#Screwing into lathe and plaster walls Patch#

Some people choose to leave their old lath and plaster ceiling in place, overboarding the entire thing with plasterboard. Once the ceiling is down, the joists should be visible to attach new plasterboard. If you do decide to remove a lath and plaster ceiling, be prepared for lots of mess and make sure to clear the spaces below to avoid them becoming covered in debris and dust. If you live in a listed property, you will need to consult with your conservation officer before making any changes to your ceiling. It is also a great way of plastering more intricate or curved sections of ceiling as it is more flexible - some experts also say it can prevent the spread of fire for longer than modern plaster walls. It has great soundproofing qualities and tends to offer better insulation than modern plasterboard, although this will obviously depend on the type of plasterboard you use. (Image credit: Getty) Should I Remove Lath and Plaster Ceilings?īefore removing the entire lath and plaster ceiling to replace it with modern plaster and plasterboard it is important to take a few things into consideration.įirstly, lath and plaster does have its benefits. Extra support can be provided with new battens between the joists and damaged laths can be cut out and replaced with new ones. If laths have come loose, sound ones can be fixed to the joists using screws with wide washers.

#Screwing into lathe and plaster walls Patch#

Whether or not you decide to attempt repair on a DIY basis is up to you - if only a small area of the ceiling is damaged, you might be able to make a patch repair, while larger areas will really benefit from the skills of a plasterer well-versed in traditional plastering methods. While patch repair will be a far cheaper option than total replacement, if more than a third of the ceiling has failed, it is generally advised that replacement will be the most sensible option. In these cases, you will need to decide between repairing old ceilings or replacing them entirely with a modern plasterboard.

However, in some instances, these could be a warning sign that the plasterwork has begun to come away from the lath and, if you have taken on a property in a bad state of repair, you might find sections of plasterwork that have already fallen away from the ceiling.

In some cases, small cracks or a little unevenness may be nothing to worry about- in fact lath and plaster ceilings are naturally a little uneven. While none of these necessarily point to a huge issue, they may well be signs that a little maintenance or further investigation is required.

While they can last hundreds of years, it is not uncommon to find old lath and plaster ceilings requiring a little repair work in renovation projects.Ĭheck your ceiling for sections that look as though they are uneven or sagging and be on the lookout for cracks too. (Image credit: Simon Maxwell) How Can I Repair a Lath and Plaster Ceiling? In addition to enhancing historic interiors, lath and plaster is chunkier and has better soundproofing qualities than modern plasterboard.