How do I plasterboard an uneven ceiling?
Question:My present ceiling is uneven. It is the original lath and black mortar and I do not want the huge mess pulling it down would create. Can I ‘cover’ it with plaster board and still have it looking good?
Answers:
Yes/no. You are going to have to strap the ceiling to make a surface to which the board is fastened to( which means you have to find the ceiling joists so that you can screw the strapping into it(probably needing to predrill holes into the mortar to get to the wood. You want your screws to be able to bite into the joist a minimum of 3/4 of an inch every foot to hold the strapping(which will be holding the plaster board).
This is not an easy job.
On all jobs I have done that involved plaster walls/ceiling - all the plaster was taken out just to know what was up there structurally - (and these ceilings were not uneven) Also, the wiring and insulation was upgraded. A big job, but when done, it is R2000 standards.
I'd have a word with what I call "a proper man",
Whenever my husband starts on something and gets into a pickle, I make him stop and say "we'll get a proper man in".
We did once put up a false wall using 4x4s and attached plasterboard to that, but then got a "proper man" in to do the plaster skim. Don't know how you would go about putting battens on a lath and plaster ceiling.
You should be able to but I would get some advice from a local home improvement store about possibly needing to use long lag bolts where you would be crossing a gap.
You have no option, but the best way is to pull the ceiling down and start over again, because if you try to fix plasterboard to the existing and miss the joists, you might end up with the plasterboard on your head or the floor. Health and Safety is more important than a bit of dust.
After you pulled the plasterboard down, you can use builders line and start on one end of the room to determine where you will have to put spacers ( use wooden spacers like 3mm hardboard) to even or straighten up the joists. Use 12mm plasterboard and plasterboard screws at 200mm centres to get the best results.
The short answer to your question is no, there is no doubt the best solution is to put up with the inconvenience and remove the lath & plaster,if you simply cover it with plasterboard this will adopt the same undulations as the original ceiling, cutting corners usually results in an inferior finish
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