Lath & Plaster ceiling

[John]

Got up the steps to patch some lifted wallpaper on a ceiling and found that it had lifted due the ceiling having dropped a bit. I am suspecting that someone had put weight on the L & P at some time - or the nibs of plaster have just failed over time.

I am wondering if there is a fix - such as generous squirts of No More Nails from above and then propping the sagged ceiling back up to the laths - or do I have to accept it is a lost cause and rip it all down (ugh the though of the mess in the new bathroom!!) The insulation is that blown in recycled newspaper stuff which would all need moving.

[George]

Just plasterboard over the existing ceiling.

[cupra]

I'm in the same boat as you so awaiting advice with eager eyes!

[Lurch]

On Sat, 17 Feb 2007 18:31:07 GMT, "George" mused:

Definitely the cleanest option, probably the preferred option if the room has just been finished.

I'd always prefer to take the old ceiling down where possible but it sounds as if it could be a non-starter here.

[Cicero]

================================ Prop the sagging bit from below. Clean the affected area thoroughly (top) with a vacuum cleaner. Make a sloppy mix of plasterboard bonding plaster (or 'One coat' plaster) and spread in a layer about 1" thick working it into the broken nibs. Make sure you wet well the area before applying the wet mix. This usually works quite well for small areas.

Cic.

[John]

Sounds good - or rather what I was hoping to hear. I don't like the idea of adding a layer of plasterboard as the sagged bit will stress the plasterboard (won't it?)

[Cicero]

=============================== The other posters mean plasterboarding the *whole* ceiling. This is a standard treatment for a sick lath and plaster ceiling and is a very satisfactory solution. It won't be stressed by the old ceiling.

You may have to do this if my suggested repair method doesn't cure your problem. If this becomes necessary you'll be grateful that you don't have to remove the old stuff which is about as messy a job as you can get.

Cic.

[Andrew Mawson]

time - or

thoroughly

As a temporary fix some years ago, I jacked a sheet of 3/4" plywood against my kitchen lath & plaster ceiling, and poured liquid plaster onto it from the raised floorboards above. When set I took down the acro props and it was as solid as a rock. A year later when the ceiling was taken down as part of a re-furb, it was the hardest part to come down !

AWEM

[Stuart B]

Put strapping across the joists ( screwed or nailed through the L+P ceiling) .Then screw the new plasterboard to the straps. Job done . If you take down the L+P you will regret starting that .

[George]

To each their own perversion. ;-)

[Andrew Mawson]

message

It's all in you mind you dirty b****r

AWEM

[The Natural Philosopher]

Yes, plaster of paris will set fast and is as solid as a rock..and bonding plaster is close and can be runny and still set too.

[Chris Hogg]

You mean that there is a way, i.e. not all messages posted via google groups are automatically double spaced, then quadruple on the copy etc.? Do tell how (there are some posters on other groups that I follow who could do with some advice on the subject!).

[mark.bluemel]

I just try to remember to a) snip unnecessary content and b) edit the message to remove the excess new lines.

[meow2222]

Press reply, ctrl x the content into a text editor (notepad barely qualifies, if you're on windows try win32pad), select a blank line and control H alt a to lose the blank lines. Future times there's no need to select the line.

NT

[Martin Bonner]

The double spaced lines are presented to a responder. They then have to go through and delete every unwanted line, and fold lines to to reasonable limit.

It's not difficult, but it is extremely tedious (which is why I usually snip quite aggressively!)