Cracked ceiling

magpies79

So I have a crack in my ceiling from me and my foot going into the loft for the last 20 years.

My brother has started a plastering job and has done a few ceiling and walls and reckons he can plaster the ceiling as it’s the last one that needs doing in my house that has that horrible drip effect.

But do I need to replace the section with a new bit and it’s cracked right through 

FreeBear

The pattern of cracks suggests a lath & lime plaster ceiling.

Yes, you could skim over the top, using scrim tape on the cracks. But you are relying on the artex is be fully bonded to the original plaster. Have seen plaster falling down after skimming an artex ceiling....

One of two alternatives - Use something like X-Tex to strip the artex off (not particularly cheap, and also messy). Alternatively, take the whole ceiling down, reboard, and then skim (very messy, expensive, and a lot more work).

The third option is to overboard, but it is a crap shoot getting the screws to go in to solid timber (and you do need to use screws, not nails).

Most of my ceilings have (had) cracks in them. As I redecorate each room, they are coming down and being reboarded & skimmed. It is very, very messy work, but gives me opportunity to fix wiring/plumbing and boost insulation levels where required. Also gets rid of any nasty artex in the process.

magpies79

Appreciate the reply yeah that’s what we did in the kitchen and the porch way as both had artex ceilings and it’s gone on fine was done afew years ago and had no issues 

If like the other ceilings we went with plastering over could I just replace that section with the cracks and re plaster it 

grumpy_codger

FreeBear said:

The pattern of cracks suggests a lath & lime plaster ceiling.

The first  photo suggests plasterboard.

I think it's possible to add a piece of plywood in the loft on the top of the existing plasterboard  and screw the cracked area to the plywood (from the bottom) with a dozen of screws. In this case only cosmetic repairs will be needed with some filler.
Countersinking the plaster for the screws will help to avoid extra damage.

sheenas

The Artex will most likely come off if you attempt to paint it. If you don't want an artex finish you can normally scrap off by wetting it with a sponge. Fill and sand down before painting.

Rusty190

sheenas said:

The Artex will most likely come off if you attempt to paint it. If you don't want an artex finish you can normally scrap off by wetting it with a sponge. Fill and sand down before painting.

Doesn't some Artex contain asbestos?

FreeBear

Rusty190 said:

sheenas said:

The Artex will most likely come off if you attempt to paint it. If you don't want an artex finish you can normally scrap off by wetting it with a sponge. Fill and sand down before painting.

Doesn't some Artex contain asbestos?

Artex prior to 1999 often contained asbestos (most manufacturers started to phase out asbestos in 1983). The only way to know for sure is to get samples tested. Alternatively, assume the artex contains asbestos by default and treat accordingly.

One way to date the ceiling is to look for date codes on the plasterboard from inside the loft - If you find it dated after (say) 2000, the artex is likely to be asbestos free.