Interior walls and ceilings
Interior linings (most often plasterboard) are the finishing surface material applied to internal wall and ceiling framing.
They serve to enhance appearance and visual interest as well as improve acoustic and thermal performance and provide bracing for the building frame. Alteration, renovation, general wear and tear or damage caused to internal linings by inhabitants (either directly or indirectly, i.e. lack of general maintenance) over the years can result in a wide range of imperfections and defects occurring which can be mistaken for natural disaster damage.
Popped fixings
Fixing ‘pops’ are common in older homes especially in rooms where there is a direct heat source and often where poor lining installation has taken place. If fixings are installed incorrectly and applied through an adhesive, you may see a ‘pop’ or a fixing come through your plasterboard.
As well as the above causes, there may be a link to the construction technique used such as ceiling joist spans that are too great for the timber size or joists which have been overloaded.
For more information, visit:
BRANZ – Plasterboard – nail popping(external link)
Flaking paint to internal linings
Poor preparation of the existing substrate during re- painting can result in poor adhesion of the new paint or the appearance of a bubbling effect during drying.
Other common causes of defects are painting over joint stopping which has not satisfactorily dried, and applying oil-based paint over acrylic based paint.
For more information, visit:
Master Painters NZ(external link)
Isolated cracking under wallpaper
The absence of taped joints (i.e. where two sheets of plasterboard join) before a stopping compound is applied, can result in the sheet lines appearing after time (joint taping was rarely done before 1975). If this occurs to plasterboard linings which have had a decorative paper applied, the result can be a visible joint line through the paper.
For more information, visit:
BRANZ – Plasterboard linings – cracking(external link)
Resene – Guide to wallcovering insulation(external link)
Cracking around window and doors openings
Incorrect jointing (of plasterboard) results in cracking around openings. Modern practice calls for plasterboard lining sheets to be cut and jointed into the opening, and not to be joined at the edge of the opening. The latter practice results in the most common form of cracking visible to interior wall linings. This occurs due to natural thermal movement around the opening.
For more information, visit:
BRANZ – Plasterboard linings – cracking(external link)
Loose plasterboard to ceilings
Timber shrinkage and general movement due to expansion and contraction can cause aesthetic imperfections to ceiling linings.
This is especially evident where plasterboard is not tightly fitted to the framing and when there are an insufficient number of plasterboard sheet fixings in place.
Ceiling linings can have weight applied (such as a person standing on the lining instead of joists) in the roof space which can also create aesthetic issues to the visible surface. Bent, twisted, or buckled framing members due to natural drying or installation of linings before frames were sufficiently dry can also affect aesthetics.
For more information, visit:
BRANZ – Plasterboard linings – cracking(external link)
Moisture damage
Watertight issues such as leaking roofs can cause damage to internal linings. This can result in rotting joists, saturated insulation, or a high moisture content in the roof space, all which can be detrimental to the ceiling and wall linings below.
For more information, visit:
BRANZ – Ceilings – flaking paint (particularly on fibrous plaster ceilings)(external link)
Removing existing wallpaper
Wallpaper in most instances can be cut approx. 100mm from the square stop down the wall allowing the existing paper to be stripped effectively. If wallpaper is removed and the backing paper is left on, this can be easily removed by soaking the backing paper with warm water until soft and easy to remove. Therefore, removal of lining paper or wallpaper from internal wall linings can be done without compromising the ceiling aesthetics.
Regular prep (i.e., sanding and plastering of the cut edge) would then follow.
For more information, visit:
Resene – Guide to wallcovering insulation(external link)
Masterpainters – Factsheet(external link)