What to do with our ceilings...???

lyndasharp

We have 3 decent size bedrooms upstairs. All are in need of major redecorating. We've had electricians sorting out all the sockets etc, and their opinion is that they are the original lath and plaster ceilings (dating from 1940ish).

They have been covered in many layers of embossed wallpaper, which is peeling badly (not damp, I think it's just so old the glue has given up). In the master bedroom it's peeling much less, but I can see lines of cracks running under the paper, and it looks pretty uneven.

I'd appreciate some opinions on whether we risk trying to get the wallpaper off, and then get them repaired / replastered if (when?) it all falls down, or should we just get someone in to board over the ceilings and plaster that?

We are aiming for a pretty high standard of finish, if that makes a difference, and while cheap is good, we're planning to stay for many years so we would like have ideas for the best solution, not necessarily the cheapest.... Though if you can suggest what sort of prices we might be looking at that would be useful?

bradleigh1977

If there is no problem with mess etc..I would rip them down, insulate them, ( then you can sort wiring out and put spotlights etc in ) Then re board and plaster. If not then just board straight over them and plaster.

phill99

Removing a lathe and plaster ceiling makes the mess from hell.

Its easier, cheaper and quicker to overboard the whole lot with new plasterboard and then get it skimmed over.

wishuponastar

Hi,

I had the lath and plaster ceiling in the lounge and one day a crack appeared and it got bigger over a few months and then came down!! it was the most mess i have ever seen...dust was everywhere. What made it worse was that there was furniture in the room too and lots of ornaments. If you can move the furniture out of the room to another room and put covers down it should be more of a controlled mess.

I would def advise to get rid of them completely and get them done with the boards....the weight of the plaster that came down was a ton and if boards were up then it may be pretty heavy and burst thro the boards im guessing here tho.

If you are doing it up to live in it long term then i would advise knowing the experience i have had of it coming down to just get rid of it and get it re done with boards.

Also...do you have cornicing? as when part of my ceiling came down that was what made it expensive to redo as only part of that came down and had to be redone using moulds etc but glad i got it done now.

Price would depend on local area and size of room plus or minus cornicing....

Hope that helps

bradleigh1977

Its not really cheaper? If your paying to have it boarded over, the joist have to be found etc. So maybe it be a days labour to rip it down? Yes there is a mess, but if its done properly, then it can be tamed....If its done carefully, and doors are taped up, then its contained. I do this probably 5 times a month. So as said above, if your staying there forever, rip it all out.

lyndasharp

Thanks all, we'll have a go at getting them down once we've finished stripping all the paper off the walls. We don't have cornicing or anything too complicated, but they do all have one or two edges at a diagonal because of the room shape. We have very tight fitting doors so I think that could be a good thing when it comes to keeping dust under control!