Can new tape and plaster fix these ceiling cracks?

[reluctantrenos]

 

Hi All,

advice needed. This ceiling is in our rumpus/multi purpose room.

Can these paper and plaster cracks be fixed or does the whole ceiling need to be redone?

[JacobZ]

Hi @reluctantrenos,

Thank you for your question and welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community, it is fantastic to have you join us.

What you're seeing is the Perforated Plasterboard Jointing Tape losing adhesion to the board above. This usually happens when the paper tape was not fully encased in the plaster when it was put in place.

Luckily, this will not require the whole ceiling to be redone. 

The failed paper tape will need to be removed from the full length of the join, the old plaster will need to be scraped and sanded back, and new paper tape will need to be installed.

The new paper tape should be applied to the full length of the joint and fully encased in 2 coats of plaster base coat before finishing with a final coat of topping compound. Once everything is dried, it will need to be sanded smooth and then painted to match the surrounds.

This is certainly achievable for a beginner, but it is a repair that could be quite daunting if you're not fully prepared.

You might like to watch Installing Gyprock plasterboard - How to tape and set joints for a better idea of what is involved.

I am happy to assist further if you'd like to give it a try.

Jacob

[reluctantrenos]

Thanks so much for the quick response and the detailed you shared. 

I am prepared to give it a go. Any additional tips welcomed. 

[JacobZ]

Hi @reluctantrenos,

That's brilliant, I'll do my best to talk you through it.

You're going to need a couple of different plastering knifes. I'd suggest this can be done with a Hyde 6" Plasterboard Joint Knife and a Kango 250mm Taping Knife.

You'll also need 2 x 20L Pail Bucket, a mixing paddle and drill, and an 80 Grit Sanding Sponge.

Start by removing the old tape and scraping and sanding the old plaster away so there is a good surface to retape. You will also need to pull the downlight out so that you can efficiently plaster past it.

Apply a small line of base coat along the join and then apply the paper tape. Run your 6" joint knife along the tape, applying pressure so most of the base coat beneath the tape gets squeezed out and the tape sits flat to the ceiling. Allow this coat to dry and then scrape it with your 6" joint knife to remove any hard edges or leave lines.

Apply a second coat of base coat over the tape with your 6" joint knife. Allow this coat to dry before scraping any hard edges or leave lines so that there is a fairly smooth surface.

Apply your third coat of topping compound over the top with the 250mm taping knife, feathering the edges away from the centre so that there is as small a hump in the middle as possible.

Once this coat has fully dried, sand it smooth with your sanding sponge before painting.

The process is fairly simple, but each step must be done effectively to get a great result. I would encourage you to watch and understand the video I linked to above before getting stuck in.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

Jacob