# electric radiant heated ceilings cracks



## icerock drywall (Nov 13, 2010)

looked at a job today with electric radiant heated ceilings cracks :blink: if I repair it I am going to try durabond with mudmax ...do you think that would work? I don't want the cracks to come back. how would you fix it...someone fixed it two times now and now its worse because its all falling off the old plaster layer


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## Kiwiman (Jun 14, 2008)

I would stay well away from it unless you want to lose money through call backs, could be a good test case for fibafuse tho?


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## icerock drywall (Nov 13, 2010)

Kiwiman said:


> I would stay well away from it unless you want to lose money through call backs, could be a good test case for fibafuse tho?


thanks kiwiman ....I told them I would do a test spot only and if I did the hole house it would be a lot of money. would you think a year would be good for the test ?


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## gluedandscrewed (Jan 10, 2014)

Iam assuming you mean radiant floor heating in the floor above?

Depending on the size of the ceiling I would remove all the plaster, insulate the ceiling and hang new board 

There comes a time when patching isn't going to work out in the long run.

You can put a band aid on a gangrene leg but the bandaid will do little to nothing and will eventually fall off. Eventually you have to cut that leg off and get a prostetic.


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## keke (Mar 7, 2012)

and for your test I think you need this too :yes:


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## icerock drywall (Nov 13, 2010)

gluedandscrewed said:


> Iam assuming you mean radiant floor heating in the floor above?
> 
> Depending on the size of the ceiling I would remove all the plaster, insulate the ceiling and hang new board
> 
> ...


no its not the floor...and its a one floor house and the kitchen ,family room and dinning room with a hall is one ceiling:furious:


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## icerock drywall (Nov 13, 2010)

keke said:


> and for your test I think you need this too :yes:


I don't want to hit a wire


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## keke (Mar 7, 2012)

well, it looks like you need this too 

http://www.dewalt.com/tools/cordless-instruments-inspection-cameras-dct410s1.aspx


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## gazman (Apr 29, 2011)

I think this is the type of thing that Ice is taking about.


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## Magic (Feb 20, 2014)

I hit wires when i did a similar job while cutting out cracks. I never got a callback but i will walk if i run into it again. Total PIA.


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## Wimpy65 (Dec 17, 2013)

looked at a job today with electric radiant heated ceilings cracks :blink: if I repair it I am going to try durabond with mudmax ...do you think that would work? I don't want the cracks to come back. how would you fix it...someone fixed it two times now and now its worse because its all falling off the old plaster layer 

When I've done these repairs, I used Durabond w/ Mud Max. To prep the area, I vee cut the cracks & painted them with Larsen's Plaster Weld. I've has great success with the Plaster Weld as a bonding agent.
I haven't tried to install the Fibafuse with the Plaster Weld yet, but that might be a good approach for repairing an entire ceiling. With all your experiments Ice, you'd be the right person to try painting Fibafuse on! (It probably isn't much different than your "Ice Patch".) :thumbup:


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## icerock drywall (Nov 13, 2010)

Wimpy65 said:


> looked at a job today with electric radiant heated ceilings cracks :blink: if I repair it I am going to try durabond with mudmax ...do you think that would work? I don't want the cracks to come back. how would you fix it...someone fixed it two times now and now its worse because its all falling off the old plaster layer
> 
> When I've done these repairs, I used Durabond w/ Mud Max. To prep the area, I vee cut the cracks & painted them with Larsen's Plaster Weld. I've has great success with the Plaster Weld as a bonding agent.
> I haven't tried to install the Fibafuse with the Plaster Weld yet, but that might be a good approach for repairing an entire ceiling. With all your experiments Ice, you'd be the right person to try painting Fibafuse on! (It probably isn't much different than your "Ice Patch".) :thumbup:


 good stuff bro


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## Sammy1979 (May 24, 2014)

Walk,run or maybe haul a$$ and never look back, I agree! However if your anything like me, and the pride and satisfaction of fixing something others were not able to overcomes you, this is what I might look at. 
Thinking "outside the box" on this one is a must, and you are obviously a grandmaster at that. 

I am in the insurance restoration side of the industry, fixing water, fire , mold and sinkholes. Before I did anything I'd investigate why it's cracking. In my area they used to use staples to fasten the lath, over time because this hell hole is a swamp , the humidity worked its wonders and rusted the staples and you can figure out the rest. 

Also maybe take a look at the insulation, might be a building envelope/breathing issue. The plaster is usually very thirsty (can hold a lot of moisture) so during the humid part of the year its all happy and hydrated. But then it starts getting cold, the heat gets turned on , add heat and things dry, always! So it may be a issue of not enough or old insulation/ with maybe a side dish of a ventilation issue.

Just my two cents, sometimes I've found if i figure out the why, then the how is the easy part. Just think if you fix this those homeowners will forever look at you as "da man":thumbup:


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## Magic (Feb 20, 2014)

Sammy1979 said:


> Walk,run or maybe haul a$$ and never look back, I agree! However if your anything like me, and the pride and satisfaction of fixing something others were not able to overcomes you, this is what I might look at.
> Thinking "outside the box" on this one is a must, and you are obviously a grandmaster at that.
> 
> I am in the insurance restoration side of the industry, fixing water, fire , mold and sinkholes. Before I did anything I'd investigate why it's cracking. In my area they used to use staples to fasten the lath, over time because this hell hole is a swamp , the humidity worked its wonders and rusted the staples and you can figure out the rest.
> ...


Thats right,. I had to screw off the whole ceiling because of staples. Then it was an old texture I had to skim out. Good times fo sho!


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## endo_alley (Nov 2, 2013)

Nothing will stop them from cracking. The constant expansion and contraction from heat variations doomed that product from the start. That must date back to around 1980. Haven't seen them in a while. Put a piece of wood trim around the perimeter. Better yet, put a screw through it and short it out. Tell the owner they have to get rid of it and get a real modern heating system. If you still want to work on it, it doesn't hurt to spray it with a mister. Turn on the heat. It will dry faster on the heat coils than in the fields. Mark the position of the heat coils. Then put a screw directly into one and ruin the thing (or not).


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## chris (Apr 13, 2011)

endo_alley said:


> Nothing will stop them from cracking. The constant expansion and contraction from heat variations doomed that product from the start. That must date back to around 1980. Haven't seen them in a while. Put a piece of wood trim around the perimeter. Better yet, put a screw through it and short it out. Tell the owner they have to get rid of it and get a real modern heating system. If you still want to work on it, it doesn't hurt to spray it with a mister. Turn on the heat. It will dry faster on the heat coils than in the fields. Mark the position of the heat coils. Then put a screw directly into one and ruin the thing (or not).


 Im afraid endo is right. The only time Ive had success fixing those cracks is when they didnt use the ceiling heat anymore.


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