Kitchen ceiling has a big bulge.

[Delio]

Have an old lath and plaster ceiling in the kitchen. Been told that it's not a leak. The cause is likely that the screws have rusted away and the plaster has come very dusty and dry.

Ideally I just want to repair that section with plasterboard and keep it safe for a few years until I make do bigger renovations.

Some builders are happy to do it but are they just telling me what I want to hear? Some help is much appreciated.

 

[Cubist]

A very temporary solution - mechanically it could last years - a couple of say 6 foot lengths of 20mmx 50mm batten screwed to the joists below the lowest section of the bulge. Carefully tightening the screws will pull the batten level and lift the ceiling plaster more or less back to its correct position. Slap some emulsion over the batten and you won't see it unless you look up.

BTW there are a lot of water stains in that ceiling how sure are you there is no current leak?

 

[Delio]

Above the bulge is the landing. Not sure where the leak would come from.
I thought the yellow stains that are everywhere was not an indication of a leak.

is.your suggestion different to a false ceiling?

A false ceiling idea was put to me but it was dismissed out of sight by another builder, saying the whole thing could come crashing down.

 

[Michael55]

Water can travel along wood to another place

 

[Zebra]

Depending on whether it's the plaster that separated from the laths or the laths that have separated from the joists, you could rescue and repair it, rather than cut out and replace. Best to lift a floorboard in the room above if you can to check what you're drilling and screwing into. Don't damage a pipe or cable. Make some tiny holes just to locate the joists above and the laths. Then use cubist's method to lift it, screw it back up, and repair the lime plaster. If the plaster has separated from the laths then this won't help.

But it does look like a leak, so you really need to get the floor up in the landing and have a look. The yellow patches indeed look like the paint finish or limewash, ie not a leak, but the big wet-looking patch at the end of the fluorescent fitting looks like a leak.

A false ceiling, while I don't see how it could cause the whole thing to come crashing down, would be a shame, unnecessary, and would potentially be hiding a problem you need to know about.

 

[Cubist]

is.your suggestion different to a false ceiling?

A false ceiling would be entirely pointless and needless. My suggestion was aimed at saving the lath and plaster ceiling that you have there and the method I proposed should helpin the short term to prevent it collapsing. In the long term this method would also aid the most appropriate permanent repair after which the battens could be removed.