Pro Tips on How to Restore Cracked Walls

Whether found in plaster, drywall or concrete, a crack on the wall is an eyesore. Brought about by natural settling of a house with time, you may repair a cracked wall in one weekend. Simple material and equipment from your local home improvement store would have you on your way to a smooth finish of the wall. However, take note that if surface distortion or drywall cracking is severe or there are other signs of potential structural problems like significant settling, you should get your home inspected by a certified building professional before you begin repairing the drywall. What are the pro tips on how to restore cracked walls?

Fixing Drywall

Fixing a crack on drywall is the simplest of the three types of walls you are likely to encounter in your home. Using a utility knife, cut an eighth-inch to quarter-inch V-notch along the length of the crack. Vacuum away loose material. Cover the crack with a joint compound and paper tape or mesh joint tape, followed by a thin coat of joint compound, extending about two inches on every side of the tape. Give it time to dry. Apply a second layer of joint compound, feathered approximately six to seven inches on one side of the crack. Allow it dry overnight. Sand lightly until smooth. The wall is now ready for wallpaper or paint.

Plaster Wall Patching

Repair minor cracks in plaster just like a drywall crack, with joint compounds. Nonetheless, if the plaster pulls away from the lath, you need to shore up the wall first with a two-step process that involves a conditioner spray then an adhesive. Begin by drilling holes with a three0sixteenth inch masonry bit that would penetrate the plaster and not the wood lath, at intervals of three inches along the crack’s length. Vacuum the debris and dust from the holes. Spray the adhesive conditioner onto each crack. Allow it sufficient time as prescribed by the manufacturer. Inject adhesives into every crack, starting from the lowest point of the wall. Rinse off excess adhesives using a damp sponge. Attach plaster rings immediately with a drill to pull the plaster against the wall. Allow it time to cure as directed by the manufacturer. Remove plaster rings and hides the original crack with a layer of joint compound. Sand lightly, and then apply a second layer of joint compound. Finally, sand smoothes when it dries.

Concrete Walls

To repair concrete walls, you would require an epoxy repair kit. The epoxy makes a watertight seal in the crack. Initiate your repair process by tapping three-inch finishing nails to the crack partially every twelve inches. Such nails would be attached to the injection ports. Epoxy is available in two sections, A and B that you need to blend before use. Blend equal sections of the epoxy on a piece of wood using a putty knife. Apply some amount mixed epoxy on every injection port tab; attach every port against the wall by coating every finish nails with a single port. Spread blended epoxy over the crack, extending an inch on one side of the crack. Coat the flange of every injection port with epoxy. You can utilize a paintbrush that is dipped in mineral spirits, for feathering epoxy at the edges. Allow six to ten hours to cure. With a caulk gun, start injecting liquid concrete repair to the ports, from the base, until it begins to ooze from the port. Plug every port before proceeding to the next. Allow time to cure for at least five days, and then cut the port flush with the wall using a hacksaw.