Why Does Plaster Crack Around Doors and How to Fix It

In older houses with plaster walls, you often see, as pictured, a spider-web configuration of cracks around the upper corners of doorframes.

This a stress point for doorframes:

• Bearing points may be located above.
• Doors opening and closing over years--or decades.
• Much trimwork in this area which often gets hammered, tapped, painted, and otherwise worked on.

What can be done around this? You can fix the plaster, or install drywall instead, but the problems that caused the cracks in the first place will always be there. Fortunately, it takes a long time for cracks to develop in plaster.

The method of repairing plaster cracks involves scoring out the cracks into larger cracks (yes, this is counterintuitive), laying down fiberglass mesh tape, and them smoothing over ordinary drywall joint compound. Some bulging will result, but if the compound (mud) is "feathered" well enough, it will not be obvious.