My Walls Have Cracks: If I Have Wallpaper Hung, Will the Cracks Show Again?

Hairline cracks do not show under non-woven wallpaper and usually do not come back. Wide or moving cracks, if covered without being repaired, show through in time as a line, a wrinkle or a tear in the paper.

The result depends on the crack

• Hairline crack: non-woven wallpaper covers it; its flexible backing takes up small movement.
• Plasterboard joint line: after jointing tape and filler it disappears under the paper.
• Wide, moving crack: it must be opened and filled first; otherwise it strains the paper.
• Crack together with damp: the source of the damp has to be solved first; wallpaper does not hold on a damp wall.

What has to be done before the wallpaper

1. The crack is opened slightly, dusted and filled.
2. The surface is filled and sanded.
3. The wall is primed.
4. On problem walls a smooth glass fleece is glued on under the wallpaper.
5. The wallpaper is hung.

Which wallpaper hides a crack better?

Thick, textured wallpapers with a non-woven backing. Thin, smooth and glossy wallpapers show every mark underneath.

What if the crack comes back every year?

Then paintable glass textile is safer; it wraps the wall like reinforcement. See our posts on whether glass textile hides cracks and how to prevent hairline cracks. Cracks that run diagonally and widen should be shown to an engineer first.