repairing a kitchen ceiling (plasterboard) some help please

[stringman]

Hi guys
long story short. we have a house that we are selling. The kitchen has had a leak above it for several months and a section of the ceiling has come down (I have cut down 1.5m across 2 joists) the estate agents said only to make the kitchen less like a building site as whoever buys the house will rip it out anyway (either that or spend £000's on a new one) so all I want to do is repair the damage as cheaply as possible.

My guess is the original ceiling is plasterboard with artex on it. but when I was taking the damaged pieces down I could peel off the "artex" so I was wondering (hoping?) that it was paper but I doubt it.
Even if it was artex is it too much of a bodge to peel off the "artex layer", fit a new section in the hole, tape the join and then paper over with woodchip so it looks even.

Or would I be better off taking down the whole ceiling and staring afresh?

the problem is I have never done plasterboarding before but money is tight so I cant really afford to get someone in to do it.

any advice is appreciated.

Thanks

 

[Curquhart83]

An alternative to taking the ceiling down would be to leave the existing ceiling and 'brander' over the top of it. At 90 degrees to the ceiling joists use 2x1" straps at 600 centres to brander the ceiling ready for re sheeting, the materials for this are inexpensive and a monkey could do it

 

[JohnD]

A pro plasterer can board and skim a ceiling very quickly, it would cost some hundreds of pounds, but not thousands, and will be a nicer job. You can pull down the old ceiling yourself to save money. Ask around friends and neighbours for a recommendation.

Don't use internet recommendation websites, or adverts with a mobile phone no but no address or company name.

 

[stringman]

thanks for the replies.
Its worth thinking about but money really is tight and we have to look at everything with a view of how much we spend to what it will put on the value on the house.

Whilst I do appreciate that it may well be easier to get a pro in to board and skim (and it will look far far nicer) is it at all viable to pull off the artex and then tape and paper over the existing board or do you think it will look so horrendous that it will be counterproductive?

 

[JohnD]

if your time is worthless, and you want a bodge job that looks horrible, do it yourself.

 

[bourbon]

bit harsh johnD but in essence I'm in agreement. I had the same problem. I put an inner frame inside the hole, nailed some plasterboard on it, THEN called a plasterer who skimmed the whole ceiling, including the artex. made a lovely smooth job which I then painted.

 

[stringman]

Guys
I do appreciate the replies, whilst I agree that it may not look nice in the sense of you wouldn't want in your kitchen (nor me mine) the kitchen will certainly be stripped out by its new owners.
to put it in a fuller perspective I will give you the full picture of the kitchen.
obviously there is the big hole in the ceiling.
the walls are part tiled and then they are just bare plaster
the units are 20+years old with doors misaligned and some doors missing

so its a real state

the estate agent just said spend as little money as possible to make it look like a kitchen rather than a bomb site as the new owner will strip it all out and start again.

so yes a new skimmed ceiling will look lovely but it wont put any value on the house and will cost me a fir bit.

I know it goes against the ethos of the forum to essentially bodge things. And truth be told if you all said pulling off the artex will weaken the plasterboard and the wallpaper wnt stick to the board etc etc then I would re think. but I am just trying to think of ways of making it look ok for that house viewing, rather than if it was my home. if it were my home I would just save up until I could get it skimmed.

Thanks again for all your help

 

[ched999uk]

As someone who is looking for a house that requires a some work, I would say plasterboard it and tape/fill the joints, and paint to match ceiling and leave it at that.
This of course provided you have fixed the problem that caused the damage.
My reasoning for a repair is that it looks so much better than a hole in the ceiling. Without a complete skim or reboard it will not look perfect so why not just stop it sticking out like a sore thumb?
As for woodchip dont please dont. It is a g1t to remove and looks bad.

As for the bare plaster and cupboard doors I would say make them look the best you can for as little as you can but don't bodge. i.e. maybe paint the new plaster and straighten the doors. While your prospective buyers will want to replace the kitchen you want the house to look able to be 'lived' in while they get a kitchen organised.

Good Luck