Patching and Plastering - Repairing A Hole In My Ceiling

My daughter let the tub run over and messed up a portion of my dining room ceiling.The ceiling is sheet rock.I cut out the messed up parts and replaced the sheet rock.What is the best way to use compound and tape on this.This happened once before and I replaced the sheet rock and taped it like you would tape sheetrock,and it always cracked after a few days.I got fed up and put a piece of wall paper on it(sort of a wide piece of tape)and put compound on as usual.This lasted 5 years,until my daughter over filled the tub.Is this a good way to go.Thanks for your help.

Is your house drywall or plaster? Make sure you screw off the patch and the ceiling around the patch well. If you have any large gaps between your patch and the ceiling pre fill it and let dry. Put mesh tape over seams. then finish the patch. Do you have any texture or is it smooth?

The ceiling is drywall and it has a smooth texture.The last time this happened I used the mess tape and it would crack on the drywall seams.

Make sure you screw it off good and pre fill your gaps before taping, you should be alright

Mesh tape is not recommended unless a setting type joint compound is used. The best is Durabond 90 by USG but it is hard to get and hard to sand. It's probabaly best if you use EasySand by USG. Prefill any cracks and gaps with that, let it set then apply the mesh tape and embed the mesh in the same stuff. Subsequent coats may be ordinary joint compound. I've had butt joints crack with mesh. Maybe you can use something like a Butt Hanger and get a better job.

I use whatever mud I have with mesh and never have a crackout problem with patching drywall. Plaster is another story.