Council house ceiling help needed please

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BeLucky83

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Hi all. We live in a council property, and they should fix this ceiling, in the tenants handbook, it says they’re responsible for plaster work. there was scaffolding outside which caused a lot of water damage from gutters etc. The wallpaper lifted off. I had to strip the wood chip paper off the ceiling too. We waited a year for them to put some wallpaper back, we brought our own dehumidifier.

we want to move things along with the ceiling, so made enquiries to pay private. One guy said £200-£250 for pva coating and resKim. He said that would save time on treating ceiling for the water marks.
another guy has quoted £550, for sealant and setting mesh. He didn’t mention a reskim.

My Dad is a carpenter. He usually poly fills cracks in the ceiling and sands them down, but he takes ages, and we wanted to get this done quick. He will also screw the ceilings up.

ive tried Googling. I can see this wire tape, which I don’t think my Dad has used before. he Is quite set in his ways, so if I’m going to suggest something, I want to be sure it’s right. I know he’s right screwing the ceilings. But he will take weeks with the poly fills and it’s messy.

so basically, what I’m asking is this : as experienced plasterers,
79B6CFD4-CCAA-4AF7-ADEC-7E763D00B7BB.jpeg
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what do you think needs to be done? We cant afford to pay £550. But I’m wondering whether to put mesh over the cracks and pay for a reskim? Does the cracks need to be filled before and after mesh?

I know everyone mentions money, but we could be moved out of this property, it being council, so there’s no point spending half a grand on it. And what we can do, we will. Just need direction and good advice please.
 
Fill any cracks and dents then put up wallpaper/lining paper and paint. It’ll look decent, less messy, you can DIY and much cheaper.
Thanks for replying. do You think as it stands, this is a big job? Do you think £550 is fair?
my Mum really couldn’t wait to get rid of the wallpaper on the ceiling, it made the room feel very enclosed, but that was wood chip too, so maybe lining paper would be an idea. would I need to use stain blocking paint on the ceiling If I wallpaperEd (those stains weren’t on the wood chip)
 
Again, thanks for replying. That’s a great suggestion too.
as your father is a carpenter get him to overboard the ceiling. breaking the joints not straight joint as the original boarding. tape joint the boards and decorate.
Again, thanks for a great suggestion. It’s great to get a fresh pair of eyes on this.
 
Thanks for replying. do You think as it stands, this is a big job? Do you think £550 is fair?
my Mum really couldn’t wait to get rid of the wallpaper on the ceiling, it made the room feel very enclosed, but that was wood chip too, so maybe lining paper would be an idea. would I need to use stain blocking paint on the ceiling If I wallpaperEd (those stains weren’t on the wood chip)

Can’t always tell from a photo, but it looks like a candidate for over boarding before skimming, so a more expensive job.

If money is tight, then some decent lining paper put up well is a good compromise. Once it’s done and painted you’ll stop thinking about it.
 
Can’t always tell from a photo, but it looks like a candidate for over boarding before skimming, so a more expensive job.

If money is tight, then some decent lining paper put up well is a good compromise. Once it’s done and painted you’ll stop thinking about it.
You’ve been very helpful, thank you.
 
Dosnt need a full mesh on that,ideally over boarded but just scrim the joints with fibre tape then overskim.should cost anywhere between £300-£380.your not Glasgow way are you? There's a sweaty on here that would do that for £140
 
Dosnt need a full mesh on that,ideally over boarded but just scrim the joints with fibre tape then overskim.should cost anywhere between £300-£380.your not Glasgow way are you? There's a sweaty on here that would do that for £140
Relentless lol
 
Dosnt need a full mesh on that,ideally over boarded but just scrim the joints with fibre tape then overskim.should cost anywhere between £300-£380.your not Glasgow way are you? There's a sweaty on here that would do that for £140
Afraid not, we’re in London. I’m googling the hell out of overboards before I suggest it to him. Hopefully he can do that, otherwise wallpaper. Everyone has been so helpful here. Appreciate it.
 
Hi all. We live in a council property, and they should fix this ceiling, in the tenants handbook, it says they’re responsible for plaster work. there was scaffolding outside which caused a lot of water damage from gutters etc. The wallpaper lifted off. I had to strip the wood chip paper off the ceiling too. We waited a year for them to put some wallpaper back, we brought our own dehumidifier.

we want to move things along with the ceiling, so made enquiries to pay private. One guy said £200-£250 for pva coating and resKim. He said that would save time on treating ceiling for the water marks.
another guy has quoted £550, for sealant and setting mesh. He didn’t mention a reskim.

My Dad is a carpenter. He usually poly fills cracks in the ceiling and sands them down, but he takes ages, and we wanted to get this done quick. He will also screw the ceilings up.

ive tried Googling. I can see this wire tape, which I don’t think my Dad has used before. he Is quite set in his ways, so if I’m going to suggest something, I want to be sure it’s right. I know he’s right screwing the ceilings. But he will take weeks with the poly fills and it’s messy.

so basically, what I’m asking is this : as experienced plasterers, View attachment 53718View attachment 53719what do you think needs to be done? We cant afford to pay £550. But I’m wondering whether to put mesh over the cracks and pay for a reskim? Does the cracks need to be filled before and after mesh?

I know everyone mentions money, but we could be moved out of this property, it being council, so there’s no point spending half a grand on it. And what we can do, we will. Just need direction and good advice please.

what part of the country are you in mate
 
Afraid not, we’re in London. I’m googling the hell out of overboards before I suggest it to him. Hopefully he can do that, otherwise wallpaper. Everyone has been so helpful here. Appreciate it.
It just means plasterboard..that would cost £500-£600 mind.the guy who said he would mesh it then skim he's just having ur pants down.either board it or overskim it.its pretty simple
 
Afraid not, we’re in London. I’m googling the hell out of overboards before I suggest it to him. Hopefully he can do that, otherwise wallpaper. Everyone has been so helpful here. Appreciate it.

it does need to have an overboard as those water stains on the ceiling will bleed through the decoration.
 
It just means plasterboard..that would cost £500-£600 mind.the guy who said he would mesh it then skim he's just having ur pants down.either board it or overskim it.its pretty simple
It just means plasterboard..that would cost £500-£600 mind.the guy who said he would mesh it then skim he's just having ur pants down.either board it or overskim it.its pretty simple
So boards Or the £250 oversKim? we would pay £250 for an overskim if it would work. He didn’t mention screwing the boards, but we would. And add mesh tape too If needed.
 
it does need to have an overboard as those water stains on the ceiling will bleed through the decoration.
The stains in the middle of the ceiling: they were never on the wood chip paper. The most recent definte water stains are above the window in the corner. The room has been like that for a year and a half.

The joke is the council put scaffolding up to renew the pointing, and managed to cause all this damage. We tried to dry it out, and it looks fixed now. They've wallpapered it.

That’s the corner I’d be most worried about the stains coming through. It’s also a bit of a reason I might be apprehensive to board over: in case there are future problems. But I know, I’ve got to bite the bullet and do something.

the pics are different stages.
 

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it does need to have an overboard as those water stains on the ceiling will bleed through the decoration.
That happened to me recently. f**k**g stains came through an overskim.

Nothing a bit of stainblocker didn't catch though.
 
Anything other than overboard and plaster is a bodge on that. Looks a smallish ceiling. Maybe 4 sheets of board, so £35 materials for your dad to overboard it including screws. Then get someone in to plaster it which is probably going to cost you anywhere between £150-£250
 
Anything other than overboard and plaster is a bodge on that. Looks a smallish ceiling. Maybe 4 sheets of board, so £35 materials for your dad to overboard it including screws. Then get someone in to plaster it which is probably going to cost you anywhere between £150-£250
I think this is the plan. Thank you so much!
 
Everyone - I really can’t thank you all enough. you've All given great advice I really couldn’t have found anywhere else. the plan is overboards and plaster. when we get it done (hopefully my Dad is up for it), I will post a pic. You’ve been really brilliant.

kick his ass and give him a hand. It’s the better option if you’re serious.
 
Everyone - I really can’t thank you all enough. you've All given great advice I really couldn’t have found anywhere else. the plan is overboards and plaster. when we get it done (hopefully my Dad is up for it), I will post a pic. You’ve been really brilliant.
Cross batten to make the job easier and can level at the same time
 
Hello everyone!

I’ve been meaning to show you we did it! It was a bit of a big job for us really. We didn’t do it straightaway. Me and my Dad Put the boards up. They were really heavy. got dust in my eyes a lot. Wore goggles. He made a tree and I helped, but it was carpet on the floor made that job really difficult. Lots of traction. We used a magnet to find the bits in the ceiling (?) however, that looked fine as we were doing it. we used the chalk wire. Once we started hanging the boards, halfway across the ceiling, that didn’t work out. We did managed to get them securely up. I ended up hurting my toe trying to kick the bloody tree thing up! Still hurts
we had an issue with the light electrics in the ceiling. The rose thing was stuck fast. We had already started with ceiling before realising that. luckily, my uncle is an electrician. He came and hammered it carefully off. The attic is sealed off so we couldn’t get access there, but he managed to fix the new rose (my dad had to fill out that hole a bit) that was a stroke of luck, because I don’t think it’s legal to be messing around with the light fixtures- and our house is very old wiring. We was really worried that if something blew, how are we going to explain that to the council?
With the plastering, apparently my uncle is one! I should know that, but I have 12 uncles, so it’s forgivable hopefully. We completely emptied the room, covered all the walls and floor. He came down and did it within a day. We had ordered the goods online (thank goodness, so heavy) He had to use a ladder, which he said made it hard. (Just trying to give a heads up to any one considering doing this diy style).
Then, we left it a really long time for the plaster to dry. Mainly because it had been quite a difficult job so far (we was doing it at weekends, my dog had got ill, it was messy and winter...) that was good though, cause that room had always had really high humidity , and extra with all the plaster, plus it was quite rainy for weeks during. So anyway, by the time we painted (watered down first) then a few coats of paint, we was sure that the ceiling was the strongest it will be.
We painted the room, replaced the carpet with flooring. Got a new lampshade! Got a new mat! new bedsheets! De cluttered! Hoping to replace the blinds because they are old but they do look nice still. We got a lovely dulux colour called crushed aloe.

Wow. Thankyou all all so much for your advice. It looks soooo much better with a nice ceiling, and paint all freshened up. I am so glad we did it! if I had to do it again...for my Mum - yes, but I tell you, it was a bit of a nightmare. And once it’s started, it has to be finished. we Paid mates rates, but honestly, if anyone is reading this considering whether to do it, it certainly is worth it when you can sit back and enjoy it, but leave it to the professionals! i mean, we did with the plastering and electrics, and my dad being a carpenter, but even so, I was well enthusiastic to do it, researched it etc, but for us, it was a big job. Maybe aswell, they had to sleep in there, so every evening we are working in there we had to clean it up as it’s very dusty work. So there we have it.
 

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Hello everyone!

I’ve been meaning to show you we did it! It was a bit of a big job for us really. We didn’t do it straightaway. Me and my Dad Put the boards up. They were really heavy. got dust in my eyes a lot. Wore goggles. He made a tree and I helped, but it was carpet on the floor made that job really difficult. Lots of traction. We used a magnet to find the bits in the ceiling (?) however, that looked fine as we were doing it. we used the chalk wire. Once we started hanging the boards, halfway across the ceiling, that didn’t work out. We did managed to get them securely up. I ended up hurting my toe trying to kick the bloody tree thing up! Still hurts
we had an issue with the light electrics in the ceiling. The rose thing was stuck fast. We had already started with ceiling before realising that. luckily, my uncle is an electrician. He came and hammered it carefully off. The attic is sealed off so we couldn’t get access there, but he managed to fix the new rose (my dad had to fill out that hole a bit) that was a stroke of luck, because I don’t think it’s legal to be messing around with the light fixtures- and our house is very old wiring. We was really worried that if something blew, how are we going to explain that to the council?
With the plastering, apparently my uncle is one! I should know that, but I have 12 uncles, so it’s forgivable hopefully. We completely emptied the room, covered all the walls and floor. He came down and did it within a day. We had ordered the goods online (thank goodness, so heavy) He had to use a ladder, which he said made it hard. (Just trying to give a heads up to any one considering doing this diy style).
Then, we left it a really long time for the plaster to dry. Mainly because it had been quite a difficult job so far (we was doing it at weekends, my dog had got ill, it was messy and winter...) that was good though, cause that room had always had really high humidity , and extra with all the plaster, plus it was quite rainy for weeks during. So anyway, by the time we painted (watered down first) then a few coats of paint, we was sure that the ceiling was the strongest it will be.
We painted the room, replaced the carpet with flooring. Got a new lampshade! Got a new mat! new bedsheets! De cluttered! Hoping to replace the blinds because they are old but they do look nice still. We got a lovely dulux colour called crushed aloe.

Wow. Thankyou all all so much for your advice. It looks soooo much better with a nice ceiling, and paint all freshened up. I am so glad we did it! if I had to do it again...for my Mum - yes, but I tell you, it was a bit of a nightmare. And once it’s started, it has to be finished. we Paid mates rates, but honestly, if anyone is reading this considering whether to do it, it certainly is worth it when you can sit back and enjoy it, but leave it to the professionals! i mean, we did with the plastering and electrics, and my dad being a carpenter, but even so, I was well enthusiastic to do it, researched it etc, but for us, it was a big job. Maybe aswell, they had to sleep in there, so every evening we are working in there we had to clean it up as it’s very dusty work. So there we have it.
you forgot to tell us what ye had for brekkie this morning
 
Thanks for replying. do You think as it stands, this is a big job? Do you think £550 is fair?
my Mum really couldn’t wait to get rid of the wallpaper on the ceiling, it made the room feel very enclosed, but that was wood chip too, so maybe lining paper would be an idea. would I need to use stain blocking paint on the ceiling If I wallpaperEd (those stains weren’t on the wood chip)
£550 seems very expensive. I wouldn’t just overskim this ceiling as the cracks can still come through, even with scrim tape over cracks. If it was me I’d overboard and skim, I’d have that done in 2 days.
 
£550 seems very expensive. I wouldn’t just overskim this ceiling as the cracks can still come through, even with scrim tape over cracks. If it was me I’d overboard and skim, I’d have that done in 2 days.
What's the 2nd day for? Check it's drying out nicely?

If it would take you 2 days surely £550 is about right. It's an easy 1 day job though
 
What's the 2nd day for? Check it's drying out nicely?

If it would take you 2 days surely £550 is about right. It's an easy 1 day job though
Haha I charge £120 day rate, work mostly domestic so I’d spend day 1 getting boards up, then easy second day skimming. £240 plus material costs so a lot less than £550. I could charge more but I get more work keeping it competitive.
 
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