uneven, cracked ceiling!

[dc110770]

Hi all,

Just moved into a house which has wallpapered textured ceilings.

Stripped the wallpaper off one of the bedroom ceilings and its all over the place. Its sagging in places and uneven.

The main question is will a skim even it out (make it level) or will I need to have it reboarded?

My main concern is that my 25ft lounge ceiling is also papered and is starting to show tears in the paper. I'm scared to strip the paper off to see whats underneath!

Also could I use a steamer to get the paper off the ceiling?

Thanks

 

[big-all]

heeelllooo and welcome dc110770


theres more off a chance that the bedroom ceilings will sag and crack as they arnt designed to take much more than the ceiling weight so the boxes stored up there and the person moving them can cause cracks to the ceiling and the boxes can cause joists to sag if theres more than xmass decorations up there

 

[dc110770]

Mmm, should I takle the board down and then reboard then?

I presume I can screw the board directly into the joists? do I need to leave a gap where it meets the wall?

Got a feeling this is going to cost a fortune!

 

[trowelmonkey1]

a skim coat is about 3mm thick so it will follow the general shape of the ceiling although it would make it smooth, so if there are large bows/sags in the ceiling that you want rid of then skimming is not an option.

you could consider over-boarding which can (if it's not too bad) pull the ceiling back into shape, you'll need 68mm screws for this and you'll have to find the end of each joist and mark a line so that you can screw into the joists.

you may well find it easier to pull the old ceiling down, this way you can see the joists but you will have to take into consideration the disposal of the old plasterboard as tips don't take much if any since April last year, i get a large cubic yard bag from a skip company for £55 for this type of scenario.

you'll want to fit the boards as close to the walls as possible by the way and small gaps of a mill or 2 between all board edges...oh and stagger the boards like brickwork so that you have no continuous joints, the joints must all be taped then before skimming.

 

[big-all]

the sagging could be caused by a dipping joist or loose plaster you need to find out which

is your loft boarded!!!

 

[wozza56]

Yes get it down and have a look , no point paying for it to be skimmed and then it comes down in a couple of months ,same goes with the lounge get the paper off and see whats up ,i have had ceilings that are only held up with the paper
and i would try and avoid using a steamer as they can cause more problems

 

[dc110770]

Thanks guys,

No the loft isn't boarded so I can see the joists. I am having a plasterer come round tonight to take a look.

Hopefully good news but I suspect not!

I presume setting up a frame to screw the borads into would at least ensure a level surface.

Will report back.

Thanks,

Dan

 

[dc110770]

Ok well I have been quoted:

bedroom 1 - skim
bedroom 2- Overboard and then skim
bedroom 3- Overboard and then skim

2 days worth of work £360 including materials.

Is this a good price?

 

[doogle2009]

i always run batons ontop of the ceiling, oposite way to the joists and fix them so theres a baton on each join of the boards. pulls the boards up tight, nice n level and stops the boards from curving etc n following the pattern of the existing ceiling. This makes it easy for fixing the boards and saves alot of mess by not pulling down a ceiling. using 65mm screws for the batons into joists