Hello, This is my first post! I am trying to learn to do more around my house, and would welcome any suggestions regarding this. I live in a traditional, brick Cape Cod, built in 1947. The ceilings are in good shape, not sagging or moldy or anything like that, but there are certain areas where the paint/plaster is cracking and starting to slightly chip away. I could just prime and re-paint those areas (after scraping away the loose paint), but different textures and "levels" on the ceiling would remain. I don't want to have to re-plaster those areas, as that would be very time consuming and I would never get them even. I purchased the house in 2005 and re-painted all the ceilings with normal, flat ceiling paint at that time. There were some minor cracks then, but not as noticeable as they are now. Please see the two photos below: [URL=http://s16.photobucket.com/user/vyacheslav13/media/P1010001_zps06cdf7ff.jpg.html][IMG]http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b12/vyacheslav13/th_P1010001_zps06cdf7ff.jpg[/IMG][/URL] [URL=http://s16.photobucket.com/user/vyacheslav13/media/P1010002_zps76fe210c.jpg.html][IMG]http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b12/vyacheslav13/th_P1010002_zps76fe210c.jpg[/IMG][/URL] The first photo shows how the cracks look. That's about the worst of it, in my living room. Not even really anything to scrape or sand, but it is a bit softer in those areas than the rest of the ceiling. The second photo shows the hall area right outside my bathroom. I imagine that is worse because of all the steam from the shower (I always leave the door open when I shower). I have scraped off the loose plaster/paint with a putty knife. Both of these areas are on the main (ground) floor of the house. All of these areas are 100% dry; not a hint of moisture anywhere where the peeling paint or cracks are. What would you recommend to "fix" this, outside of re-plastering? If I prime the "bare" areas and then use textured ceiling paint (applied with a roller) will that work? Should I re-paint or seal the ceiling outside the bathroom first (maybe with an exterior, glossy paint for the shower steam) and then put the normal ceiling coat/texture on top of that? If I just paint as is now, the bare areas will be noticeably "different", and I also don't want to have to keep doing this every year or so. What would be a good, simple (and economical!) solution to this problem? My main goal is to hide the imperfections and have it look good, while also preventing this from happening in the future. Overall everything is structurally sound. Thanks for your help!

Hi, Me & my mom recently purchased a vacation condo apartment in FL. When we came in with the realtor beforehand to look at it, there was a very heavy stale smell. We figured that since the apartment had been vacant for 6 months, that after we move in, clean it up, and air it out, the smell would go away (the place was in good condition when we bought it, just needed a paint job, and to fix some stuff here and there), but it didn't. The smell was mainly in the kitchen area (which is also near the HVAC closet). We started trying to narrow down the cause. Called the A/C people first, thinking maybe the A/C unit was giving the smell. But it wasn't, although we did find out that the A/C had a broken compressor, which they fixed. Then we called them to clean the vents & ducts, thinking that was the problem. But after they were cleaned, the smell was still there. Next, we thought to check in the kitchen (where it smelled the strongest). We replaced the old garbage disposal, cleaned out everything underneath the kitchen island, fixed the dishwasher (which was giving off a similar smell). Even though the smell became less noticeable, it was still there. Especially when you walk into the apartment, and oddly enough, you can feel it slightly throughout the rest of the apartment. But today (and earlier in the month), when I opened the HVAC closet, I noticed these blacks spots on the pipes, and on the ceiling (pictures are attached). And I'm starting to wonder if that's mold, and if that's what was (and still is) giving off that smell. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, nyc79