Q. How important is it to repair plaster before repainting? Our ceilings have peeling paint that we’re pretty sure was caused by past water damage. Since the water problem is no longer an issue, can ...

Q Our plaster ceilings are cracked in a couple of places in different rooms of our house. What does that mean, and how do we fix it? AWell, it probably doesn’t mean much. Plaster is brittle, and what ...

Q: Just off the side door in my house are the stairs that go down to the basement. The ceiling overhead is sloped where the underside of the stairs to the upstairs go. The house was built almost a ...

Most older homes and apartments have plaster walls and ceilings with a hard surface that resists wear. Cracking, however, is common. Damage also can be caused when furniture hits the wall or fasteners ...

Q. I live in a condo (built around 1952) with radiant heat in the ceilings. Unfortunately, the builders didn’t give much thought as to how high to place the pipes above the ceilings. Over the past ...

Dear James: I have an old house with plaster walls and many cracks that need to be repaired. How can I fix these so they stay fixed and are invisible? — Julianne T. Dear Julianne: Many older houses ...

Do you have a crack that goes across your wall, maybe over a doorway or a corner of your room? You might have tried to fix it, but it returns just a few months later. Perhaps you even had a ...

A: It depends on the type and size of the crack. Hairline cracks take only a little patching plaster. Larger cracks require reinforcement with mesh tape. Cracks larger still, where the plaster keys ...

We earn a commission from partner links on Forbes Home. Commissions do not affect our editors' opinions or evaluations. The average cost to repair a ceiling is $800, but it depends on your ceiling ...

A crack or a hole in a wall can be the result of numerous forms of abuse: a doorknob banging the back of the wall; a misguided hammer; a water leak in the ceiling or wall. While it’s fairly easy to ...

Dear Angie: How important is it to repair plaster before repainting? Our ceilings have peeling paint that we’re pretty sure was caused by past water damage. Since the water problem is no longer an ...