second layer of plasterboard on lath&plaster ceiling

[Anna Kettle]

I've just arrived in this thread full of horror stories about how horrible a job is pulling down a ceiling which has started to sag

Im happy to say that I dont have to do that very often though I did recently work on a ceiling which had about 5 sqm of saggy bits

We fixed the ceiling by screws and penny washers into the joints so that is another method to successfully repair the ceiling and it sounds like a much pleasanter one to me. Prop the ceiling before you begin

Anna

-- ~~ Anna Kettle, Suffolk, England |""""| ~ Plaster conservation, freehand modelling in lime / ^^ \ // Overmantels, pargeting etc |____|

01359 230642

[Mark S.]

Buy one of the medium masks from Screwfix, not the crap paper ones or the respirator the middle one, along with eye protection of your choice, I hate goggles so use glasses or a full face mask.

Mark S.

[Stephen Fasham]

Fundamentally the plaster dust is not toxic or even particularly irritant (although irritating) so unless you're asthmatic then a respirator is definitely overkill. If there is any external access to the room then as I recall from doing kitchen ceilings (amongst others), the best thing to do is get most of the plaster down quickly (claw hammer is as good as anything else) and then get out and leave it for a while to settle before coming back in to finish off in a slightly less frenetic manner. If you have exposed floorboards above you might want to tape them up, particularly if they are straight cut boards.

Go on enjoy it!

Fash

[Andrew Mawson]

A water spray makes a huge difference - one of those pull the trigger gardeneing jobs - spray upwards and as the droplets descend they bring the dust with them

Andrew Mawson

[N. Thornton]

Yeah, if the plaster hasnt lost all strength I'd want to put a sheet of chip against the ceiling and push it all back up with props. Then pour diluted PVA either side of the beams and leave it a few days to set. Generally just a skim is needed. Its so much less of a mess than pulling the old one down. Ive done the pull it down method, and omg what a state everything was in afterwards. Nothing survived.

Regards, NT

[David W.E. Roberts]

This strategy requires access to the under-floor area above.

Having laid glued laminate in the room above, I am not keen to rip it all out to glue the ceiling back up.

Fortunately the ceiling paper was very strong and the plaster came off in manageable chunks. Not a pleasant job, but not as bad as expected as the majority of the plaster was no longer connected to the laths.

Cheers Dave R

[-= debully =-]

ROFLMAO!!!

[Z]

In article , Sean Delere writes

Clearing out and digging out under the floor in properties with low clearances has got to be the worst.

Demolition is quite a lot of fun. For PPE wear a hard hat, visor, coveralls gloves, safety footwear with sole shields as it's very probable one will stand on a nail in all the dust and particle mask under visor. Remember PPE is always the last resort in H&S hierarchy.

If you can easily get the floorboards up above knock it down from above. Spray water from above and from below to reduce dust and effort. It might come down itself when wet. Use a 4by2 or 8by4 batten and a couple of small whacks will take the whole lot down easily. This is what we do in burn outs (though the fire services help with the soaking.

If you have ARTEX applied before 1985 it will contain asbestos.

Also while you have the ceiling down it's a good chance to put in any wiring you need.

I would recommend when you do sheet the ceiling to use a plasterboard with good heat and acoustic insulation properties. Install deafening as well. See Sheffield Insulations website for details. Speak with the plasterboard wholesalers and/or planning authorities on how long a fire barrier the ceiling should be rated at.