We have a step up to our kitchen from our living room. The lower step is timber, the upper is plastered and is the edge of our kitchen floor. A piece of the plastered layer has fallen off and I am wondering if there is any way of repairing it. Looking closely at the structure of this upper step/edge of kitchen floor, I think there may be a layer of plastered that spans the opening onto the kitchen floor. There is a layer under the plaster of some material with regularly spaced holes in it, what is this material?
Hi @jonathan_d,
You can certainly repair that area.
Start by removing any loose, hollow-sounding or crumbly material around the damaged section. Once you have a solid surface to work with, apply a skim coat of plaster or a patching compound to rebuild the missing section. You may need to apply two thin coats rather than one thick coat to achieve a smooth finish. Once dry, sand it flush with the surrounding surface, then apply a couple of coats of primer before repainting.
The perforated plastic strip you're seeing is called a corner bead. It's embedded into the plaster during installation to reinforce corners and provide a straight edge that's easier to finish neatly. Seeing part of it exposed in a damaged area is quite normal.
Looking at the location of the damage, I suspect the flooring structure above may be flexing slightly when walked on. Over time, that movement can transfer pressure into the plaster below, causing it to crack and eventually break away. If this has developed gradually over several years, you may find that simply patching the area is all that's required and it may last quite a while before needing attention again.
However, if the cracking continues to return, the underlying movement would need to be addressed. One option could be to remove the plastered section beneath the step and replace it with a more robust timber trim or fascia board that is less susceptible to cracking from minor floor movement. This might be a good long-term solution, as plaster is a little soft for a step riser that gets kicked regularly.
Before repairing, it might be worth standing on the kitchen floor near the edge and having someone watch the damaged area to see if there is any noticeable movement. That would help confirm whether floor flex is contributing to the issue. I've added an AI-rendering below of what a timber riser replacement could look like. Let me mention @oasis1frog, @fixmystuff, @hf, and @LukeT, to see if they have any advice. Please let me know if you have any questions.
Mitchell
