Q:We are getting ready to repaint our home office. The walls and ceiling were cracked during the 1989 quake and poorly patched before we moved in. We had the roof redone this summer, and the banging ...

Q: The walls of our 1938 San Francisco home are lath and plaster, with a canvas-like fabric over the plaster. There are cracks in the plaster, which can be seen through the paint as raised creases in ...

Q. We're buying a house that is probably close to 100 years old. It has been vacant for the past several years and needs a good amount of cleaning up and fixing up. One thing we're concerned about is ...

Q. We just bought our first house, an American Foursquare, dated 1917. It has been vacant for several years and the interior is not in the best condition. We'd like to gut it to get rid of the sagging ...

Q: An ice dam left a small irregular brownish area and a crack in a bedroom ceiling. How do I fix it? A: You don’t mention if it’s a textured ceiling, the width of the crack, if there’s any loose or ...

The smallest stain on your ceiling is rarely just a cosmetic flaw. It is usually the first visible sign of a leak that, if ...

So the inspector never made any real note about the cracks in the ceiling, but over the past two days where I have been sick at home, I've looked at them more and wanted to get an opinion on this. I ...

There are two kinds of cracks in old lath and plaster walls. Both can be repaired, but one is a much more serious problem. By Ronda Kaysen Q: Our Gramercy co-op was built in 1929. The thick plaster ...

Dear James: We just purchased an older house with real plaster walls. There are quite a few cracks that need to be fixed. What is the proper method to repair these so they do not reappear? -- Marie G.

Older houses were constructed with a lot more character than many newer homes. Unfortunately, just like with people, along with aged character come a few cracks and wrinkles. Plaster, even with some ...