Cracks happen. If these cracks occur in a wall or ceiling corner, however, there are slightly different methods for fixing them than what would usually be done to fix cracks in a wall.
Below are the three methods on how to fix cracks in corner of wall and ceiling:
Method #1: Inward facing wall corners
What you’ll need
Having the right supplies is crucial when fixing cracks in the corner of your wall and ceiling. The supplies you’ll need for this repair are few, and are easy to acquire. All you’ll need is a caulking gun, painter’s caulk, and some paper towel.
Clean thoroughly
Dust is great at inhibiting paint, caulk, and other such materials from doing their job. If the corners are dusty, or there are cobwebs, it will create an inefficient repair, and you could end up with more problems down the line. You don’t want to have to repair the corners of your walls and ceilings again, so clean that space out with a damp cloth to ensure it’s ready to be worked on.
Snip the tip
You can cut the tip of the caulk so that it is better able to reach right into the corner of the wall. To do this, cut the caulk at an angle, so that when you are administering it, it reaches right into the corner, and not onto the sides at all.
Apply the caulk
Squeeze the caulking gun gently to release a small flow of caulk. As you do this, move down or across the wall for the entirety of the crack in question. Make sure that you move in an even motion, and release a consistent stream of caulk. You do not need a huge amount, just a small strip will do the trick – you do not want too much excess.
Get your hands dirty
Next, you’ll be using your finger to press the caulk more firmly into the corner and flatten it out. Do this once, wipe your finger of any excess caulk, and then repeat.
Method #2: Inward facing wall corners
What you’ll need
All you’ll need for the corner repair in this method is some plaster, a putty knife, a paintbrush, and some water in a bucket. Gather all your materials together before you begin, because you won’t want to go hunting when you’re in the middle of the repair.
Apply the plaster
Quickly apply some plaster into the corner with the putty knife, feathering out a bit, but not taking too much time to make it perfect. The perfect comes later. For the moment, just make sure you cover the crack with enough plaster.
Time to brush
Once you’ve put the plaster into the corner of the wall, now it’s time to smooth it out. To do so, you’re simply going to wet the brush a bit, and run it down the corner of the wall. Make sure to rinse the brush off frequently, which simultaneously wets it again, and then carry on.
By wetting the plaster, you’re actually helping it to take on the same texture as the rest of the wall, which will ensure that it blends in once it’s all done. Do this until the corner is smooth, using the brush to get rid of any sloppy spots, uneven spots, or drips.
Method #3: Outward facing wall corners
What you’ll need
You’ll need joint compound or spackle, a putty knife, a damp sponge, a vacuum, and both 120 and 200 grit sandpaper. As you can see, it’s still not an expensive or overwhelming collection of necessities.
Break the old away
Outside corners tend to get cracked quite badly due to people and things running into them all the time. It is often not the result of the house settling as, inward facing cracks tend to be. As a result, the first thing you should do is use something sharp, like a knife, or even your putty knife, to break away any loose or weak drywall. Use the vacuum to get rid of any dust and debris this creates.
Putty up
Using the putty knife, apply putty to the crack, scraping away excess and smoothing it down as you go. Start on one side and move to the other, working from the corner of the wall out onto the wall. This is called feathering, and helps the repair to blend in with the rest of the wall. Once you’re finished, wait for it to dry.
Sand and repeat
Using the 120 grit sandpaper, sand down the repaired area, and vacuum up the dust. You’re then going to dampen the area with the sponge, and then apply a second coat of putty to fill in any areas that were previously missed.
Final sand and finishing touches
Once the second coat is dry, use the 200 grit sandpaper to do a final sand on the repair. It is now ready for priming and painting. You may consider installing a corner guard to prevent future damage from occurring.