Square shaped crack in ceiling

[ellieuk95]

Hi,

I wonder if anyone can tell me if the cracks I have in my ceiling are anything to worry about? (Please see my photo album with photos of the cracks).

I live in a Victorian flat and we have always had a very small crack along one wall. This has got bigger in the last few weeks and has run in a straight line adjacent to one wall and then turned at a right angle and then runs along adjacent to the next wall. This happens at the other end of the room as well. So the crack sort of follows a large 3 sided square.

I don't know if the ceilings are lathe and plaster or plasterboard. My boyfriend thinks this line is probably where plasterboards meet (if it is plasterboard) but i'm not sure because of the shape.

We have pressed around the cracks and there isn't any movement.

Should we be worried or is this simply where the joins haven't been taped?

I have been here 6 years and these cracks have only just appeared.

Thanks

Ellie

//www.diynot.com/network/ellieuk95/albums/

[/img]

 

[JohnD]

...I don't know if the ceilings are lathe and plaster or plasterboard.

climb into the loft and have a look.

the square cracks look like plasterboard

maybe the room timbers are undersized and/or someone has stored heavy stuff up there.

 

[jrplastering]

there some nice neat cracks i dnt think ive ever seen them that straight before im thinking it is plasterboard, the cornice you have could be original but the ceilin needed replaceing in the past so they could have cut a nice straight line round the perimiter to keep the cornice in situe then boarded the middle but forgot to tape the joint. then again it could be new cornice with new plasterboard on the whole lot but if the crack is the same distance from the cornice all the way round (or there abouts) i would say its what i first said.
as long as your sure that there is no movement on either side of the crack folow the crack with a stanley knife to open it up a bit apply self adhesive scrim tape over the crack then simply apply 2 layers of easy fill over the tape makeing sure to buy the powderd filler not the pre mixed stuff.
apply one layer over the tape let it dry in sand it down a bit then apply seccond layer over the first makeing sure to come out past the tape by at least 200mm giveing you enough filler to sand down till its compleatly featherd in

 

[peaps]

looks like a plasterboard repair on lath ceiling....?

 

[jrplastering]

indeed thats what i though