Lath and plaster ceiling repair. Advice needed please.

Hi, as you can see we had a mishap in our bathroom. My DIY skills aren't the best so would you suggest asking a plasterer to repair the hole or completely cover the entire ceiling with plasterboard as there are a few cracks here and there.
The overall size of the bathroom is 3m x 2.2m, what do you think the costs could be?


By dave_y

I think that the root cause of the collapse was the lack of extraction in the bathroom which we will address when we can afford to completely redecorate the room.

Thanks.

Some mess there Dave. First of all, an extractor fan in a bathroom is essential, but there is no way that the lack of one would bring the ceiling down like that,you can see it was ready to go whatever room it was in.That would be put down to wear and tear, or maybe a foot on it from above in the past might have loosened it, (if the bathroom is upstairs)..... I think by the time you cut back the old plaster to a level plain, half the ceiling or more would be gone, and if there are other cracks here and there, is it really worth saving? I'm a great believer in keeping things original, and on a bigger ceiling, you bet I would keep it, but if it was me, on a small ceiling like that, with other cracks in it as well,I'd rip it all down and sheet it with 12mm p/board. Skim it or tape it, give it a couple of coats of good quality paint , fit a nice moulded beading around the ceiling line if possible and that's it. Insurance would probably cover any damage caused to the b/room suite etc, but on similar jobs that I get, the cause of the damage is not covered if the plaster just drops, it's classed as wear and tear, unless it's caused say by a leaking pipe etc, but you never know, give your insurers a try. By the way,I hope you cleaned the bath before it happened...... No, it's not funny when things like this happen. How much to repair? Ask locally is always your best bet.

Roughcaster.

Thanks for the quick reply roughcaster.

We've lived in the house for about 18 months and there has always been a crack in this area although in the last 3 weeks it has got a lot worse. I suppose that someone could have put a foot on it at some point although the loft above is very shallow and the latch is only about 1m away from where the crack is.

I agree that the whole thing will have to come down, it's just a question of whether it's something that I could possibly do myself.

Hi again Dave,
Unless you've done it already, making safe the ceiling would be the top priority. Put a couple of bits of ply over the bath to protect it, remove the shower handset and cover the shower unit, and carefully remove the old plaster by breaking it into managable pieces, and if possible lower them down rather than just letting them fall. Cutting into it with a hand saw helps too. I would take the wooden lath away as well, making sure you remove all the old nails,give the joists a check and a brush over, and your ready for plasterboard, maybe even some insulation above. You might have to put in the odd noggin here and there to catch the sheet, but that's all. I'm sure you would know a carpenter who could give you a hand. After that, it's skim or tape the ceiling, decorate, fit extractor/lights, and the jobs done.

Roughcaster.