John Neel
02-18-2011, 5:32 PM
If this is not off topic, it is at least such that I don't know where to put it.
My house, built 1939, has 3 arched doorways in the foyer. The doorways all have wooden molding around them. Last year I repaired and painted the plaster walls. Then I began working on the molding. There is a joint on each side of each arch just below where the curve of the arch begins. Each joint was visible before I began with the paint either sunk into the joint or pushed out and cracked. I scraped out each joint and filled with a name brand carpenter's putty. Life being complicated I am just now getting to painting the woodwork. Now as I look at the joints, I notice a small separation crack at each joint. Pictures should be attached.
Since the heat has been on most days since November, has the wood likely pulled back and produced this crack? Has the putty shrunk, not being painted for almost a year? Had I painted it earlier, would this not have happened? Should I have used painter's caulk instead? I would appreciate any suggestions.
My house, built 1939, has 3 arched doorways in the foyer. The doorways all have wooden molding around them. Last year I repaired and painted the plaster walls. Then I began working on the molding. There is a joint on each side of each arch just below where the curve of the arch begins. Each joint was visible before I began with the paint either sunk into the joint or pushed out and cracked. I scraped out each joint and filled with a name brand carpenter's putty. Life being complicated I am just now getting to painting the woodwork. Now as I look at the joints, I notice a small separation crack at each joint. Pictures should be attached.
Since the heat has been on most days since November, has the wood likely pulled back and produced this crack? Has the putty shrunk, not being painted for almost a year? Had I painted it earlier, would this not have happened? Should I have used painter's caulk instead? I would appreciate any suggestions.