ignore.

 

[amfisted]

Actually, I think it may be possible after all.

Risking the wrath of my missus after promising that I would never, EVER mess with the kitchen ceiling again, I bought a 250mm Artex comb from an auction site a few days ago. Earlier on today I had a go at the problem area with some ready mixed repair compound, having applied self adhesive jointing tape to the crack beforehand.

Not possible to say for sure until I've painted it to match the surrounding surface, but I reckon it wouldn't look too bad to a man on a galloping horse.

 

[amfisted]

Looks a bit rough with electric light on it...but a light sanding with some fine emery paper and knocking off of the high spots should sort it out. I'll post a pic when its finished.

Last time I attempted comb pattern was in our bathroom circa 1986, and I think I did actually use a hair comb rather than the proper tool.