After staying in a strata unit for sometime, one often sees cracks on the walls or edges. It can be unsightly and probably cause for alarm for the uninitiated.
Buildings in Singapore are made from concrete (cement + sand + gravel + water). Because water is used, it would evaporate as the concrete is cast and hardened to form the columns and structures. Similarly, cement is used to plaster the walls and water is added into the cement to make it into a “paste”. When the water evaporates, the concrete / cement would crack. But this is just one of the many factors for cement cracking.
Most of the time, the wall cracks are not serious and non-threatening but rather an irritant and annoyance. The cracks can cause water seepage into the neighbouring dwelling units. It can also grow algae and make it look unsighlty. Small cracks can be sealed off and covered cosmetically by a coat of paint. Bigger cracks need water proofing work to be done at the source where water ingress. Then followed by a coat of paint for looks.