Cracks in the interior

After the completion of our house, we were told that certain settlement cracks may occur. What is still normal? On the ground floor, kitchen and living room, a finger fits between the floor tile and the edge - on the first floor there are transverse cracks in the wall, at the ceiling on the first floor it has already been plastered beige, in the bathroom the silicone is cracked... *desperate*. Honestly, I don't feel like removing all the joints and re-grouting, but I probably won't have any other choice, right?! I just wanted to ask here first, otherwise I will have to call the builder.

Um, you want to call the builder? So, you are the construction company?

the then site manager *sorry* I meant

Hello,

After the completion of our house, we were told that certain settlement cracks can occur. What is still normal? On the ground floor, in the kitchen and living room, a finger fits between the floor tile and the edge – on the first floor, there are transverse cracks in the wall. The ceiling on the first floor has already been plastered beige, and the silicone in the bathroom has cracked... *desperate*

Settlement cracks can be harmless or can cause serious structural problems. Harmless, not too wide cracks, which have already settled, can be closed with permanently elastic material. To do this, widen the crack by scraping it out with a screwdriver. Then inject the crack with acrylic and smooth the mass with a spatula. After the acrylic has dried, cover the crack with self-adhesive fiberglass crack tape; this is very thin and can then be painted over directly.

The acrylic sealant can also be painted over directly with commercially available paints and varnishes; however, you should first practice on an inconspicuous spot. Also remember that acrylic, due to its plasticity, can only be used for joints with minor movements. Beforehand, you should check whether the crack is still spreading => this can be determined with a plaster mark; for this, a blob of plaster is applied over the crack. If the plaster mark has not cracked after two weeks, the crack has settled. If it continues to spread, you should consult a specialist (e.g. a masonry expert).

This person will examine everything on site and determine what kind of crack it is and what caused it. They will also tell you what needs to be done. Maybe it is sufficient to fill the crack with acrylic as explained before. Maybe the soil needs to be compacted, or maybe something needs to be done to the building itself and the foundation must be adapted to the given conditions, etc. However, only a specialist can answer these questions! Crack damages over 0.2-3 mm are usually not due to the quality of the building materials. Often, planning and execution errors are responsible for the formation of cracks.

In my opinion, the crack in the expansion joint in the bathroom is normal.

Best regards

Thank you very much for the detailed response, I will try using plaster on the transverse cracks in the wall; the plasterer had told us to use acrylic when he filled the cracks in the upper ET ceiling. We noticed the transverse cracks after about 3/4 year, but have been living here for 2 years already. Scraping out with a screwdriver doesn’t work well, unless I want to re-tape the walls. I will remove the expansion joints and redo them. BUT the expansion joints in the kitchen and living room look very unsightly, I will try to take a photo :-(

Status update: I have sent an email with the pictures to the site manager and am now waiting for his feedback, as he was on vacation. And what is your opinion?