DIY Doctor UK DIY Forums

Can anybody advise on how best to deal with an awful fan -shaped pattern on my ceiling (not sure if it's Artex or plaster, have tried to scrape at it, but it's really hard stuff)?

I thought it would be possible to skim it with fresh plaster to make it smooth, but two local plasterers have looked at it and said that because the grooves in it are so deep, the weight of plaster needed would be too much, and possibly bring the ceiling down. Can this be right or did they just not want the job?

Would it be possible to overcome the problem by screwing a new layer of platerboard on to the joists and skimming over that?

you can overboard ceiling but if the surface you are boarding to is uneven it will cause problems lining up boards, keeping ceiling level and having good joints, artex can be steamed off it's a chore but do-able. If it's plaster that can also be removed by knocking it off but again a chore.
If your looking for a quick fix i'd consider levelig ceiling with a scim and then overboard. So if your plasterers are right about ceiling weight you have secured ceiling by boarding it.
KB

yes its true .. 1 bag of plaster is 25kg to much plaster on a ceiling can bring it down.. if i was you re-plaster board it .. then skim over that..bingo a new ceiling :-)