Tadelakt Crack Repair TechniqueUpdated 2 years ago

It is not uncommon to have very fine hairline cracks in a Tadelakt Finish.  If all of the substrate preparation has been done correctly, these cracks should not affect the water repellant functionality of the Tadelakt system.   Here is a technique that can be attempted to repair these types of very fine hairline cracks. 

Step 1.   Take the wet, original Tadelakt plaster and squeeze it through a standard paint strainer. 

This will serve to remove all of the coarse aggregate and leave a very fine paste.  

Step 2.  Use a gloved finger to carefully squeeze this paste into the crack. Try and get as little as possible on the surrounding surface of the Tadelakt.  

Step 3. Use a soft plastic "scraper" (a credit card works well) to gently scrape the excess plaster from the area surrounding the crack.  This should remove most of it.   

Step 4. If there is still some fine plaster on the surface of the Tadelakt, allow it to dry out and then use a dry cloth to gently "sand" it off.    

-The goal is to have the paste just fill the crack.

Step 5.  Once the repair has dried fully, apply 3 coats of diluted Olive Oil Soap Sealer to the repaired cracks.  

Step 6.  Allow the Olive Oil Soap Sealer to dry completely and re-apply two coats of Beeswax Protective Sealer to the repaired area.