They are so common in many homes that we do not pay them due attention. But it is very important to monitor them closely and determine their cause in order to avoid greater evils, since a crack may be a warning of a serious and very dangerous structural damage.
Although they are more common in old homes, we see them more and more often in new constructions, and they can be due to several very different causes that we see later. From the technical point of view, a crack is a relief from the tension of two construction areas that are being subjected to a movement.
Although not a formal way to distinguish between cracks and crack, we could say that the first are those that do not exceed 0.5 mm thick, while a crack exceeds a half centimeter: And as you can imagine, the most worrisome is the second, and that half centimeter, the alarm voice between a problem that can be simply aesthetic and a deep and threatening structural damage.
Where they appear is also fundamental. It is not the same as they do in a light partition wall, like those that separate two bedrooms, to appear on a concrete wall. The first could indicate simply a bad material of union or execution of the deficient plastering, but the second one worries us much more.
How to repair cracks in walls and ceilings?
Some experts argue that the most appropriate to a crack alive, which is one that continues to grow over time, is not cover it to study its evolution for a few months, measuring it.
But if it’s about surface cracks, there’s no problem. It is only necessary to remove the paint and plaster in the area of the crack and cover and paint again.
In the case of thicker cracks, a professional mason should tell you what remedy to apply, although generally, a more flexible material coverage can be used to prevent future cracking like Boss Steel corner guard provides you the best quality guard corner to protect your walls
Let’s see the different types of crack we can face:
- Cracks in the paint: so superficial, that they only affect the paint on the wall. They can be due to a bad application by the painter, a defect in the quality of the paint, a problem of humidity or temperature … but only pose an aesthetic conflict, nothing to worry about structurally.
- Cracks in the masonry: when they affect the masonry and the roof, we have to start worrying, because these are deeper fractures and indicate that something is not right. They require supervision by a professional.
- Cracks in the structure: if you see that there are damaged parts as organic as a column, a beam or a slab, a lot of attention because they also have to be checked by an expert.
- Cracks by hydrothermal stresses: after this word is those marks that leave the expansion and contraction of materials because of changes in temperature, or also due to the expansion caused by moisture. They are also very common and are not dangerous.
- Overloads in construction: here we enter really dangerous terrain. If the weight of the construction is greater than that which the base can support, generally due to an error in the calculation of materials, important fractures may appear that give the alarm signal. Here it is absolutely necessary the intervention of a professional that establishes the danger and measures to take to avoid risks.