Dear Allegra,

I have a crack in my ceiling in the living room and bedroom that has traveled down the wall over time. What can I do to repair that? My house was built in the 1930’s. Another thing is the pictures shift on the wall when buses pass by. Do you think that could have something to do with the cracks?

Sharon B.

Baltimore

Dear Sharon,

Consistent vibrations from buses, construction vehicles rumbling by loaded with heavy equipment and materials and just a general heavy traffic pattern in your neighborhood could contribute to cracks in the interior house walls over time. But, typically, cracks in a home’s ceilings and walls are the outcomes of how the wallboards are fitting against the joists and studs. These shift over a long time and the resulting fissures are referred to as settlement cracks, which we hear about more frequently in newer homes settling on their foundation. Older homes have the same issues because a house never really fully settles. As it ages new cracks and lines show up whether or not there’s heavy traffic flowing by. Yours has been up since the 1930’s.