How can I repair cracks in the walls ?
Most of the time, wall cracks are caused by earthquakes, bumped with furniture or on the house’s foundation natural settling. Whether the wall is a drywall or plaster, it is quite simple fixing minor cracks with a few tools and instructions.
The first thing to do is to check if you have a plaster or drywall. Drywall is made of plaster and aggregate material between two pieces of paper. Drywall will not crack with screws or nails, while plaster usually breaks if you hammered a nail into it. Old homes are usually finished with plaster and cracks if you hammer a nail into it.
Repairing both wall finishes require the same process. In drywall, you can use joint compounds for filling the hole and the second application should be identical with the walls surface. Sand the surface with a fine-grit sand paper wrap on a piece of wood to have a flat finish. It also helps in preventing dips or trenches on the wall.
In plaster-finished walls, the lathe board pulls out if the nail is losing their grip. Reattach the lathe board first by nailing both lathe and plaster. Fill the hairline crack with plaster paste. You can get it in home improvement stores, it comes in premixed or powder. If you have a larger crack on your wall, it might compromise the house’s structural integrity by fixing it. Consult a general contractor,if necessary.
