Blow ceiling plaster different thicknesses

E

EIR

New Member
Hello everyone.
I had my lightly stippled Artex ceilings skimmed a few years back and within six months there were some cracks on the ceiling. The plastering was on the ceiling next to a new breeze block wall creating a partition in the room.

At the time, I got the builder back and he said the building (1937) was moving and creating this. It has steadily got much worse and now I can pull it off the section with my fingers.

I don't think it was a leak or a moving building and or even that he used failed to use PVA et'c.
However I noticed that at one side of the now largish patch it is a 2 mill thickness and the other side is 4/5 mill.

Would the difference in thickness cause it to crack so badly?

i'm struggling to understand why that has happened so I remedy the problem correctly. Is it bad plastering?

Blow ceiling plaster different thicknesses
Blow ceiling plaster different thicknesses
 
Always dodgy going over artex.
Either hes not used pva,
Pva driedbefire skimming
Ceiling was dirty , nicotine or if in kitchen cooking fat.
Dont bother scraping it off.
Looks like there's no coving . So just get it overboardedxan reskimmed
 
johnh said:
Always dodgy going over artex.
Either hes not used pva,
Pva driedbefire skimming
Ceiling was dirty , nicotine or if in kitchen cooking fat.
Dont bother scraping it off.
Looks like there's no coving . So just get it overboardedxan reskimmed
Click to expand...

Thanks everyone.

They don't have parties about. Not nicotine and wasn't in kitchen so it praps can only be the PVA error.

I think the PVA dried before skimming sounds like the most likely - as it wouldn't be fair to tarnish him with being a cowboy ( even though he is not answering my texts) cos all the other works are fine .

Thank you, because now i feel more confident that whe i have it reskimmed and done correctly- it shouldn't fail again.
I don't know what 'overboarding' is. The whole ceiling boarded over with plaster board? I was simply going to get it reskimmed.
 
If its thinner in some places then thicker then that ceiling was quite a shape, your plasterer was obviously trying to straight it out as much as he could. To why this is cracking and coming off maybe because artex was really glossy and he used pva instead of something with grit in it.
 
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That maybe the case but would you say it's as good a bond as applying to tacky
It use to be printed on the tubs to apply plaster to tacky
 
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EIR said:
Thanks everyone.

They don't have parties about. Not nicotine and wasn't in kitchen so it praps can only be the PVA error.

I think the PVA dried before skimming sounds like the most likely - as it wouldn't be fair to tarnish him with being a cowboy ( even though he is not answering my texts) cos all the other works are fine .

Thank you, because now i feel more confident that whe i have it reskimmed and done correctly- it shouldn't fail again.
I don't know what 'overboarding' is. The whole ceiling boarded over with plaster board? I was simply going to get it reskimmed.
Click to expand...
Youd have to srape all old plaster off and then hope it doesnt happen again
Far better to overboard it and redo it.
Ive had it happen to me in the past .
Phone him . Most decent blokes will redo it for free. I did. You Pay for the materials would be good
 
johnh said:
Youd have to srape all old plaster off and then hope it doesnt happen again
Far better to overboard it and redo it.
Ive had it happen to me in the past .
Phone him . Most decent blokes will redo it for free. I did. You Pay for the materials would be good
Click to expand...
Not if he's been warned and took the cheaper option. No guarantees offered
 
I've always puzzled why this has been happened and all I can think is no pva used or any sealer. They just skimmed. I've taken off plaster and pva and skimmed and no problems. I've also known this on plasterboard. Just come away leaving near new looking board. To date not one of the ceilings I've skimmed has had this happen to so it's a mystery.
 
Wayners said:
I've always puzzled why this has been happened and all I can think is no pva used or any sealer. They just skimmed. I've taken off plaster and pva and skimmed and no problems. I've also known this on plasterboard. Just come away leaving near new looking board. To date not one of the ceilings I've skimmed has had this happen to so it's a mystery.
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I assumed new boards were covered in dust before a slightly dry mix being layed on and being not trowelled very much in summer conditions
 
Maybe lots of PVA was applied, but it got sucked in too much by the old artex. Who knows. Every job slightly unique.

Woulda been better to just play it safe and overboard it in the first place, but we all know how that conversation generally goes with average Joe/Joanne customers.
 
PVA’d straight over existing situation.
PVA stuck to the paint, plaster stuck to the PVA. Paint come away from the ceiling under the weight of it all as weakest link in the chain
 
EIR said:
Hello everyone.
I had my lightly stippled Artex ceilings skimmed a few years back and within six months there were some cracks on the ceiling. The plastering was on the ceiling next to a new breeze block wall creating a partition in the room.

At the time, I got the builder back and he said the building (1937) was moving and creating this. It has steadily got much worse and now I can pull it off the section with my fingers.

I don't think it was a leak or a moving building and or even that he used failed to use PVA et'c.
However I noticed that at one side of the now largish patch it is a 2 mill thickness and the other side is 4/5 mill.

Would the difference in thickness cause it to crack so badly?

i'm struggling to understand why that has happened so I remedy the problem correctly. Is it bad plastering?

View attachment 56131View attachment 56132
Click to expand...

Builder not a plasterer. Plasterers don't over skim over Artex for many reasons heres a few...Artex bond to existing ceiling, adding weight, nailed ceiling, lathe and plaster ceiling, contaminants on Artex, distemper. Plasterboard over the existing first before skimming.
 
FreeD said:
Builder not a plasterer. Plasterers don't over skim over Artex for many reasons heres a few...Artex bond to existing ceiling, adding weight, nailed ceiling, lathe and plaster ceiling, contaminants on Artex, distemper. Plasterboard over the existing first before skimming.
Click to expand...
Cmon freed I've plastered over loads of artex ceilings.i always prefer boarding but sometimes overskimming is only option..ive overskimmed bedroom ceilings before for £450 and uts taken me 4hrs in and out
 
Kinkyboy said:
Cmon freed I've plastered over loads of artex ceilings.i always prefer boarding but sometimes overskimming is only option..ive overskimmed bedroom ceilings before for £450 and uts taken me 4hrs in and out
Click to expand...

Lottery mate...we always over board. £450 in 4 hours..good work.
 
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