Hi,

Whats the easist way ro remove a Lath & Plaster ceiling ?  To be exact, how 
to remove the plaster as I want to keep the lath to put the plasterboard on.

Allthough its cracked and water damaged it still seems pretty robust in 
places and attacking it with a hammer is going to take ages to get it all 
down.

Any ideas ?

S

San Connolly wrote:

> Hi,
>
> Whats the easist way ro remove a Lath & Plaster ceiling ?  To be
> exact, how to remove the plaster as I want to keep the lath to put
> the plasterboard on.
>
> Allthough its cracked and water damaged it still seems pretty robust
> in places and attacking it with a hammer is going to take ages to get
> it all down.
>
> Any ideas ?
>
> S


There is no easy way except with an hammer.
Why worry about the lath, screw the plaster board to the joist.

Take the lath off too - most of it will break anyway, and it won't be
level enough to plasterboard over. Use a claw hammer & wrecking bar.
Prepare to be amazed at how much volume of crap you pull down!

San Connolly wrote:


> Whats the easist way ro remove a Lath & Plaster ceiling ?  To be exact, how 
> to remove the plaster as I want to keep the lath to put the plasterboard on.

???


> Allthough its cracked and water damaged it still seems pretty robust in 
> places and attacking it with a hammer is going to take ages to get it all 
> down.


You remove the lath + plaster. You can either kick it down from above, 
or if there's a floor above you pull it down from below with a crowbar.


-- 
Grunff

Grunff wrote:

> Séan Connolly wrote:
>
> > Whats the easist way ro remove a Lath & Plaster ceiling ?  To be exact, how
> > to remove the plaster as I want to keep the lath to put the plasterboard on.
>
> ???
>
>
> > Allthough its cracked and water damaged it still seems pretty robust in
> > places and attacking it with a hammer is going to take ages to get it all
> > down.
>
> You remove the lath  plaster. You can either kick it down from above,
> or if there's a floor above you pull it down from below with a crowbar.
>
>
> --
> Grunff

The edges of the lathes overlap so if you don't take the lathes down
the plasteboard wont be flat.I pulled it down with a claw hammer or
crow bar then meticulously pulled the hundreds of nails out rather than
knocking the in.

Kevin

> Whats the easist way ro remove a Lath & Plaster ceiling ?  To be exact, 
> how to remove the plaster as I want to keep the lath to put the 
> plasterboard on.
>
> Allthough its cracked and water damaged it still seems pretty robust in 
> places and attacking it with a hammer is going to take ages to get it all 
> down.


Chears, lath + plaster down it is :)

> Whats the easist way ro remove a Lath & Plaster ceiling ?  To be exact, 
> how to remove the plaster as I want to keep the lath to put the 
> plasterboard on.
>
> Allthough its cracked and water damaged it still seems pretty robust in 
> places and attacking it with a hammer is going to take ages to get it all 
> down.



Actually I have one wall that is lath and plaster as well (basically a 
partition wall), on which the plaster is pretty shagged.  Would the same 
apply, just remove the whole lot and put up a new partition wall ?

"San Connolly" <mrcATseanDASHconnollyDOTcoDOTuk> wrote in message 
news:43200251$0$17488$ed2e19e4@ptn-nntp-reader04.plus.net...

>> Whats the easist way ro remove a Lath & Plaster ceiling ?  To be exact, 
>> how to remove the plaster as I want to keep the lath to put the 
>> plasterboard on.
>>
>> Allthough its cracked and water damaged it still seems pretty robust in 
>> places and attacking it with a hammer is going to take ages to get it all 
>> down.
>
>
> Actually I have one wall that is lath and plaster as well (basically a 
> partition wall), on which the plaster is pretty shagged.  Would the same 
> apply, just remove the whole lot and put up a new partition wall ?




Don't undersetimate the amount of dirt and dust involved.  Open the windows, 
seal the door and wear a good respirator.  No matter how much dirt and dust 
you expect, there will be more.  Its one of the filthiest jobs there is.

San Connolly wrote:

>> Whats the easist way ro remove a Lath & Plaster ceiling ?  To be
>> exact, how to remove the plaster as I want to keep the lath to put
>> the plasterboard on.
>>
>> Allthough its cracked and water damaged it still seems pretty robust
>> in places and attacking it with a hammer is going to take ages to
>> get it all down.
>
> Chears, lath + plaster down it is :)


I know if I was going to do this I would solidly secure a dust sheet to the
ceilng in a four corner arrangement and knock the corners into the dust
sheet via the loft if permitting, this would then lessen the clearing up
process and dust and make it more easy. :-)

> Don't undersetimate the amount of dirt and dust involved.  Open the 
> windows, seal the door and wear a good respirator.  No matter how much 
> dirt and dust you expect, there will be more.  Its one of the filthiest 
> jobs there is.



Yeah the guy who is doing all the plastering mentioned this !  The original 
idea was for him to do the whole lot, but in an atempt to keep costs down 
I'm doing the unskilled & dirty stuff :(

Could I not cut though the wall with an angle grinder and take the thing 
down in one piece ? Actually come to think of it that will probably set fire 
to the wall, so not a good idea!

> I know if I was going to do this I would solidly secure a dust sheet to 
> the
> ceilng in a four corner arrangement and knock the corners into the dust
> sheet via the loft if permitting, this would then lessen the clearing up
> process and dust and make it more easy. :-)



I was thinking along these lines, but having the sheet on the floor.  I 
presume you basically go in the loft, roll back the insulation and kick the 
ceiling out, having previously figured out where it actually is from above!

On Thu, 8 Sep 2005 08:43:46 +0100, "San Connolly"
<mrcATseanDASHconnollyDOTcoDOTuk> wrote:



>Whats the easist way ro remove a Lath & Plaster ceiling ? 


There isn't one - which is why plasterboard is often fitted on it
rather than removing it all.


> To be exact, how 
>to remove the plaster as I want to keep the lath to put the plasterboard on.


The plaster curls back over the laths, you cannot really remove the
plaster without bringing down the laths.


>Allthough its cracked and water damaged it still seems pretty robust in 
>places and attacking it with a hammer is going to take ages to get it all 
>down.


Not only does it take time it generates a huge amount of mess as
years of dust and debris come down with it.  

-- 
Peter Parry.   
http://www.wpp.ltd.uk/

San Connolly wrote:

> Whats the easist way ro remove a Lath & Plaster ceiling ?  To be exact, how 
> to remove the plaster as I want to keep the lath to put the plasterboard on.


Can you get above it? If so, just tread it down, or use
a baulk of timber (watch for blisters!). If you can't get
above it, use a pick-axe and pull it down from below.
When it's down, pull out any nails which held the lath
using a claw hammer. Rake out the top of the wall plaster
to receive and support the edges of your plasterboard.
When you put new plasterboard up, use 2" ELH clouts every
6" minimum, or 30mm drywall screws, taking great care
not to screw through the paper face of the PB. Dust is
a big issue - tape up the door(s) when taking down and
clearing up, use breathing protection - I greatly favour
an air helmet (run off a vacuum cleaner outside).

San Connolly wrote:

> Actually I have one wall that is lath and plaster as well (basically a 
> partition wall), on which the plaster is pretty shagged.  Would the same 
> apply, just remove the whole lot and put up a new partition wall ?


If it's that bad, remove the P&L, fix up any cabling you
need to do, ensuring that it can be pulled through to
replace in future if need be, and replace the P&L with
two layers of 1/2" PB.

in 445430 20050908 121205 Chris Bacon  wrote:

>San Connolly wrote:
>> Actually I have one wall that is lath and plaster as well (basically a
>> partition wall), on which the plaster is pretty shagged.  Would the same
>> apply, just remove the whole lot and put up a new partition wall ?
>
>If it's that bad, remove the P&L, fix up any cabling you
>need to do, ensuring that it can be pulled through to
>replace in future if need be, and replace the P&L with
>two layers of 1/2" PB.


Where do you get 1/2 inch plasterboard?
B&Q and Wickes only seem to stock 9.5mm pb

San Connolly wrote:


> Could I not cut though the wall with an angle grinder and take the thing 


And you think pulling down L&P makes dust wait until you get an angle 
grinder into the equation!


> down in one piece ? Actually come to think of it that will probably set fire 
> to the wall, so not a good idea! 


If you need to cut it a bit more neatly then you can knock a hole 
through it and then use a reciprocating saw.



-- 
Cheers,

John.

/=================================================================\
|          Internode Ltd -  http://www.internode.co.uk            |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
|        John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk              |
\=================================================================/

Bob Martin wrote:

> Chris Bacon wrote:
>>two layers of 1/2" PB.
> 
> Where do you get 1/2 inch plasterboard?
> B&Q and Wickes only seem to stock 9.5mm pb


I've seen 1/2" (12.5mm) in B&Q, but can't see *any* PB
on their useless website. It's commonly available, I'm
surprised that these DIY places don't have it - all
BMs do.

"San Connolly" <mrcATseanDASHconnollyDOTcoDOTuk> wrote in message 
news:432005ce$0$22904$ed2619ec@ptn-nntp-reader01.plus.net...
....

> Could I not cut though the wall with an angle grinder and take the thing 
> down in one piece ? ...


If it needs replacing, it won't come down in one piece, whatever you do.

Colin Bignell

Bob Martin wrote:

> in 445430 20050908 121205 Chris Bacon  wrote:
>> San Connolly wrote:
>>> Actually I have one wall that is lath and plaster as well
>>> (basically a partition wall), on which the plaster is pretty
>>> shagged.  Would the same apply, just remove the whole lot and put
>>> up a new partition wall ?
>>
>> If it's that bad, remove the P&L, fix up any cabling you
>> need to do, ensuring that it can be pulled through to
>> replace in future if need be, and replace the P&L with
>> two layers of 1/2" PB.
>
> Where do you get 1/2 inch plasterboard?
> B&Q and Wickes only seem to stock 9.5mm pb


Silly question this but...have you tried a DIY/local builders yard?

In article <43200907$0$17467$ed2e19e4@ptn-nntp-reader04.plus.net>, "Séan 
Connolly" <mrcATseanDASHconnollyDOTcoDOTuk> says...

> > I know if I was going to do this I would solidly secure a dust sheet to 
> > the
> > ceilng in a four corner arrangement and knock the corners into the dust
> > sheet via the loft if permitting, this would then lessen the clearing up
> > process and dust and make it more easy. :-)
> 
> 
> I was thinking along these lines, but having the sheet on the floor.  I 
> presume you basically go in the loft, roll back the insulation and kick the 
> ceiling out, having previously figured out where it actually is from above! 
> 

By far the best way - otherwise you're standing under it as you pull it 
down.  You'll still have to remove some bits of lath and nails from 
below, but most of the plaster will be gone by then.  Most of the nails 
will probably come out with a hammer and bolster rather than using 
pincers or a claw hammer on each one, and any broken ones can just be 
hammered flat.  You will probably be surprised at how much rubble you 
have created.

In article <43200251$0$17488$ed2e19e4@ptn-nntp-reader04.plus.net>, "Séan 
Connolly" <mrcATseanDASHconnollyDOTcoDOTuk> says...

> > Whats the easist way ro remove a Lath & Plaster ceiling ?  To be exact, 
> > how to remove the plaster as I want to keep the lath to put the 
> > plasterboard on.
> >
> > Allthough its cracked and water damaged it still seems pretty robust in 
> > places and attacking it with a hammer is going to take ages to get it all 
> > down.
> 
> 
> Actually I have one wall that is lath and plaster as well (basically a 
> partition wall), on which the plaster is pretty shagged.  Would the same 
> apply, just remove the whole lot and put up a new partition wall ? 
> 

There's no point replacing the framing if that's still sound - strip the 
plaster and lath, then see what it's like underneath.

"Chris Bacon"  wrote in message
news:43201517$1_3@x-privat.org...

> San Connolly wrote:
> > Whats the easist way ro remove a Lath & Plaster ceiling ?  To be exact,
how
> > to remove the plaster as I want to keep the lath to put the plasterboard
on.
>
> Can you get above it? If so, just tread it down, or use
> a baulk of timber (watch for blisters!).


<snip>

==================
I used a garden spade (from above) - no blisters and much less danger of
falling through the joists!  It chopped off  the laths easily leaving just
the nails to remove once the dust had settled.

Cic.

"ben"  wrote in message 
news:W5XTe.104778$G8.41373@text.news.blueyonder.co.uk...

> Bob Martin wrote:
>> in 445430 20050908 121205 Chris Bacon  wrote:
>>> San Connolly wrote:
>>>> Actually I have one wall that is lath and plaster as well
>>>> (basically a partition wall), on which the plaster is pretty
>>>> shagged.  Would the same apply, just remove the whole lot and put
>>>> up a new partition wall ?
>>>
>>> If it's that bad, remove the P&L, fix up any cabling you
>>> need to do, ensuring that it can be pulled through to
>>> replace in future if need be, and replace the P&L with
>>> two layers of 1/2" PB.
>>
>> Where do you get 1/2 inch plasterboard?
>> B&Q and Wickes only seem to stock 9.5mm pb
>
> Silly question this but...have you tried a DIY/local builders yard?
>
>


Cheapest place I know of is magnet (yep the kitchen place).

In article <NJVTe.12464$vC4.6295@newsfe4-win.ntli.net>,
	Bob Martin  writes:

> Where do you get 1/2 inch plasterboard?
> B&Q and Wickes only seem to stock 9.5mm pb


My local Wickes stocks it.
Wheeled 3 large sheets of it home on one of their trollies.

-- 
Andrew Gabriel

Andrew Gabriel wrote:

>>Where do you get 1/2 inch plasterboard?
> My local Wickes stocks it.
> Wheeled 3 large sheets of it home on one of their trollies.


What's a "large sheet"? 12.5/15/19mm thick by 2700/3000x1200?
OK, I'm not serious here. 8x4x1/2"

Séan Connolly wrote:


> Hi,
>
> Whats the easist way ro remove a Lath & Plaster ceiling ?  To be exact, how
> to remove the plaster as I want to keep the lath to put the plasterboard on.
>
> Allthough its cracked and water damaged it still seems pretty robust in
> places and attacking it with a hammer is going to take ages to get it all
> down.
>
> Any ideas ?
>
> S


Everyone so far has recommenedd breaking it down, but this is not a
good idea imho. Since IIRC your ceiling is not at risk of falling down,
the logical thing is to PB over it.

Advantages:

1. avoids the mess from hell that pulling down L&P creates. Everyone
seems to think they can use dust sheets and avoid the worst of it, but
the reality is everything in the room will be trashed. I know cos I've
done it.

2. PBing over it thus avoids having to empty the room.

3. You then put up 1 layer PB onto a fairly flt surface, rather than 2
layer onto joists with 1000 nails poking out.

4. You end up with much better sound insulation if you keep the L&P
there. And a better rated firebreak as well.


Unless the L&P is dangerous there is really no good reason to pull it
down. Those ceilings have often lasted a century and are happy to
continue for decades ahead.

The other option is to skim the L&P, with no PB.

PS always use proper PB screws on PB, forget trying to nail it.


NT

San Connolly wrote:

> Hi,
> 
> Whats the easist way ro remove a Lath & Plaster ceiling ?  To be exact, how 
> to remove the plaster as I want to keep the lath to put the plasterboard on.

> Any ideas ?


quickest and by far the cleanest is to overboard the whole lot with long 
  screws then skim over.

We had this done with several large(ish) ceilings in the flat above our 
shop about 6 years ago and there's been no problem with any cracking or 
movement or anything.

the added layer will prolly help with sound reduction and heat loss to a 
degree.


-- 
http://gymratz.co.uk - Best Gym Equipment & Bodybuilding Supplements UK.
http://trade-price-supplements.co.uk - TRADE PRICED SUPPLEMENTS for ALL!
http://fitness-equipment-uk.com - UK's No.1 Fitness Equipment Suppliers.
http://gymratz.co.uk/hot-seat.htm - Live web-cam! (sometimes)

Chris Bacon wrote:


> Can you get above it? If so, just tread it down


I did this accidentally while a few boards were up.
Needless to say, a foot & leg through a plaster lath ceiling is very 
difficult to escape from and fairly painful.

you need to hang on to stop going through further but need to let go to 
try and snap off the individual laths to allow removal of ones appendage.


-- 
http://gymratz.co.uk - Best Gym Equipment & Bodybuilding Supplements UK.
http://trade-price-supplements.co.uk - TRADE PRICED SUPPLEMENTS for ALL!
http://fitness-equipment-uk.com - UK's No.1 Fitness Equipment Suppliers.
http://gymratz.co.uk/hot-seat.htm - Live web-cam! (sometimes)

On 8 Sep 2005 15:22:51 -0700, bigcat@meeow.co.uk wrote:


>Séan Connolly wrote:
>
>> Hi,
>>
>> Whats the easist way ro remove a Lath & Plaster ceiling ?  To be exact, how
>> to remove the plaster as I want to keep the lath to put the plasterboard on.
>>
>> Allthough its cracked and water damaged it still seems pretty robust in
>> places and attacking it with a hammer is going to take ages to get it all
>> down.
>>
>> Any ideas ?
>>
>> S
>
>Everyone so far has recommenedd breaking it down, but this is not a
>good idea imho. Since IIRC your ceiling is not at risk of falling down,
>the logical thing is to PB over it.
>
>Advantages:
>
>1. avoids the mess from hell that pulling down L&P creates. Everyone
>seems to think they can use dust sheets and avoid the worst of it, but
>the reality is everything in the room will be trashed. I know cos I've
>done it.
>
>2. PBing over it thus avoids having to empty the room.
>
>3. You then put up 1 layer PB onto a fairly flt surface, rather than 2
>layer onto joists with 1000 nails poking out.
>
>4. You end up with much better sound insulation if you keep the L&P
>there. And a better rated firebreak as well.
>
>
>Unless the L&P is dangerous there is really no good reason to pull it
>down. Those ceilings have often lasted a century and are happy to
>continue for decades ahead.
>
>The other option is to skim the L&P, with no PB.
>
>PS always use proper PB screws on PB, forget trying to nail it.
>
>
>NT


I had my kitchen ceiling replaced by my insurance company and the guys
said the mess would be horrendous removing the L+P ceiling .What they
did was strap battens to the joists through the existing ceiling and
fix the plasterboarsd to them and tape joint the boards .It lokked
fine and still does .


Stuart 




--

Shift THELEVER to reply.

>Unless the L&P is dangerous there is really no good reason to pull it
>down. Those ceilings have often lasted a century and are happy to
>continue for decades ahead.


Its pretty badly bowed which seems to sugest that the l&p has come away from 
the joists (in fact it looks like the celing rose is holding it up!)

San Connolly wrote:

>>Unless the L&P is dangerous there is really no good reason to pull it
>>down. Those ceilings have often lasted a century and are happy to
>>continue for decades ahead.
> 
> Its pretty badly bowed which seems to sugest that the l&p has come away from 
> the joists (in fact it looks like the celing rose is holding it up!)


That'll strain your plasterboard fixings...

Chris Bacon wrote:


>> Its pretty badly bowed which seems to sugest that the l&p has come 
>> away from the joists (in fact it looks like the celing rose is holding 
>> it up!)
> 
> 
> That'll strain your plasterboard fixings...


You could counter batten it first, and fix those with more serious 
screws to pull the L&P back into line. The fix the PB to the counter 
battens.


-- 
Cheers,

John.

/=================================================================\
|          Internode Ltd -  http://www.internode.co.uk            |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
|        John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk              |
\=================================================================/

John Rumm wrote:

> Chris Bacon wrote:
>>> Its pretty badly bowed which seems to sugest that the l&p has come 
>>> away from the joists (in fact it looks like the celing rose is 
>>> holding it up!)
>> That'll strain your plasterboard fixings...
> You could counter batten it first, and fix those with more serious 
> screws to pull the L&P back into line. The fix the PB to the counter 
> battens.


Battening might strain the plaster to cracking. Perhaps loosly fitting 
plywood under the ceiling, then acropropping it up to push the laths 
back on the joist, then screwing the plywood to the joists, would 
support everything. Would then need plasterboard as I don't think 
plywood meets fire regs.

Owain

Owain wrote:


> Battening might strain the plaster to cracking. Perhaps loosly fitting 


It might, but would you care if you are going to PB over it anyway?


> plywood under the ceiling, then acropropping it up to push the laths 


This technique can work for reparing a L&P ceiling - push it back 
temporarily and then pour extra bonding plaster on top to stabilise it...



-- 
Cheers,

John.

/=================================================================\
|          Internode Ltd -  http://www.internode.co.uk            |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
|        John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk              |
\=================================================================/

John Rumm wrote:

>> Battening might strain the plaster to cracking. Perhaps loosly fitting 
> It might, but would you care if you are going to PB over it anyway?


I was thinking the PB might not have sufficient pull-through strenth on 
its fixings to support the weight of L&P if the L&P was sagging?

Owain

Owain wrote:


>>> Battening might strain the plaster to cracking. Perhaps loosly fitting 
>>
>> It might, but would you care if you are going to PB over it anyway?
> 
> 
> I was thinking the PB might not have sufficient pull-through strenth on 
> its fixings to support the weight of L&P if the L&P was sagging?


Yup, see what you are getting at. I think we are taking at cross purposes.

I was suggesting that cross battens at 400mm c/c be screwed through the 
L&P into the joists with decent screws. The cross battens alone will 
then fix the L&P very firmly in place and eliminate any sag. The PB 
would then be screwed to the battens (rather than the joists or L&P), 
using drywall screws in the normal way.

-- 
Cheers,

John.

/=================================================================\
|          Internode Ltd -  http://www.internode.co.uk            |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
|        John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk              |
\=================================================================/

John Rumm wrote:

> Owain wrote:
> 
>> Battening might strain the plaster to cracking. Perhaps loosly fitting 
> 
> 
> It might, but would you care if you are going to PB over it anyway?
> 
>> plywood under the ceiling, then acropropping it up to push the laths 
> 
> 
> This technique can work for reparing a L&P ceiling - push it back 
> temporarily and then pour extra bonding plaster on top to stabilise it...


Something odd about the attributions here.... however, WRT repairing
P&L ceilings, if the nails have let go (rust or pull-out) this is a
not recommended repair.

Chris Bacon wrote:


>> This technique can work for reparing a L&P ceiling - push it back 
>> temporarily and then pour extra bonding plaster on top to stabilise it...
> 
> 
> Something odd about the attributions here.... however, WRT repairing
> P&L ceilings, if the nails have let go (rust or pull-out) this is a
> not recommended repair.


Should help to keep it in one lump when it falls down though ;-)

-- 
Cheers,

John.

/=================================================================\
|          Internode Ltd -  http://www.internode.co.uk            |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
|        John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk              |
\=================================================================/

John Rumm wrote:

> Chris Bacon wrote:
>>> This technique can work for reparing a L&P ceiling - push it back 
>>> temporarily and then pour extra bonding plaster on top to stabilise 
>>> it...
>>
>> Something odd about the attributions here.... however, WRT repairing
>> P&L ceilings, if the nails have let go (rust or pull-out) this is a
>> not recommended repair.
> 
> Should help to keep it in one lump when it falls down though ;-)


Oooch. Might be a bit hard getting it out of the door (or down stairs!).

Chris Bacon wrote:

> John Rumm wrote:
>> Should help to keep it in one lump when it falls down though ;-)
> Oooch. Might be a bit hard getting it out of the door (or down stairs!).


Just carpet over it and hope the m-i-l doesn't make too big a bulge

Owain