Fix for internal brick wall cracks

That's a very handy sounding tip!
Thanks for sharing it

Originally Posted by Spin

I thought I would share this idea which I have not seen written before.
Many homes with internal brick walls that are rendered and plastered will get small cracks that appear after a while. If left, they can become larger through movement.
One solution my father told me, which has proven to work is as follows:

1. Scrape out the crack following the path of the crack, ensuring you cut deep into the crack, past the plaster and past the render right through to the source of the crack. It will look unsightly and you will think you have made it worse when looking at it! Dont worry.
2. Make some very small wedges (depending on size of the crack) and hammer them into the crack every few inches. You may need a center punch to get them below the surface. I usually cut some bullet head nails about half inch long, and on the bench grinder provide a wedge end.
3. Once hammered below the surface of the wall, fill with filler like Selleys flexible filler (in the blue boat shaped pack). You may need to go over it again the following day to ensure a smooth and level surface.
4. Prepare for painting in the usual way.

I have done many, many cracks this way over a number of years and I have not had one crack re appear! The micro wedges stop the movement in the crack or wall.

Dam

wish i read this before i started fixing cracks in my rendered walls, whats left of them