# cracks in stucco walls



## teresa12 (May 22, 2008)

Hello, I am new to this forum and so glad I found it. We are in the process of purchasing a true fixer-upper and wil be doing most of the work ourselves. This is an old house built in 1945. It has a crawl space, not conventional foundation. My concern is sort of large cracks on the bedroom walls that are random patterned. One wall seems to buckle a little. The walls are stucco or plaster. My question is this typical for stucco walls and does this indicate foundation problems? Most homes in this area are 60-70 years old and the walls are made of stucco. Any advice would do!


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## glennjanie (May 22, 2008)

Welcome Teresa:
Random cracks sounds like the walls might be stone or concrete blocks. In that case the cracks would be characteristic of the masonry work; it just can't flex with temperature extremes and movement.
If there are foundation problems that are causing the cracks you will also have some seriously un-level floors. You may want to check the floors with a 4' level or a shorter level on a straight 2  X 4.
Stucco is very difficult to patch up and match to the existing, therefore, I would use caulking compound to fill and seal the cracks.
Glenn


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## teresa12 (May 23, 2008)

Thanks for the reply. The floors seem level just walking through them but we will use a level and see. Is the caulking process difficult or expensive? We're on a limited budget. You are right, the walls are probalby stone, I am almost sure of it. Any particular problems associated with stone walls that you know of?


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## RonnySanders (Mar 24, 2012)

Your home requires certain maintenance items to be completed to ensure that the stucco will perform properly. Repairing a crack in stucco is often done with various caulks or cement. Thanks!


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