Update on that weird ceiling crack in a 1920s house

I had a hairline crack come back three times over a year in an old plaster ceiling I was patching. The last time, I cut out a bigger section and found the original wood lath had a broken key behind it. I sistered a new piece of lath to the old one with construction adhesive and screws before the new drywall patch. That was six months ago and the repair is still perfect. Anyone else run into moving lath causing callbacks?

2 comments

2 Comments

brooke719d ago

So you found the lath itself was moving? I always blamed settling or bad plaster work for those repeat cracks. Your fix makes total sense now, like you had to lock the bones of the wall in place before fixing the skin. I'm saving this idea for the next time I see a crack that just won't quit.

miam119d ago

Honestly, that's such a good point about fixing the bones first. I see this everywhere now, like when my car door kept rattling and the real fix was a worn hinge, not just tightening the panel. We keep slapping patches on the surface stuff without finding the loose piece that's actually moving.