LAST UPDATED: 7th January 2023 by The Editorial Team

Summary: Step by step guide and video showing how to repair a sagging lath and plaster ceiling.
Contents
How to repair a sagging lath and plaster ceiling
If sagging occurs over a large area it would be best to pull the ceiling down and replace it (see section on removing a lath and plaster ceiling).

Repairing the lath and plaster
Small areas of sagging can be repaired in the following fashion:
- Nail a square piece of chipboard or plywood to the end of a timber prop that reaches from floor to ceiling (this is known as a deadman). Wedge the prop between the floor and ceiling with the plywood or chipboard supporting the sagging area of ceiling.
- To repair the plaster you need to gain access to the ceiling from above. An upper floor ceiling can be reached from the loft, while a lower floor ceiling will require you to lift the floorboards in the room above.
- Thoroughly clear away the dust and debris between the joists in the area above the sagging ceiling.
- Mix up a quantity of fairly runny bonding plaster and pour it over the sagging area. When the plaster dries it should bond the ceiling plaster to the laths.
- The supporting prop must be left in place until the plaster dries.
- Alternatively, you can cut away the sagging area and patch it with a piece of plasterboard the same size as the hole you have created. But it is important to remember when removing the area of sagging ceiling that you will need to expose the ceiling joists to provide fixing points for the plasterboard. See the video below on how to do this.
Having nailed the plasterboard in position, mix a small amount of finishing plaster and apply it to the repair ensuring you tie it in with the original ceiling plaster.
Tools needed
- Deadman prop
- Plastering trowel
Materials needed
- Bonding plaster
- Plasterboard
- Galvanised plasterboard nails
- Finishing plaster
How to repair lath plaster ceiling video
Author
Related projects
- Plasterboarding or overboarding a ceiling
- How to paper a ceiling
- Painting over ceiling stains
- Removing a lath and plaster ceiling