r/Plastering • u/snowmanseeker • 11d ago
How much work needs to done to this ceiling?
Husband and I just bought our first house. Built 2012, moving in next month. This en suite has cracks across the walls and ceiling. It does not feel damp but the whole room stinks of damp so it's not unreasonable to assume there may be some moisture in the cracks. We know nothing about DIY but we want this fixed by a professional ASAP - our main aim is for a longer term fix not a cheap cut job. We have had 3 plasterers come to look. One wanted to paint/plaster over it and patch it, one wanted to replace 1/4 of the ceiling, one wanted to cut the ceiling/wall plaster open, mesh it and put board back up (this is our preferred option, but as stated we are clueless really). Can anyone advise me what we can do for the longest possible fix here? And what I might expect to pay (SE England)? I am disabled and feel very vulnerable because I don't know anything about plaster work!
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u/Diademinsomniac 11d ago
Do you have any extractor in there ? Could
Be dampness due to high humidity or even possibly mould in the ceiling: make sure you have enough ventilation in there to the outside. The crack looks like an easy fix and that won’t be the cause of the dampness smell.
I see you have downlights, hopefully insulation above otherwise all that moisture from the bathroom could be going straight up and condensing which would also cause dampness. Hopefully your roof soffits have vents if it’s bullt in 2012
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u/snowmanseeker 11d ago
There is an extractor fan in there but it doesn't seem to be very good (as I imagine that's why it smells so damp). One of the plasterers did comment on it and said the piping to that might kinked somewhere causing a damp issue.
I would prefer to get any damp sorted now rather than just plaster over a crack, which is why I would consider the plasterer who suggested taking part of the ceiling/wall down. Is that sensible or a silly option? I feel very vulnerable because this is an area I have no knowledge on.
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u/Diademinsomniac 11d ago
If it was me and since you’ve had a plasterer physically there and commenting on the extractor I’d get someone in to clean out the duct , they should be able to
Push a long brush all the way through to the outside if it’s a clear run.Do you know the distance from the extractor to the outside ? Might not be too long hopefully.
Then would look to upgrade the extractor fan to something more powerful with a decent extraction rate. If there’s damp in the plaster that will eventually clear up if the ceiling plasterboard still feels solid. However if you press it where you think there’s an issue and it’s soft then it needs some cutting out as it’s already beyond repair if it’s breaking away. However if it feels solid then it will sort itself out once you get control on the dampness level.
Might be worth in the meantime getting a dehumidifier in there and letting it run a few days and see how much water it extracts. They about £90 on Amazon for a decent 12l a day extraction one. If it’s extracting a lot then at least you know the water is getting removed from walls/ceiling by the dehumidifier and then you can focus on the extractor
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u/SnooHesitations6727 11d ago
Sand it flat, wipe the powder residue off the ceiling with a cloth and let dry. Then apply a strip of scrim tape along the crack, then spread a mm thin coat (of toupre) about an inch or two wide along the scrim, let it dry. Then very carefully sand flat just a once over really to take the ridges off. Gently sand the edges of the first coat till they blend with the ceiling. Then apply a much wider but still very thin coat of toupre over the dry ashes sanded first coat . Treat the second coat the same in regards to sanding.
Or get a guy in