Ceilings are the thing people put up with for years. A crack gets filled and comes back, a corner starts to bow, a patch appears after a leak upstairs and never quite goes. None of it is urgent until a piece comes down, and by then the job is bigger than it needed to be.
What is actually wrong decides everything about the cost, and it is not always visible from the floor. A hairline crack in a modern boarded ceiling is a filling job. The same crack in an original lath and plaster ceiling can mean the nibs above the laths have let go and the ceiling is being held up by its own friction.
Working out what you have got
A ceiling in a house built after about 1950 is almost certainly plasterboard on joists, and it behaves predictably: cracks follow the board joints, sagging means the fixings have pulled, and both are straightforward. Anything Victorian or Edwardian that has not been replaced is lath and plaster, which is a different animal.
Lath and plaster works by the wet plaster being pushed between riven timber laths and squeezing out above them into nibs that hook over the top. When those nibs break, the ceiling loses its grip on the laths and starts to come away as one sheet. Pressing gently up on it tells you a lot: movement means it has gone, however good it looks.
Where the ceiling is basically sound and the problem is local, it gets repaired rather than replaced. Cracks get raked out to sound edges rather than filled on the surface, because filler laid over a crack that is still moving reappears within a year. Loose areas are screwed back through to the joists with washered fixings, then the whole ceiling gets skimmed so there is no patch to see.
That is the cheap answer and it is often the right one. It is not the right one on a ceiling that moves when you push it, and saying so costs a job now and saves an argument later.
Overboarding means fixing new plasterboard through the old ceiling into the joists above, then skimming that. It avoids the mess of taking a ceiling down, which on a lath ceiling is considerable, and it is quicker and cheaper than a full replacement.
It works where the old ceiling is tired but not moving, and the joists are sound enough to take the weight of both. It does drop the ceiling by the thickness of the board, which matters in a room that is already low, and the board goes up to the cornice rather than through it so the original run is kept. Downlights and roses come down and go back rather than being boarded around.
Taking a lath ceiling down is the dirtiest job in plastering. A hundred years of soot and dust sits on top of it and all of it comes into the room. The room gets emptied or everything in it sheeted and taped, the doorway is sealed, and the debris goes straight into bags rather than being swept up afterwards.
Then it is boarded, scrimmed and skimmed, and any cornice worth keeping is worked back into. It is a two to three day job on a normal room and you do not want to be using that room while it happens. When it is the right answer, it is worth doing once, because the alternative is repairing the same ceiling every couple of years.
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“Frank and Steve did a fantastic job on my hallway! Really professional team and their work is seamless. I was really impressed, and they even fixed my skirting board and put it back on for me, a very appreciated extra! Would highly recommend.”
“They did a great job. I had an awkward hallway area and a large ceiling to skim. I thought they'd finished earlier in the day as it looked great to me then, but they went over the whole area to make sure that the finish was perfect.”
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“Frank completed a wall for me that needed plastering, he was on time, very polite and nothing seemed an issue. ... Although only a small job, kept my house tidy, even outside the house, cleaned up after he finished and done a perfect job, highly recommended from myself.”
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“I don't often leave reviews, but Frank was so helpful and pleasant to work with that he deserves 5 stars. Very responsive and professional. He did a great job and left our place clean and tidy. Thanks again Frank!”
“Frank very kindly stopped by to plaster a chipped wall. Perfectly done and really helpful and kind guy. 100% calling if I ever need any more plastering done!”
“Although we didn't require any work, Frank was extremely helpful and knowledgable on his visit to inspect our issue. He was prompt and on time and responded quickly.”
“Very, very happy with Franks work finishing off kitchen walls after having been let down by a builder. It was a tricky job as the granite worktops ect had already been installed but I couldn't be happier with the result.”
“Really happy with the work. Great finish and very professional. Turned up on time, kept things tidy, and did a top-quality job. Would definitely recommend.”
“very pleasant experience in communication and the level of service provided. tradesman was very polite. He came around for a diagnosis before outlining the job in details with cost and what needs doing.”
“Just had Scott round, Arrived on time started straight away and just got on with the job. Pleasant at all times clean & tidy worker will definitely use again. Work looks good and he stuck to his price. Thanks Scott was was good to meet you.”
“Very professional, was very clear on what exactly will be done. Agreed a price and kept me update all the way through. Happy with the work completed and after care as well. Very helpful and highly recommended.”
“Scott called me before booking a date to come and do work. He reasured me about somethings i was worried about. He come in time he said he would and helped me with another job as well. Very helpful and happy with service”
“Great job by Scott plastering the small room, he managed to sort out the uneven ceiling and walls. Will be using Scott again to sort out a couple of other rooms.”
Ceiling repair and replacement: frequently asked questions
Can the crack just be filled?
If it is a settlement crack in a sound boarded ceiling, often yes, raked out properly and then skimmed rather than surface filled. If it is moving, filling it is a job you do again next year.
How do I know if it is lath and plaster?
Age is the first clue: anything Victorian or Edwardian that has not been replaced. Pushing gently up on it is the second. A boarded ceiling is solid under your hand and a failing lath ceiling gives.
Overboard or take it down?
Overboard if the old ceiling is tired but not moving and the room can afford the loss of height. Take it down if it is moving, if the joists need getting at, or if you want the height back.
How messy is taking one down?
Very. A century of dust sits on top of a lath ceiling and it all comes into the room. The room gets cleared or sheeted and taped and the doorway sealed before anything comes down, and the waste is bagged as it goes.
