If the house dates from the 1900's then the ceiling, unless it has been replaced in the recent past, is not going to be plasterboard (invented about 1916 and not common until the 50's) but lath and plaster.
Err, I have the proof here. Ceiling in the living area - originally lath and plaster - was replaced by plasterboard before I bought this house. Several joins showed. Filling with a variety of Polyfilla type stuff soon cracked again. Used decorator's caulk last time (probably not available earlier) and that has held nicely. But did take a lot of fiddle to do - perhaps 4 or 5 times because of shrinkage.
In message , at
02:26:18 on Mon, 24 Sep 2018, snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com remarked:It's not plasterboard - lathe and plaster.
When did I suggest sanding of paper?
Do people often skim lathe and plaster ceilings? Genuine question, I have no data.
In message , at 10:25:37 on Mon, 24 Sep 2018, Peter Parry remarked:
Yes please.
In message , at 10:48:00 on Mon, 24 Sep
2018, "Dave Plowman (News)" remarked:Are those rectangular cracks aligned with the plasterboard sheets?
The ones I'm looking at are random and especially in the corners of the room at 45 degrees to the walls.
You used to be able to get a lining paper which had a linen mesh backing. It was quite expensive but very resilient. My mother's bedroom had a cracked ceiling from a wartime bomb nearby and the crack never re-appeared once it was lined.
Jonathan
It's most likely someone owns the copyright, so not wiki material. I would like to see a change in the law on that, but there it is.
NT
Most such ceilings have been ripped out & plasterboarded by now. Either way the same applies.
NT
well that's one way to demonstrate you don't know what constitutes proof.
same applies
when did anyone claim you did?
they have done. They're often in too bad a shape for that though.
They're laths, lathes are too heavy
NT
Not really, lath and plaster uses lime plaster which is soft and accommodates some movement. Gypsum plasters and plasterboards are much more rigid so mixing both types is a recipe for failure.
If each side of the crack is at the same level sanding down may be OK if the previously filled crack hasn't reappeared.
Often what happens on a lath and plaster ceiling is one side of the crack drops relative to the other side so the filler needs to not only plug the crack but also be extended to disguise the different levels. If the plaster on my 1900s ceilings and walls is anything to go by then it may be difficult to sand down the old plaster. In my house the plaster surface is very hard but break through this very thin layer and it just crumbles away if sanded.
Lime in brickwork accomodates movement by microcracking then healing by growing crystals across the gaps. I don't know whether L&P ceilings do likewise. Either way by the time it has visibly cracked it's immaterial.
NT
yes please. snipped-for-privacy@djclark.eu
Under a fiver. Nobody would bother.
In message , at
13:14:46 on Mon, 24 Sep 2018, snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com remarked:By the time it's visibly cracked, any process for accommodating movement has been over-stretched.
You really are an odd little cat. It is proof it worked here when other fillers failed. Unlike some, I give tips which have worked well for me. Not something read off the net, or whatever.
that's one way to demonstrate you truly don't understand proof.
No such things as proof when it comes to fillers. But I'd not expect you to understand that.
I doubt anyone does :) You take one data point only, decide for no known reason that the result was due to the filler and not the house not moving again, and declare proof. That's a guess.
NT
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