Can you fix wall/ceiling cracks with caulk?
Question:I have a couple large cracks where the ceiling meets the wall then I have other minimal cracks on different spots of the wall. I've heard from a couple different places that you can make a V and fill it with caulk and that will get rid of the cracks & they shouldn't come back. I don't want to spend $600+ to have a pro come & fix. Any help would be awesome, I wanna try to start this weekend. Thanks
Answers:
The large cracks should be field with (1) a hard material, fix all, it is fast drying. do not level fix all to wall level. have a slight bow (2) use a slow drying compound such as wall board compound, it is slow drying and easy sand able. (3) sand the compound the next day. the small cracks use the v shape you mentioned. but when using the 1 " putty knife be sure you put 2 coats of the compound on the cracks. don't try to finish it to quickly or it won't level to the wall correctly.
Oh by the way why not caulking ? caulking shrinks
now that this is said, if this a older house which will be lath an plaster use concrete material.
sometimes older houses tend to expand and contract the cracks, due to the weather. good luck
oh by the way, why not caulking? caulking will shrink and not be level with the wall.
Small cracks are okay to fill with caulk, but larger ones require plaster and compound. All can be done by an individual, but be sure to remove all flaking and loose material first.
You could use latex caulk to plug the cracks but the color will probably not be the same, you will then have to paint the ceiling.
A quick fix for small cracks could be okay, but "plaster of paris" is better and easier to work with. You can get it at a y hobby shop.
If the ceiling and walls are separating, it means the foundation is moving. Has there been Blasting in your area lately? In this case a crack filler from a hardware store will do, depending on how big. It is easy to use. If your foundation is moving, all fixes will be temporary.
Latex siloconized caulk is perfect for the ceiling wall, it will move with the crack. If it's as big as a pencil I would run a small bead inside it, let dry and then run your finish bead. For cracks in the wall I use the fiberglass mesh tape which is self adhering, put tape on the crack then use joint compound and skim coat it 3 times lightly sanding in between coats. Keep an eye on your ceiling crack because it could and most likely get a hair line crack down the line and then again run your bead of caulk. Good luck Les the painter DO NOT USE SILICONE CAULK you want a paint able caulk, read tube
you can get some wooden corner round for the crack at the ceiling, paint and put up. For the cracks in the wall you can use the light airy spackle and a small little flat spatula or a piece of cardboard. It doesn't crack. You can also use a latex caulk on the ceiling crack, the other caulk takes the rest of your life to dry--silicone. Source, an old woman that has had a remodeling biz and done her own repairs for years.
Small cracks can be filled with drywall compound. If you have larger cracks, you will also want to use a mesh drywall tape. This is a fairly easy job if you have the right materials. Visit a home improvement store and checkout the drywall (sheetrock) area.
Even though there's caulk out there available that's fairly good for what you've explained, I'd still opt for buying a wide putty knife and drywall compound (or 20, or 90 minute mix.)
As far as I'm concerned, paint covers a lot better over it instead of caulk. Plus it can be sanded and smoothed a whole lot easier.
I would not use caulk for cracks in the wall. It will shrink and will provide the fill that you need.
Get printable latex caulk for large cracks or on masonry, or lightweight painters putty for smaller ones. Either fill the cracks with the caulk, or cover the crack with the putty. After the putty dries, use sandpaper to feather out the area. It's a good idea to use a sander, like the mouse from Black & Decker, because it takes a lot of work if you do it by hand. Then cover the putty or the caulk with primer. It's actually best to do this to the entire wall, because you will probably have to repaint anyways. If you are just fixing a spot, you will need to take a sample of the paint on your wall to the home store, and they can do a match sample. Then repaint the wall. Remember, if you have cracks that only go in one direction, then thats just from settling of the foundation, but if they start to change direction, that means you have major issues. You should have it checked out, if that is the case.
use spackling or joint compound and putty knife, LOTS of clean rags some warm wet rags some dry ones, be neat about it and work on small areas at a time. Deeper cracks or holes my take a few application. Caulk is used to fill in areas between different materials and is often overused.
You can.Be sure to get painters caulk
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