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[cmj306]

Hi folks

We have just moved into a 1930s semi. I am not sure how 'period' people would call that, but it's not a new build It's not had much done to it for years, which is perhaps a good thing - still has wooden leaded windows for example rather than being replaced with uPVC.

The entire place needs doing, but we are keen to do it in a sympathetic manner. There are lath and plaster ceilings, and the common "advice" is either "rip it down and replace" or "overboard it with plasterboard". It may be that that's needed, but i'd also like to consider other options!

So I will be asking lots of questions on here - apologies in advance. I'll post them on their own threads, so for now, I'm just saying hello!

Cheers

Chris

 

[Zebra]

Hello! Your ceilings may well be salvageable. Do you hope to do the work yourself, of get people in?

 

[worms]

Welcome! Windows sound good and I am glad to hear that you are able to step back from the "common advice" and think things through before committing to work. The advice may of course be correct, but most of the advice I have had from tradesmen would have been disastrous if I had had the cash available to do the work at the time!

Looking forward to hearing more as time goes on.

 

[MatthewC]

Hi Chris

Welcome! Where are you and do you have any photos please? (Thought I'd be the first to ask!)

As for upstairs ceilings I replaced the lath and had the ceilings re-plastered in lime, then used sheepswool (Thermafleece) in the loft. This all ensured a decent passage of moisture into and out of the loft. All has been very warm and cosy!

Downstairs I took the easy option and used plasterboard with a lime skim, partly because by the time I discovered that re-plastering was needed, we were working upstairs and you don't want to walk above new lime ceilings for weeks.

Check my blog for other fun I had. (Click on blue spot on right)

Matthew

 

[middi]

Hi.
The best, and cheapest, way to deal with your ceiling is to locate which way the joists run, pencil mark the ceiling and screw 9mm plasterboard above existing ceiling with suitable length screws into existing joists. Re-skim plasterboard with one coat white plaster ( very porous, chalk based and about £ 10 a bag from Wickes )
Doing the above will save you time and money and the existing fabric of the house will be hardly damaged. Nothing will be destroyed and easily reversible if someone in the future is very " authenticity " person.

Good luck
Middi

 

[88v8]

Welcome.
Our first house was a 1932 terraced in Rush Green, Essex.
Bought from the estate of the first owner and virtually as original.
Periodish, but worthy nonetheless.

Ivor

 

[plasticpigeon]

Sounds good. I wanted to buy a simple 1930s semi and save it, it was totally original, right down to the bakelite fuseboard and plug sockets. Unfortunately someone wanting to destroy it was in a better position than me (cash buyer) and went on to make it the ugliest house on the street. It is a shame as I think there are fewer intact 1920s and 30s houses than houses from earlier periods so 3 cheers for wanting to preserve it. I think 1930s houses are usually very solid. Why would ceilings need pulling down. I bet there are only a few small cracks, and no huge delaminated sections. If that is the case maybe they could just be skimmed over or even just wallpapered.

 

[Gareth Hughes]

Our good friend JoceandChris had a deteriorated lath and plaster ceiling under layers of woodchip. In the end, having it repaired by a specialist conservator cost less than the quotes for ripping it down and plasterboarding.
Just sayin', as they say.

 

[jackpoint]

Hello and good luck! Pictures much appreciated

 

[Lime]

Our good friend JoceandChris had a deteriorated lath and plaster ceiling under layers of woodchip. In the end, having it repaired by a specialist conservator cost less than the quotes for ripping it down and plasterboarding.
Just sayin', as they say.

Hear! Hear!

 

[LadyArowana]

Hello and welcome, did anyone ask for pictures yet ? :lol:

 

[Penners]

screw 9mm plasterboard above existing ceiling

That would be a neat trick. I never cease to be amazed at the extent of Middi's skills. :wink:

Welcome, Chris. Of course your house qualifies as "period", particularly as it still contains so much of its original materials.

You'll invariably find a bias on this site towards the conservation of original fabric, but ultimately the decision on your ceilings must be down to your own judgement as to their "conservability". But if you are able to keep the lath/lime plaster structure, you'll be doing the building a favour.

 

[cmj306]

Thanks all. We are aiming at somewhere between having totally authentic convervation and modern life. So we may have lath and plaster ceilings and fireplaces, but we will also have Cat5 ethernet ports in some of the rooms for example. Sadly the original 30s fusebox has been replaced with a new consumer unit, but having RCDs rather than rewiring fuses was pretty essential for the OH.

Here are some photos of the cracks







and here is a one of the Windows. This is on the landing and is a lovely stained glass window - so glad it's not been ripped out and replaced with some uPVC horror...

 

[Zebra]

Sounds like a good compromise, and one which many of us probably also aspire to. I reckon those cracks could perhaps be sorted with a bit of polyfilla crack repairing stuff. There's no harm in a few bits of modern stuff if it works.

 

[88v8]

Our previous house - built 1921 - which we bought from the first owner and where we lived 31 years, had some nice cracks. Some, like yours, were just movement over the years, some were apparently WWII bomb damage.

All the ceilings had been papered. Some, we never repapered, some we did. Where the cracks were bad I ripped them out and Polyfillad, then papered with scrim paper. This has a scrim backing and is excellent for covering cracked surfaces prior to a second, finish, layer of paper. In all cases I used 'period' embossed ceiling paper of some sort, which also went on the wall down to the picture rail. The cracks never reappeared.

In the bedroom, which was the worst, I started by covering the actual cracks with scrim, then used two layers of scrim paper, criss-crossed, before the final layer of Anagplypta or whatever... my recollection is a bit hazy as much of the decoration was over twenty years ago and I never re-decorated any room. If it's done well, and there are no smokers in the house, redecoration should never be necessary, and I hate doing things twice.

Oh, and I'd never papered a ceiling in my life before I started. Amazing what one can do when one tries.

Here's the scrim, it's useful for cracks in general especially where wall adjoins ceiling.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/5-rolls-of-scrim-tape-/281381376020?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item4183a31014
Don't use the self-adhesive stuff.
It's applied by brushing it on with wallpaper adhesive, brushing it well into the corners if any. Allow to dry before papering over it.

The scrim paper seems to have vanished or changed its name. This is in the same idiom.
http://www.onwall.co.uk/wallrock-wallcoverings/wallrock-fibreliner-2/

Pull the ceilings down? B***x to that.

Ivor

 

[Flyfisher]

I'm with Ivor about those ceiling cracks.

Even ignoring the conservation principles involved, they don't look anywhere near bad enough to warrant all the time, expense and mess of pulling them down and replacing them.