Patching and Plastering - Perplexed by Plaster

I have an old home with plaster. I am very familiar with drywall and the taping and mudding that goes along with finishing it. I have never worked with plaster. I have some short and long cracks in our walls.

Question:
How do I address these cracks? (not as in, "hello, how are you?")

What materials and 'compound' are needed to patch and repair walls?

Some areas are worse than others, as in showing lath, while most areas are just cracks.

Thanks

Jon

I've patched alot of plaster with setting compound type, durabond works good. and treat it like you would a crack in your drywall. The areas where the lath is showing may have to fil in with a piece of scrap drywall if they are too big, again treat it like it's drywall.

Hi wistex, another important step, and you have probably already considered this but to be complete, you should look for the reason the wall is cracked in the first place. Check support below and look at interior doors to see if some leveling and support may be needed.

And when you start talking to your walls it is time for another type of pro:).

Bud

I have taken that into consideration, but will look closer at the causes. Thank you

I appreciate the help. I will look for Durabond and test my skills. Thanks for the help

IMO durabond is great for patching plaster but because it doesn't sand well you should apply it neatly!

hey thanks. this is great to know, because I hate sanding. I'll take this in consideration when applying.

Dura-Bond is good, but you should be a good mudder. Also don't wash this product down the drain it sets up quickly and when you add more water it's as hard as a rock. So be careful with clean-up. For plaster walls with cracks I use joint compound. I let it dry thoroughly before I prime. I have never had a problem. I have a 1944 house and it has plaster. If you have cracks you must make them bigger. I usually use a roto-sip. It's pretty dusty but it works. Then I fill the crack with Silicone caulk....do not get any on the walls because paint does not stick to silicone. Make sure the caulk stays just below the surface. After the silicone dries... I mudd. So far so good.

Hi guys!

Two questions, what's the point of caulk under the mud? Won't the caulk allow movement?

Second, I have cracks above many doorways in my home (just openings, no doors installed). They were patched by the previous owner, but the patches cracked over the last year.

I want to fix it, but I don't want to waste my time. How do I fix cracks that keep cracking?

Thanks!