Ceiling repair

I see a few small cracks in 2 plaster ceilings. Any recommendations?


Hi I’m charles 

Owner of Rocha painting & Home repair 

I’m located in Maplewood I can stop by and look at the work if you still in need this work done 


Most plaster walls & ceilings have a few cracks.  As long as there is no bulging (= plaster coming off the slats), there is no immedate issue.

You can spackle & paint, which will hide the cracks, but they will usually reappear, whether caused by vibrations, house settling, or fluctuations in temperature & humidity.

Once you see bulging, the plaster is loose - eventually it will come off.  It might stay that way for years, and it might come off tomorrow night.  A friend in Chatham has a wall bulge in the foyer.  It has been there for 25 years plus; she is still waiting for it to come down, only at that point is she willing to spend the $ on the repair work.

Most repairs are done with a patch of sheetrock (that's how I repair them, but I only do repairs up to a size that I can do by myself).  There might be someone out there, who can do plaster patching, but I do not have that skill set (yet).

If you would like a visit for a no chadrge evaluation/quote, send me a PM.  You can see the type of home repairs that I do at www.fairorchids.com/Tomcat-Home-Repairs


Tomcat-Thank you for your advice. I did find someone I had used in the past but will certainly keep you in mind to tell my friends.


Wilburs has done a great job reskimming our plaster ceilings over the years.  If the damage isn't too bad, there really is no need to replace plaster with drywall.  


I don't mind a little drywall in my plaster wall/ceiling repair. I do not want to, however, ever replace my plaster walls and ceilings. They are special and beautiful. Plastering is a special skill these days. Find someone who knows about plaster. It will be a bit more expensive than someone who knows only drywall, but so worth it.


tomcat said:

Most plaster walls & ceilings have a few cracks.  As long as there is no bulging (= plaster coming off the slats), there is no immedate issue.

You can spackle & paint, which will hide the cracks, but they will usually reappear, whether caused by vibrations, house settling, or fluctuations in temperature & humidity.

Once you see bulging, the plaster is loose - eventually it will come off.  It might stay that way for years, and it might come off tomorrow night.  A friend in Chatham has a wall bulge in the foyer.  It has been there for 25 years plus; she is still waiting for it to come down, only at that point is she willing to spend the $ on the repair work.

Most repairs are done with a patch of sheetrock (that's how I repair them, but I only do repairs up to a size that I can do by myself).  There might be someone out there, who can do plaster patching, but I do not have that skill set (yet).

If you would like a visit for a no chadrge evaluation/quote, send me a PM.  You can see the type of home repairs that I do at www.fairorchids.com/Tomcat-Home-Repairs

 I sent you a PM.



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