Cracked Ceiling Repair

Put on safety glasses to protect your eyes from falling fragments of plaster.

Insert a drywall screw through a plaster washer. Using a drill, drive the screw through the loose plaster and into the wood lath above. Install screws all along both sides of the cracked plaster for structural support. Disregard this step if you are repairing a hairline crack.

Mix dry powdered joint compound with water in a plastic bucket. Read the compound manufacturer's directions to determine the ratio of compound to water.

Spread the mixed joint compound over the cracked ceiling using a trowel. Apply the layer of compound just thick enough to cover the washers.

Cover the wet compound with the thin fiberglass mesh. Using the trowel, press the mesh into the compound. Smooth the compound with the trowel.

Let the joint compound air dry for 24 hours.

Sand the dry joint compound with 100-grit sandpaper to smooth the uneven, ridged areas.

Coat the repair with a second thin layer of joint compound using the same procedure you used for the first coat. Do not apply any fiberglass mesh. Sand the compound after it dries, as in Step 7.

Seal the ceiling with latex primer. Using a roller brush, apply a coat of latex primer over the entire repair. Let the primer air dry according to the manufacturer's directions.

Hide the repair with two final coats of ceiling paint using the roller brush. Let each coat dry separately according to the manufacturer's instructions.