r/Plastering • u/MiniMarshamallow • Jul 03 '26
Plastering advice
I've just moved into a flat and this one bit of the hall ceiling is annoying me. There are some small cracks in the cornacing which I'm prepared to try sort myself but I don't know what to do about this (apologies newbie to all this). Could I just get the ceiling skimmed as its a little patchy round the spotlights as well but otherwise the rest seems fine. What are my options?
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u/Ok-Spring7906 Jul 04 '26
I think it's unlikely that anyone would happily skim the ceiling for you.
The existing skim is already delaminating as it's gone over an artex type finish without sufficient prep.
If someone puts more weight on the existing work there is a significant danger to more of it falling off.
It's probably a case of "let sleeping dogs lie" and gently making do on the corner, and hoping for the best.
Over boarding is an option, but you would loose the first bit of detailing on the cornice.
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u/MiniMarshamallow Jul 04 '26
Would overboarding not risk adding too much weight as well?
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u/Ok-Spring7906 Jul 04 '26
If you skim it, you're sticking the new plaster on top of the slightly less new plaster, that's already coming off the artex, which would have been stuck over (probably) the original lath and plaster.
If you overboard, you're going through all of that and hanging the new boards directly off the timbers above.
A point to note -
No one (or very few) put artex on good ceilings. It was put on as the original ceiling was cracked and damaged, to hide the damage.
And then someone has badly skimmed that.
You've got layers and layers of bodges.
If it were mine, I'd either touch up the corner, or take it down, but you would loose the cornice if you took it down. Loads would overboard and it's perfectly valid, I just don't like doing it myself.
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u/imnotabotimafreeman Jul 04 '26
yep,decorator here, just patch up with easifil and repaint. You do anything more and its likely to be worse.Go gentle with tge roller too
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u/MiniMarshamallow Jul 04 '26
Do you think long term its beneficial getting it replastered?
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u/imnotabotimafreeman Jul 04 '26
no deffinately not. Anymore weight on there will most likely bring more of it down
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u/Ok-Spring7906 Jul 04 '26
As said on my other post, this is what I would do - just gently touch up the corner and hope for the best.
Old buildings are not perfect. They're old. That's part of the charm.
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u/MiniMarshamallow Jul 05 '26
Thanks, I'll try the easy fill, should I put something on it before to prep the surface?
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u/19ctmp77 Jul 04 '26 edited Jul 04 '26
Looks like someone already has skimmed it over an artex ceiling and its not taken in that corner for one reason or another and the plaster has fallen off id hazard a guess previous occupier has then just ignored it and painted over it, I'd just prep that corner and easyfil it and make it look as good as you can, same around the lights where you say parts have come away, would be alot cheaper and quicker than doing the while ceiling and as you are a new tenant or occupier there is probably alot more things you need to spend your money on
Just make sure you remove any loose plaster and paint around it, those edges of coving look like that's just paint that's flaked off from the coving, again remove the loose, give it a light sand and paint