Thread: Replacing ceiling battens to save moulded plasterboard ceiling

Rob-L-C
I assume this is fibrous plaster you're talking about. Are the ceiling battons pine? If so are they rotten because they have got wet via a roof leak or is it borer attack. If it's rot from water getting in check that the fiber in the fibrous plaster isn't rotted as well. If the plaster is still sound I'm guessing your idea of nogging between the joist over the batton is ok. But you will need to be careful when you push the plaster up. Is the current plaster scrimmed over the battons. Scrimming is a handful of fibre dunked into a bucket of plaster and layed over the batton at intervals so it is adhered to the back of the sheet each side of the batton to help hold the sheet up. If it's scrimmed you may be better to push the ceiling up first, then put your row of nogging beside (as near as possible to the existing battons). If your battons are 25mm thick I would use 70 x 35 framing pine on edge as the nogging and still give you 45mm of material to nail through for fixing to the joist. When I've pushed up old ceilings I used a nice flat straight 200mm x 50 pine plank flatways, padded against the ceiling with an old blanket so it doesn't mark the ceiling and some acro props to push it up. You might need a series of planks and props to distribute the pressure over the area of the ceiling. Otherwise you could do some serious cracking damage. You will hear some cracking sounds as it is going up. Go steady with it. Rob, I think you can still get fibrous plaster only the fibre is fibreglass and not vegetable fibre anymore and there is still a lot of ornamental cornice and ceiling centre rosettes available, just in case you end up with the ceiling around your ears. Best of luck with the project.
PS One day I might tell you how the plasterer's apprentice kept the plaster wet while up in the ceiling doing the scrimming so he didn't have to climb out and go and get more water.
Barry

Hi and welcome to the site.
A couple of things first. I am not a pro so this is just my view. I would also try on the renovate forum on this site for more info. Another thing is are you sure it is plasterboard and not lath and plaster.
What you propose is possable but without seeing the actual ceiling it is only a perhaps. A lot will depend on the condition of the plasterboard and if it will survive.
It should be possable to attach battens to the hardwood joists but be aware that they will likley defy attempts to nail into them so everything will have to be screwed on. This will keep hammering down so will be less trauma to the plasterboard. I would try a small area as a test before committing to the whole ceiling and if this is a success then great. It will be a lot of work and a bit if a fiddle also.
I would also be serching for a source of mouldings and consider both options before jumping in.
Regards
John

Thanks Barry and John for responses and advice.

• I'll post this on the renovating forum in parallel as suggested - thanks
• Yes I think it's fibrous plaster (definitely not lath and plaster) - they are definitely laid in rectangular panels
• The batons may well be pine, and they are rotten through borer attack rather than damp - they crumble in your hands and loom like the inside of a crunchie bar.
• The original fixings (plasterboard to battens) looks like nails, although there is the occasional later attempt to glue/scrim in places where the fixings have failed

Looks like the next step is to have a go fixing a small area and see how I go - fingers crossed!