Replace ceiling?

kayen

Hi there, hoping to get some advice about building survey which reported

Ceilings are of the original lath and plaster, or replacement plasterboard. The ceilings to the reception room are covered with expanded polystyrene tiles, which could be a fire hazard and should be removed. These may obscure the poor condition of the ceiling above.       There is an original lath and plaster ceiling to the entrance hall. Over the years the plaster tends to lose adhesion to the timber lathes with subsequent cracking and bulging, and the ceilings should be monitored closely and if further cracking occurs replacement in  plasterboard with skim finish will be required.

If I am reading this right is it just the ceiling in the reception room that needs to be removed/replaced?

Any idea of £ballpark to remove polystyrene tiles/ install replacement ceiling?  room is approx. 7.3m x 3.6m 

What kind of materials are ceilings made of? 
Surveyor didn't mention anything wrong with entrance hall ceilings so if it just need to 'keep an eye on' plaster ceiling in hallway generally for any cracking in future??

Thanks

Robin9

Certainly get rid of the polystyrene and be prepared to renew the lath and plaster - that's not a job for the normal builder.

Is your building listed ?

Davesnave

Robin9 said:

Certainly get rid of the polystyrene and be prepared to renew the lath and plaster - that's not a job for the normal builder.

Why not? I'm not a normal builder; in fact I'm no sort of builder at all, but I've done it. I admit I've never skimmed a ceiling, but it's not very hard to get a plasterboard ceiling in for someone who can, provided one has help supporting the sheets.

Of course if it's an old, listed property or one with ornate coving, that's different, but there are many thousands of Victorian/Edwardian houses that aren't.

FreeBear

A lath & plaster ceiling is made up of wooden strips (the laths) nailed to the ceiling joists. A thick layer of lime, sand, and animal hair is then applied with enough pressure to force the mix through the laths forming nibs on the other side. A second layer of lime, sand, & hair is then applied before a finishing coat - The last layer is again lime, but using finer sand, chalk, or even marble flour. No one does lath & plaster anymore except when renovating or repairing (typically) listed buildings as it is labour intensive and expensive work.

Over time, the nails securing the laths rust, the plaster cracks, and in extreme cases, falls down - Removing the plaster, wood strips, and nails and then putting up plasterboard is the quickest and easiest way of effecting a long term repair. Taking down a lath & plaster ceiling is extremely messy and dusty work, but unlike plasterboard & gypsum plaster, the waste material is eminently recyclable.

26m² of ceiling would probably cost £600-£800 depending on area (London rates will be higher). If you don't mind getting your hands dirty, it is something that you could do yourself - Get a decent dust mask and disposable overalls though. Make sure you remove all the nails, and use screws to fix the plasterboard. Then get a plasterer in to skim the ceiling.

macman

And clear the room entirely and seal it. 

Mickey666

Apart from polystyrene tiles being ugly as sin there’s no immediate need to remove them.  The survey report is just covering the bases.  Yes, lath and plaster ceilings (and walls) can ‘fail’ - typically when the nails holding the laths rust through as Freebear described, but it’s not guaranteed and the surveyor is basically just saying that it’s a possibility.  Even with laths do become detached it is often possible to refit them using ‘penny washers’ and suitable screws and then doing a patch repair.  

My house is full of lath and (lime) plaster and I’ve not had to replace large sections of it.  In fact, I once had a water leak that resulted in the ceiling becoming so wet that the ceiling paper literally fell off - yet the lime plaster remained intact and dried out without any damage.  Ten years on it’s still in place and in good condition.  A modern plasterboard ceiling would have been destroyed and needing total replacement - so don’t be scared off by surveyors reports or builders who don’t understand older buildings.

AdrianC

To remove polystyrene tiles? Half a day with a stepladder and a scraper...

Then see what the ceiling behind is like. I've removed them and found the ceiling perfectly good and just needing a bit of cleaning then a coat of paint.

Jeepers_Creepers

As everyone says above. 

By the time the poly tiles are removed, you'll know what state the ceiling is in - whether the plaster is in poor condition or becoming detached from the lathe. It could well be quite solid and secure, in which case a plasterer should be able to 'Blue-Grit' it and skim over, making it look like new. 

All the surveyor's remarks are him hedging his bets; "It could be failing...", it could be this and that...".

Of course, it could be. So proceed on worst-case scenario, and keep your fingers crossed :-)

Robin9

@Davesnave I was thinking of the lime aspect -  and painters who followed up a job with standard Dulux.

Jeepers_Creepers

If the ceiling needs replacing, it would be by taking down all the lathe and redoing with p'board and skim as normal - an everyday job for a 'wet' builder. Only a loon would remove only the plaster and redo it with lime and horsehair... :-)

kayen

thanks everyone   The property isn't listed,  just a standard mid terrace house.

I'll leave the lath and plaster ceiling in entrance hall and wait see if anything happens in time!

AdrianC said:

To remove polystyrene tiles? Half a day with a stepladder and a scraper...
Then see what the ceiling behind is like. I've removed them and found the ceiling perfectly good and just needing a bit of cleaning then a coat of paint.

Jeepers_Creepers said:

By the time the poly tiles are removed, you'll know what state the ceiling is in - whether the plaster is in poor condition or becoming detached from the lathe. It could well be quite solid and secure, in which case a plasterer should be able to 'Blue-Grit' it and skim over, making it look like new.

So is it common for the previous ceiling/s to be covered by poly tiles?  

And from what you're saying there's a possibility that after removing the poly tiles, the ceiling underneath may be ok and just need some paint and/or skim...?

I'm not a DIY-er (yet!)  so will need to get someone in to do the work!