How to Fill a Crack in the Wall

Before undertaking any DIY projects, we recommend you protect the room you are working in. Move furniture out of the way or out of the room entirely and use a Seriously Good Cotton Rich Dust Sheet to protect the floor. Tape it in place using some Masking Tape.

Before you can fix the crack properly you need to open it out so the filler will have a surface to bind to.  Use the Seriously Good Snap Knife or Premier Chisel Knife to rake out the crack and open it into a V shape. With the crack open use an Essentials Brush to clean away loose dust.

Now, there is some debate over the next step. For small cracks in good plaster, that is plaster which is not falling apart, our decorating team recommends just using the filler. However, for larger cracks or cracks where the plaster has been crumbling, they recommend diluting some PVA glue in water, then painting the solution into the crack using the Essentials Brush. The PVA seeps into the plaster making it more solid and more reliable when adding the filler in the next step.

It’s time to fill the crack in your wall. Apply some filler with the Premier Filling Knife. Add the filler into the crack by working the blade along the length of the crack. Scrape off excess by wetting the filling knife blade and scraping from the centre to edge along the length of the crack. Check the filler packet instructions and leave to set and cure.

When the filler has cured use some Ultimate Fine Sandpaper and a Cork Block to sand the filler down until smooth. Then clean the surface with a Seriously Good Microfibre Cloth making sure there is no dust remaining. You are now ready to paint over the area. We recommend jumping over to our guide on how to paint a wall and how to paint a ceiling to continue your project.