How To Repair Cracks Between Slabs, Repairing Rustic Stones

2023 Author: Philip Bishop | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-08-25 07:54

• Preparation and determination of the scope of the necessary work with the ceiling
• Work order

No renovation can be perfect without a flat ceiling. It is for this reason that the problem of how to patch up rusty ceilings worries all apartment owners in panel houses built in Soviet times. Even those seams that have been sealed with care will eventually diverge due to completely natural reasons - slab movements and house subsidence. Roots on the ceiling are the junction of the slabs and, in perfect condition, it looks like a rather neat depression 50 mm wide with oblique smooth bevels. By the time repairs are required, the situation in reality is far from the reference. In the best case, the solution cracked and in places crumbled, in the worst case - the divergence of the plates, which requires the alignment of the entire flow.

Preparation and determination of the scope of the necessary work with the ceiling

Any repair of rustic ceilings begins with preparation. The decorative coating is removed, whitewash and water-based paints are washed out. Here are ways to remove old paint from a surface.

The seam is sewn with a spatula. The crack widens, all crumbling areas are removed. If the mortar is easily chipped, then it is worth removing it completely to the concrete, this will get rid of further delamination when painting the ceiling.

Before sealing the joints on the ceiling, a visual inspection of the damage is carried out and the displacement is measured. In cases where the difference does not exceed 5–7 mm, and the crack width is small, then it can be simply restored without further leveling all surfaces. If the difference is significant 7–10 mm, then after embedding the rust on the ceiling, you will have to stretch the surface in order to level the difference. For more significant defects, it is recommended to install false ceilings. It is possible to even out large differences with a solution and some materials allow you to apply a large layer, but this will be more expensive. In this case, it is much more rational to use plasterboard systems or stretch ceilings.

Work order

Competent repair of rustic ceilings is a guarantee of the absence of cracks for several years. For work we need:

• a primer that increases the adhesion of materials, best of all concrete-contact and its analogues;
• fiberglass mesh (serpyanka);
• steel spatula;
• gypsum plaster mix (Rotband, Prospectors, etc.);
• with a wide gap - polyurethane foam.

Thoroughly moisten the rustic surface with a primer and wait until it is completely dry. If the crack is wide, fill it carefully with polyurethane foam, so that it does not protrude below the ceiling surface, and leave it for a day. Before repairing the crack in the ceiling, it must be filled with plaster mortar , the Rotband is ideal for about a third and a serpentine should be laid so that the middle of the tape coincides with the center of the rust. Fiberglass tape will serve as a reinforcement, it will protect against cracking, even with small slab movements that are inevitable in the future.

After that, the groove of the rustication is carefully filled with gypsum plaster and leveled. If there is a small difference, then it is necessary to putty the entire surface area, which turned out to be higher. It is convenient to use a steel rule to level the layer. If plastering experience permits, a more comfortable and lighter wide trowel can be used.

After drying, the entire putty surface is leveled with a special float or grinder. The further order of work depends on the method of finishing. They also proceed to eliminate any defects. If you need to patch up a hole, crack or chip on the ceiling, they also need to be cleaned and primed. For defects of a large area, use fiberglass or metal plaster mesh reinforcement.

Finishing seams

After the restored rustication is completely dry, you can proceed to the preparation for the finishing. If the difference was insignificant, then the entire surface is primed with a penetrating solution. Then they simply putty with a finishing plaster mixture (KNAUF, Volma and their analogues). After thorough grouting, such a ceiling is re-primed. Now the surface can be painted, covered with wallpaper.

If the drop was significant, then the ceiling needs to be leveled. Minor irregularities can simply be carefully pulled out with a layer of plaster, making the roughness almost invisible. But, this solution is not always suitable. In such cases, complete leveling of the surface is necessary. This work is quite laborious, it will require not only a lot of patience and diligence, but also the availability of comfortable goats. If the total plaster layer exceeds 5 mm, the use of beacons is recommended.

In case of height differences of more than 10 mm, all experts recommend the installation of a false ceiling, but the rusts still need to be repaired first. It is rational to use polyurethane foam for these purposes, since later they will simply close, and a neat appearance is not necessary. After that, the ceiling can be leveled with a plasterboard structure or using tensioning systems. The resulting surface will be perfectly flat.

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