How to repair a crack or hole in plaster

How to repair a crack in plaster:

1. If the crack is large, the first thing you want to do is make it bigger. What? Isn’t that more work? No, trust me. You want to extend your work area to make the repair last. If you just fill in the crack, it will come right back Make the crack larger with a utility knife.

2. Then clean the area around the crack. Scrape off any loose plaster or wall texture around the crack. Apply a thin coat of joint com pound in the crack, letting it feather out over the crack.

3. Take fiberglass tape and cover the entire crack. This tape allows for mobility so that future cracks can be avoided.

4. Apply a thin coat of joint compound with a wide dry wall knife, much like you would frost a cake, until the tape is completely covered and smooth.

5. Allow a couple of hours to dry.

6. Take fine sandpaper and smooth out the compound when completely dry.

7. Apply as many coats as necessary to assure that the crack and tape are completely covered and appear to be smooth and flush with the wall. Allow each coat to dry properly.

8. Try to recreate the texture of the wall. Do this by put ting a small amount of joint compound on a wet wash cloth. Dab it onto the wall like you would a sponge, until you have closely matched the surrounding texture, adding or subtracting wherever necessary if you have a smooth wall, just leave it smooth.

9. You are ready to prime. Make sure you use a primer before you paint because the new substance on the wall is much more porous and will absorb paint more quickly, changing the color and texture of the paint slightly.

10. Allow two coats of primer to dry before applying the paint to match the wall.

How to repair a hole in plaster:

1. Smooth out the edges of the hole with a utility knife.

2. Clean all debris from area. Make sure area is dry.

3. Brush concrete bonding agent onto the wood (lath) and old plaster surrounding the hole.

4. Attach wire mesh to the existing wood (lath) with dry wall screws. Why? Because, like the tape when you are fixing cracks, the wire mesh creates a surface that the joint compound can adhere to.

5. Fill in the hole with joint compound and smooth the outermost portion with a wide drywall knife to just below the surface of the surrounding area.

6. Where the compound meets the old edge, apply fiberglass mesh tape. You will basically be making a square box around a round hole.

7, Apply a thin coat of joint compound with a wide dry wall knife, much like you would frost a cake.

8. Allow a couple of hours to dry.

9. Apply as many coats as necessary to assure that the hole and tape are completely covered and appear to be smooth and flush with the wall. Allow each coat to dry properly.

10. Take 100-grit or similar sandpaper and sand over the joint compound until smooth.

11. Try to re-create the texture of the wall. Do this by put ting a small amount of joint compound on a wet wash cloth. Dab it onto the wall like you would a sponge, until you have closely matched the surrounding texture, adding or subtracting wherever necessary.

12. You are ready to prime. Make sure you use a primer before you paint because the new substance on the wall is much more porous and will absorb paint more quickly, changing the color and texture of the paint slightly.

13. Allow two coats of primer to dry before applying the paint to match the wall.