Mesh or skim ?

[Sergio_London]

Greetings professionals !

I have 3 questions, if I may.
Parents house, 1930's semi. Our plasterer has completed the hallway/landing and for the best part, it looks fine [ to a layman ].
He is about to start on the living room. 'We' prepped it all, i.e. removed wallpaper from the ceiling. The ceiling looks dead straight but has cracks, quite a lot [ Photos attached ]. Our plasterer intends to use scrim tape over the cracks. My only reason for questioning this over mesh, is that with previous plasterer quotes, some suggested they would mesh. It's a bedroom above with medium traffic. I don't know if it is one of those areas where some plasterers would use mesh and others, scrim tape, i.e. a right or wrong way, just a preference? [ Photos are those which have a marble look for the ceiling ]

Second question. In the hallway, the wall between each door frame is narrow [14cm]. He has stated it is too difficult to plaster and can we buy 2 packets of Polyfilla all purpose trade polycell. I always associated Polyfilla as something you use to fill in small cracks here and there rather than using it inplace of plaster. Is he off track here?

We are removing and replacing the coving. Our plasterer did suggest that removing the coving would weaken the ceiling. In assessing what type of coving to replace it with, we immediately assumed plaster for plaster. Have noticed there are other materials on the market which are equally effective and if anything, are easier to work with, namely, duropolymer.
Again, not sure if this is a preference situation for plasterers as in a preference with working with one over another or is the end result cheap looking rather than effective?

Many thanks in advance !

 

[MakeItSmooth]

The ceiling looks dead straight but has cracks, quite a lot [ Photos attached ]. Our plasterer intends to use scrim tape over the cracks. My only reason for questioning this over mesh, is that with previous plasterer quotes, some suggested they would mesh. It's a bedroom above with medium traffic. I don't know if it is one of those areas where some plasterers would use mesh and others, scrim tape, i.e. a right or wrong way, just a preference? [ Photos are those which have a marble look for the ceiling ]

Although it is common practice to apply mesh or scrim over some cracks, to reduce likelihood of future cracking, that ceiling is so badly cracked, it suggests more is at play, so if you think mesh or scrim is going to stop it cracking in future, when it's that badly cracked for a reason, then you're kidding yourself. Does that ceiling flex a lot when someone walks around the bedroom..?

Think about it - that ceiling was papered for a reason - because someone gave up trying to deal with the cracks.

Others opinions may differ, but that ceiling looks unsound to me - if it's cracked that badly (and yes, that's bad), then I'd be considering reboarding it. If you try to just replaster it, even if you use scrim or mesh, I predict it will crack again, within a few weeks. And the fact it's had wallpaper adhesive on it isn't ideal, either (it can be dealt with, but it's not ideal). Personally, I'd be inclined to remove the existing ceiling and reboard it, fresh.

However, take care with any work anyone does on it - there is a chance it might be artex underneath, and some artex contains a percentage of asbestos. In the event that there perhaps does turn out to be asbestos, then leaving the existing ceiling in place and just overboarding can be an option.

the wall between each door frame is narrow [14cm]. He has stated it is too difficult to plaster and can we buy 2 packets of Polyfilla

Can it be done with polyfilla? Yes.
Should it be? No.

I'm calling B$ on it being 'too narrow to plaster'. More like he can't be bothered. Most standard plastering trowels don't exceed 5" (127mm) width, and there are also 80mm width midget trowels, or even 50mm margin (and pipe) trowels.

 

[Stewie03]

The strip between the two doors is wide enough to plaster abit tricky but that's what midget and margin trowels are for, in regards to your ceiling it looks like lath and plaster scrim or mesh is going to keep those cracks at bay,like make it smooth suggested ripping the old ceiling down is probably best and getting it boarded and skimmed,majority of plasterers would probably overboard it

 

[Retired Spread]

only a clueless chancer would skim directly onto original lath & plaster ceilings.

 

[Dollar]

only a clueless chancer would skim directly onto original lath & plaster ceilings.

 

[Monkey Boy]

 

[smoother09]

View attachment 65853View attachment 65854

It's uncanny

 

[Mouldyoldspudgun]

Reboard the ceiling, get him to scim between doors you can fit the toe of the trowel in there it’s no problem and use whatever cove you like. Just make sure that if he over boards he uses long enough screws to go into the joist puts them in the joists and uses enough of them eight to a row on 8x4 boards

 

[Deleted member 46546]

Greetings professionals !

I have 3 questions, if I may.
Parents house, 1930's semi. Our plasterer has completed the hallway/landing and for the best part, it looks fine [ to a layman ].
He is about to start on the living room. 'We' prepped it all, i.e. removed wallpaper from the ceiling. The ceiling looks dead straight but has cracks, quite a lot [ Photos attached ]. Our plasterer intends to use scrim tape over the cracks. My only reason for questioning this over mesh, is that with previous plasterer quotes, some suggested they would mesh. It's a bedroom above with medium traffic. I don't know if it is one of those areas where some plasterers would use mesh and others, scrim tape, i.e. a right or wrong way, just a preference? [ Photos are those which have a marble look for the ceiling ]

Second question. In the hallway, the wall between each door frame is narrow [14cm]. He has stated it is too difficult to plaster and can we buy 2 packets of Polyfilla all purpose trade polycell. I always associated Polyfilla as something you use to fill in small cracks here and there rather than using it inplace of plaster. Is he off track here?

We are removing and replacing the coving. Our plasterer did suggest that removing the coving would weaken the ceiling. In assessing what type of coving to replace it with, we immediately assumed plaster for plaster. Have noticed there are other materials on the market which are equally effective and if anything, are easier to work with, namely, duropolymer.
Again, not sure if this is a preference situation for plasterers as in a preference with working with one over another or is the end result cheap looking rather than effective?

Many thanks in advance !

Get a new plasterer ASAP. Anyone who would skim over that ceiling is firstly and idiot and secondly an embarrassment to the trade