WITBWT cut a small hole in a ceiling for a new ceiling rose?

[Simon Marchese]

What is the best way to cut a small hole in a ceiling for a new ceiling rose? The ceiling in question is stripped but not redecorated and I can get to both above and below, although locating the correct place for the hole will be easier from below. The ceiling is badly(?) cracked from previous subsidence (though now underpinned). I thought of using a power drill to initiate the hole but then how to make it that little bit bigger than the drill bits I have to fit the cable?

Many thanks for all ideas!

[Ric]

What is the ceiling made of? If it is plasterboard then you will be easily able to make the hole and widen it with a screwdriver or the likes - it is very easy to get through.

[chris French]

In message , Simon Marchese writes

I assume you mean for the cables to get to the rose mounted on the surface?

What material is the ceiling plasterboard or lathe and plaster?

If plasterboard and you don't have a suitable sized bit, then just drill few holes and join them together using a Stanley knife. Our you widen a hole just by working the side of the drill around in the plasterboard.

You don't need a masonry drill, I have a few old cheap HSS bits I use for plasterboard holes and I guess the PB isn't good for nice sharp drills

For lathe and plaster, you really need to cur a slot between the lathes. Locate lathe with small hole/small screwdriver, then drill as above with old drill (you can usually poke a hole with an old screwdriver in the plaster layer in fact, but more risk of damaging celing )

[Dave Liquorice]

Is this a lath and plaster ceiling or plasterboard? The latter can be pentrated with nothing more than a big screw driver but for neatness of hole a 25mm flat woodbit(*) will make a better job and be big enough for all the cables.

Lath and plaster needs a bit more care particulary if the ceiling is in poor condition. Think I'd drill(*) a hole big enough to take a junior hacksaw wood blade and then saw out a suitable sized peice.

You are lucky that you have access above to fit a noggin between the joists adjacent to or above the hole (with a hole through the noggin for the cables). This is to fix the rose/fitting into rather than let it hang on the ceiling material alone.

(*) Not using ones best drills of course, plaster takes the edge off very quickly. I keep some old drills for this sort of thing.

[Ric]

I wouldn't recommend cutting through any of the actual lathes - there should easily be enough space between them to chip out some plaster and fit the cables through.

[Set Square]

This applies both to drill *bit* and *machine*! Plaster dust falling into the ventillation slots of an upward facing drill doesn't do it a lot of good!

[Dave Liquorice]

Plasterboard and stanley knives? Not recomended in this camp, 12 stiches later...

Much safer, if a bit more messy and a bit of a bodge...

[Ric]

There really is no need for it to be neat as a ceiling rose is going to be covering it anyway.

[Alec Powell]

On Tue, 28 Sep 2004, Set Square, gave forth these words of wisdom:

I've always drilled through the bottom of a plastic cup using it as a dust catcher so to speak. Served me well for as many years as I care to remember :-) ^ \ I / \ I / < CUP \ I / \ I / \----I-----/ I < BIT

Cheers, Alec Powell

Alec and Valerie Powell Watlington Oxon. UK

Alternative email address: mailto: [e-mail]

Web Pages:

[Anna Kettle]

Ahem. Call me fussy, but a lathe is a tool for turning wood, metal etc

The strips of wood in a ceiling are called laths which is written and pronounced completely differently

Anna

~~ Anna Kettle, Suffolk, England |""""| ~ Lime plaster repairs / ^^ \ // Freehand modelling in lime: overmantels, pargeting etc |____|

01359 230642

[Ric]

I do beleive that you can spell it either way - you can google either and get a large amount of relevant pages back anyway - although I appreciate this proves nothing!

[Owain]

"Dave Liquorice" wrote | chris French wrote: | > If plasterboard and you don't have a suitable sized bit, | > then just drill few holes and join them together using | > a Stanley knife. | Plasterboard and stanley knives? Not recomended in this camp, | 12 stiches later...

12 stitches from a stanley knife? Good night out in Glasgow.

| > Our you widen a hole just by working the side of the drill | > around in the plasterboard. | Much safer, if a bit more messy and a bit of a bodge...

Potato peeler works well (the sort with a V-shaped poke with a cutter on each lip).

Owain

[chris French]

Not in my parts of the world.

The turny thing- pronounced layth

Wood strip - pronounced larth.

Is it?

[chris French]

In message , Anna Kettle writes

I thought about that as wrote my post , but CNBA to edit it :-)

[Simon Marchese]

Yes. Sorry not to be clear.

How would I tell the difference between the two?

Many thanks!

[Jan Wysocki]

Ahem, call me a fussy old ex-wood turner from Suffolk, but I believe that though laths and lathes are spelled differently. they were both pronounced 'lathe'.

While I'm being pedantic, let's also note that the tackle in a 'block and tackle' is of course pronounced 'take all'.

OBd-i-y: always poke UP between the lathes as those hairs aren't very strong:-)

[chris French]

How old is the house? Pre-WW2 almost certainly L&P.

Lift floor board - you will see the laths (strips of wood) with he plaster squeezing between them (no conclusive - many of my L&P cekling have PB over them now.

From below, dig away at the plaster with a screwdriver etc., underneath the plaster skim (if applied) the plasterboard will have a paper layer, if L&P you will just go through plaster until you find a gap or a lath.

[Anna Kettle]

Ahh one of them. Right. Silly lot them Suffolks

I won't pronounce on blocks and tackles or lathes but lath is pronounced lath

Anna ~~ Anna Kettle, Suffolk, England |""""| ~ Lime plaster repairs / ^^ \ // Freehand modelling in lime: overmantels, pargeting etc |____|

01359 230642

[chris French]

In message , Anna Kettle writes

And pronunciation is the same across the UK?

If you are a sarf lundun boy like me, it's larth :-)

[Anna Kettle]

OK maybe its larth south of Watford gap, but now you're a Leedsite you have to learn to call it lath. And its no good moving to Huntingdon, they call it lath there too

Anna ~~ Anna Kettle, Suffolk, England |""""| ~ Lime plaster repairs / ^^ \ // Freehand modelling in lime: overmantels, pargeting etc |____|

01359 230642