Swirly pattern ceiling, cracked and needing repair

[btb23]

House is 13 years old and the swirly patterned ceiling in one room has cracked along the line of the joist above it. There doesn't seem to be any reason why that I can discover. The swirly finish has come away from the plaster, so maybe just poorly done in the first place?

It needs repairing and I'm wondering how the experts here would go about it? I won't be able to make it an invisible repair and redo the swirls to match either side of the crack, but what would be the right stuff to use to make it good and then I can repaint the whole ceiling?

 

[sheldon1982]

hi there, is there anything in your loft that is putting to much weight on your ceiling boards? how big is the crack? post a pic if possible

 

[btb23]

It's a downstairs room, above is a bedroom though it's just a spare room really, not much in there.

Here is a pic

and close up

The long crack is about a metre, only the finish is cracked, the plaster underneath is intact

 

[stevethespreader]

from the pics it looks like a board may have dropped, is it bouncy along the cracks? if it is screw it back into the joist with some screws then tape and skim the whole ceiling

 

[Micilin]

It looks like a paper tape has got damp , or has been subjetc to movement - is this possbile in any way?

 

[btb23]

Thanks to both of you for your replies. There's no movement and it's dry. If I push the ceiling up with my hand it's solid, no give at all, if I push really hard it still doesn't give but I can hear a very slight creak, but I mean push really hard, but still no movement or sign of it giving. There is no sign of any water damage and feels bone dry.

 

[roughcaster]

I don't think it's a crack as such,,,, i would say that particular tape has come loose from the ceiling. Rub the back of your/fingernails over/along the tape itself, and you'll hear if it's loose/hollow underneath. The only way to repair it if it is, would be to remove the tape. There's also a good chance some of the others will be loose too. If it was me, i'd bite the bullet, strip "all" the old tapes from the ceiling, get a plasterer in to re-tape and skim it with plaster. Repairing an artexed ceiling is impossible to be honest, and artexed/textured ceilings and walls, are also out of fashion nowadays too. If that was a plain ceiling, it would have been so much easier to repair. Get 2 or 3 reputable plasterers in, and ask for a quote from each.

 

[Micilin]

As above - a repair will always be seen.

 

[btb23]

I took a scraper to it to take the loose stuff off either side, and yes you were both spot on. It's over tape, and the tape has come away from the plaster. It doesn't seem to be wet, or have been wet. Is just because it wasn't 'done right' when the house was built? I'm curious as to why, and wondering if the other ceilings will go the same way.

I'm going to convince the other half that I'll need to strip all the tape and have it skimmed.

Many thanks for the spot on diagnosis and advice.

 

[roughcaster]

Most tapes are put on with a machine, using a ready mixed compound to "stick" them onto the plasterboard joints. The tapes are then given another couple of coats of the same stuff, then sanded down after.
That was 13 years ago in your case,,, since then, the compound has dried out and "shrunk",, coming loose from the plasterboard. Not all tapes will do this, but still worth checking each room as you go. The tapes that are normally bad for coming loose, are the ones down the internal corners of the walls, and along the ceiling/wall junction. Running your fingernails over them lets you hear which ones are loose. Central heating can often be the cause of tapes shrinking/coming loose, and hollow. Replacing them is the only proper way of repair.

 

[btb23]

Thanks for the explanation. The proper repair is what we'll do now. I'll strip and prepare it ready for re-taping and skimming.