Repairing Cracks in Plaster Walls

You can find walls made out of plaster in just about every home, office, store, or school across the country. After all, it is one of the more popular building and home improvement materials currently used in the United States. However, while this material may be one that is extremely possible, it is also one that has its own unique problems. Repairing cracks in plaster walls is an extremely important skill that every homeowner should learn.

1. Clean it up. In order to really start repairing cracks in plaster walls you need to first clean up the area a bit. What this means is that you need to remove any loose plaster from the cracks, in addition to any texture or other materials that you may find in them. Cleaning these cracks will allow you to work from a clean slate.
2. Apply some tape. Once you have the crack, and the area immediately surrounding it, clean you can proceed to the next step. That step is to apply a strip (one that is as narrow as possible) of drywall finishing tape to the crack. You will need to cover the entire crack, so be careful as you apply the tape to the crack. Do not overlap any strips excessively, and in the event that you use a single strip do not bunch it up.
3. Use some spackle. After you have the crack, or crack, in your plaster wall covered with some tape you will need to apply some spackle to the tapped area. Apply it as thin as you can, and just over the edge of the tape as well. This will provide a nice smooth area, in addition to a firm foundation, that you can work with.
4. Sand the patch. Allow enough time to pass so that the spackle will dry out completely. It would be best to allow it to dry out overnight. When you are certain that the spackle has dried completely, you will then need to sand it. This will allow the wall to be nice and smooth, and remove any rough patches that will help draw the eye to the patchwork.
5. Prime the patch. When you have finished sanding the patched area so that it is nice and smooth with the rest of the wall apply a bit of primer. Not only will the primer help the paint stick to the patch work, you will find that it will also seal the patchwork as well. Allow the primer to completely dry before you begin painting.
6. Paint. After you have allowed the primer to dry completely, you can then begin painting. Preferably you are using a paint that is the same brand, type, and color as the rest of your wall. Do not be surprised if you have to apply a couple of coats to get the color exactly right.
7. Inspect, and repeat as necessary. Allow the paint to dry completely, and then inspect your work. If you notice any rough areas, you may want to repeat steps four through six as necessary until the work is the way that you would like it to be.

Often times you can match the new paint to the old paint without too much trouble. There are times when you may find yourself unable to match the paint. In such situations, you will need to either hide the patch work or repaint the entire wall depending on the size of the patch. Frankly, this can be a great time for you to take advantage of the opportunity and repaint the entire room and redecorating the entire room.