Hair line cracks on the walls

[Zhouse01]

I am going to repaint the house. I can see hair line cracks in some of the walls. I could i guess just paint over them but they will probably show themselves in the future.

How do people normally deal with these?

A builder i know has suggested that i make the hairline cracks bigger then filling in motor. Thats going to take a very long time and effort

Anyone know if thats the best idea?

 

[Ms Jade]

Yep, unfortunately proper prep does take time and effort. I assume they are gyprock walls & not lathe & plaster or similar. You have to chip them out a bit, then fill with something like plasterboard jointing compound then wait for it to dry, then sand with a plaster sander.

 

[Pa1nter]

Hi,
Just go to Bunnings or better still a plasterer shop and purchase a drum of premixed Basecoat.
You will only need a little bit,but give the rest to someone when you finish.
It will fill the hairline cracks and it sands very easy so you can get a very nice finish.
If the crack is on a plaster join,it is possible that it will happen again later.
If you have lots of cracks ,perhaps it would be better to hire a plasterer for an hour or so if you aren't confident.

 

[Zhouse01]

The cracks are on solid brick walls that have been painted on. The bigger cracks have been "chip away" to make bigger cracks and they have been repaired but im a bit up in the air about the tiny hair line cracks

I will check out bunnings to see what they might have.

 

[Zhouse01]

Hi,
Just go to Bunnings or better still a plasterer shop and purchase a drum of premixed Basecoat.

What does that actually do? Does that cover it up or fixes it so it doesnt reveal itself later?

 

[quoll]

Depending on price you can either buy a quick drying skim coat (dries in 30min) or a slow drying cheaper finishing coat that dries in about 24hours, you'll find them in the paint or gyprock section of the hardware store.

Fill the fine cracks, let it dry, sand it smooth. Paint over it.

Easy.

Cheers
Graeme