Cracks and movement in recently skimmed ceiling

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Graemew

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Hi, I had a ceiling in my 1930s house skimmed last July 2017. The ceiling was the original lathe and plaster. After 2 months 2 hairline cracks appeared in the ceiling running the full width of the room. I filled the cracks and all was fine until last week when the same cracks reappeared I filled them again but they are back within a couple of days. I have now discovered that the ceiling where the cracks run is moving up and down when I press on it. I also had the walls above the picture rail skimmed. They have developed 8 vertical cracks some if which have reappeared after a couple of days of filling.
The plasterer says it's not his plastering but the old plaster underneath that is the problem and the whole ceiling needs to come down and be replaced which he wants to charge me for. This seems unfair to me as he was happy with the condition of the old ceiling when recommending skimming instead of replacement. I would rather solve the problem without replacement but am concerned how safe the ceiling is if there is movement. I would like to know members views on this and what action I should take.
Graemew
 
Re-skim is lipstick on a pig. 2mm on 90 year old plaster! Should of overboarded the ceiling firstly. Ceiling would of been sound then


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I think it is the plasterers fault. Old laths can come away from the joists and this makes it move when you push on it. Skimming an old ceiling adds more weight to it.

When we look at a job we check the ceilings and even if they're passable, if they're lath n plaster we advise boarding for longevity.

You don't necessarily have to remove the ceiling. You can find the joists and overboard and skim.

Maybe come to an agreement where you pay for materials and a discounted rate for re doing or just get someone else in. All the best
 
Thanks. Good to know that the whole ceiling may not have to be replaced. Would find someone else as have lost confidence in the plasterer who did the job.
 
Topspread16 said:
Re-skim is lipstick on a pig. 2mm on 90 year old plaster! Should of overboarded the ceiling firstly. Ceiling would of been sound then


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Click to expand...
Thanks, that's what I'm beginning ti realise and will ask him why he didn't do that.
 
Unless you got coving ye better just over boarding then dealing with the muck of pulling it down
 
Graemew said:
Hi, I had a ceiling in my 1930s house skimmed last July 2017. The ceiling was the original lathe and plaster. After 2 months 2 hairline cracks appeared in the ceiling running the full width of the room. I filled the cracks and all was fine until last week when the same cracks reappeared I filled them again but they are back within a couple of days. I have now discovered that the ceiling where the cracks run is moving up and down when I press on it. I also had the walls above the picture rail skimmed. They have developed 8 vertical cracks some if which have reappeared after a couple of days of filling.
The plasterer says it's not his plastering but the old plaster underneath that is the problem and the whole ceiling needs to come down and be replaced which he wants to charge me for. This seems unfair to me as he was happy with the condition of the old ceiling when recommending skimming instead of replacement. I would rather solve the problem without replacement but am concerned how safe the ceiling is if there is movement. I would like to know members views on this and what action I should take.
Graemew
Click to expand...
You are right when you say he thought the ceiling was good enough for an overskim making it his fault for not advising you to overboard, you don’t have to drop the ceiling and to be honest at 600 quid it sounds like he charged you for over boarding any way. If he was worth his salt as a plasterer he would not have just skimmed on lath and plaster as while troweling up the pressure often breaks the plaster away from the laths
 
It can be over boarded but you will have to take the cove down, it depends wether you can live with the ceiling as it is and more to the point if it is safe or not, if not your best bet is to call another plasterer and have the cove taken down, the ceiling overboarded, skimmed and re coved and just cut your losses
 
John j said:
600 quid to skim a ceiling how bigs f**k**g ceiling
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It's about 14x16 ft but he also installed coving and skimmed the walls above the picture rail where the plaster has now also cracked in 8 places. Will need to get a quote for puting it right and then see if I can chase him for compensation.
 
Mouldyoldspudgun said:
It can be over boarded but you will have to take the cove down, it depends wether you can live with the ceiling as it is and more to the point if it is safe or not, if not your best bet is to call another plasterer and have the cove taken down, the ceiling overboarded, skimmed and re coved and just cut your losses
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Yep, that's what I'm fearing and then there's the cost and time spent decorating again. I could live with it if it were not get worse but I guess there's no telling and as you say tbere's the safety issue.
 
You could always overboard with 9mm board & leave a shadow gap up to new coving. We’ve done that before & painted up it looked mint.takes a bit longer to board but cheaper than ripping down coving,damaging fresh plaster on walls then reinstalling coving.hope u sort it
 
philip mellor said:
You could always overboard with 9mm board & leave a shadow gap up to new coving. We’ve done that before & painted up it looked mint.takes a bit longer to board but cheaper than ripping down coving,damaging fresh plaster on walls then reinstalling coving.hope u sort it
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Now that is a good idea, bit of edging bead all around the edge, that could look quite effective
 
Mouldyoldspudgun said:
Now that is a good idea, bit of edging bead all around the edge, that could look quite effective
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Did one other week (I.ll try get a pic sent) we used 9 mm bit still lost cove so filled with bonding then skimmed it so hopefully it looks part of ceiling when painted . Customer was in agreement and seemed happy enough with it
 
John j said:
Did one other week (I.ll try get a pic sent) we used 9 mm bit still lost cove so filled with bonding then skimmed it so hopefully it looks part of ceiling when painted . Customer was in agreement and seemed happy enough with it
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Cheers for that, I personally wouldnt be bothered about being lover than the cove, it would give it an interesting detail no one else has
 
philip mellor said:
You could always overboard with 9mm board & leave a shadow gap up to new coving. We’ve done that before & painted up it looked mint.takes a bit longer to board but cheaper than ripping down coving,damaging fresh plaster on walls then reinstalling coving.hope u sort it
Click to expand...
Thanks for that idea. Would certainly be less hassle.
 
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