Replacement lath & plaster victorian ceiling leaving cornice intact

[spredz]

Gents

Did this job today and would be most amused with more of your golden nuggets of suggestions from your own experience -

I usually carefully run the blade along the top nib of the cornice cuting into the ceiling and re-board right up to the cornice.

Today I had the whizz bang idea of trying out the suggestion of cutting the lid an inch short of cornice and boarding up to that (scrim the join and skim over).

I had the even whizzier idea of getting my stone grinder disc out and buzzing it along a chalk line. It's gonna be a sh1t storm in there anyway once the old horsehair plaster starts flying right?

Overall these turned out to be 2 crap decisions that I'd be quite happy not to repeat.

The blade is mightier than the grinder for cutting through old, shot plaster. Couldn't see the chalk line with all the dust so cut a right wonky line which i tidied up with a blade and a straight edge. Which i then later cut back again level with the cornice.

I left the laths up and boarded over them. They were fitted neatly and not overlapping. They still made the boarding more challenging than it should have beeen...

 

[kirk johnstone]

why did you take the last ceiling down mate?

 

[Chris W]

next time you do that...
take the plaster off with a shovel and cut your line to the cornice with a floor scraper.. doesnt really matter how straight it is as long as theres no loose...
board it...
fill the undulations with bonding...
get your stright edge out to level the bonding...
skim it...
get paid...
go down the pub...
go get a shower...
go get a curry...
hope you charged good money for it.. ;D

 

[nelly]

Rip the coving off

say sorry

Bill them 18 grand to put it back up

Bingo!

 

[broonster]

That was brilliant better than jackanory

 

[kirk johnstone]

Rip the coving off

say sorry

Bill them 18 grand to put it back up

Bingo!

and pay £36 grand in tax tell him nelly ;D

 

[beddy]

box the cornice in...

 

[spunky]

do you ever struggle fixing to the timber round the perimetre?

 

[broonster]

Stick a bit of dry wall adhesive then catch a few screws in the lats

 

[Capital spread]

I priced a job like that in Islington, She didn't want poles because when they fitted her kitchen they took to long

Well she was paying then £6.00 per hour !

I didn't get the job, I wonder why !

 

[spredz]

why did you take the last ceiling down mate?

It was cracked here and there all over - they had a tight-coat of some white stuff (one coat it looked like) and reskim on top of that about 2 years ago over the top of the original (by someone else) and this had failed to bond properly and was ready to drop in a few places. The orginal underneath was crumbly and for taking down only...

 

[spredz]

Like the suggestion of the floor scraper round the edges mate i'll try that next time. I usually t**t the main area with my lath hammer and save the shovel for shaving off the tacks (if i've removed the laths). I'll try the shovel to hack off with an all.

got lazy with the bonding and left it on the van and thought fruck it i'll do it with finish to make up some lost time. Probably more grief effort wise but a setting time less. Came out lovely BUT it was grief and i spent the whole time wishing i'd used bonding

Good coinage on the job all bangers n mash

next time you do that...
take the plaster off with a shovel and cut your line to the cornice with a floor scraper.. doesnt really matter how straight it is as long as theres no loose...
board it...
fill the undulations with bonding...
get your stright edge out to level the bonding...
skim it...
get paid...
go down the pub...
go get a shower...
go get a curry...
hope you charged good money for it.. ;D