Front Page Forum: Meaning of the Crack
Within a month or two of moving in to our house, we began noticing cracks in the paint along the molding along the stairs to the top floor. Our contractor at the time said it was no big deal — just a result of the stress of footsteps on the stairs. Although it sounds plausible,…
Within a month or two of moving in to our house, we began noticing cracks in the paint along the molding along the stairs to the top floor. Our contractor at the time said it was no big deal — just a result of the stress of footsteps on the stairs. Although it sounds plausible, we thought we’d see if there was anything less benign that could be at work. Has this happened in your house?
I hope the people saying this is “obvious” are not the same people who complain that there are not enough renovation-related posts! This is good information for people who are new to owning old houses.
Ideally you would have an expansion joint wherever surface planes meet (ie wall to floor) but the stairs in these old houses are built into the wall structure in most cases. You would have to separate the wall side stringer from the wall to allow the stairs to “float” independently from the wall- not worth the effort.
I have to agree with 11:35 …. this is obvious stuff or should be anyway. Weird thing to have on the home page Mr B. Slow news day? Out enjoying this beautiful day maybe?
no, not obvious. New houses are more prone to this as they are settling. Older houses have pretty much settled.
Along staircase – this could mean stairs are pulling away from wall. Perhaps could add some support somewhere. And don’t run up and down them so much adding extra stress.
Yeah it is called caulk. Also try scraping away the 300 layers of paint first.
i wonder if it would be possible to install some kind of expansion joint at that location … something that would have some give and take as the materials on either side expand and contract.
where are the architects when you need them?
No.
Isn’t this all pretty obvious?
I just inspected your crack again. This time I got a closer look. Because of it’s location ABOVE the baseboard, it looks like it’s due to moisture seeping in from under the paint, rather than settling. That’s good news actually.
My general advice re: settling still stands, if you notice other cracks.