How to fix cracking paint at cornice?

Newrenovator

Hi there,

We bought a house recently which was painted for sale, but a couple of months down the track, the paint in the kitchen cornice (where the walls meet the roof) is cracking and peeling off. It's not doing this anywhere else, just in the kitchen above the cabinetry. I'm not sure how to fix, I figure if I just repaint it, the cracks will reappear again. What do I need to do besides repaint to repair the cracks and stop the issue coming back?

EricL

Hello @Newrenovator

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. It's sensational to have you join us, and thanks for sharing your question about repairing your cornice.

This is a popular discussion, and I suggest having a quick look at this guide and the other discussions about cornice repair - How to repair a cracked cornice. The general steps are to clear out the cracks and remove the loose debris. Any old adhesive that has failed must be remove as well. Once the area is nice and clear you can then apply a flexible sealant that will not crack immediately should there be any movement again.

Below are the discussions about cornice repair:

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric

Newrenovator

Hi Eric,

Thanks so much for the links to the other articles, I've read them, but I feel like our situation is a bit different - our cornice has chunks that have been badly repaired, and are cracking away again, not just a crack between the cornice and the wall.

I've got one further follow up question, is it better to keep repairing the cornice that is there with plaster, or should you remove the existing cornice and replace it with new cornice?

Thank you for your help,

MitchellMc

Hi @Newrenovator,

I suspect there was a gap as per the article above on How to repair a cracked cornice. They've filled that gap with a caulked flexible filler, and then more movement has occurred. You can see where this caulking is trying to hold on to both the cornice and the wall, but is peeling away. In the middle it's managed to hold onto the wall and pulled a chunk out of the cornice.

I'd likely go along and just cut out the filler with a retractable knife. Slice along just under the cornice and then at the wall. Peel the caulking out. Repair the cornice in the damaged locations with Spakfilla. Re-caulk the join between the cornice and the wall, and then paint. Remember to be careful with the knife and wear cut-resistant gloves.

Regarding your question on whether replacement would be better, that's a bit unknown. For this much movement to occur there's obviously something going on here. Pulling off the existing cornice might reveal that issue which you could then correct.

Given the amount of movement, I feel that essentially doing the same thing they did before might have a similar effect, so replacing the cornice might be the way to go.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell