# Forum Home Renovation Plastering  Lath and Plaster Stucco Ceiling Repair

## burbleflurp

Dear All, 
Help!! 
I've got a federation house where the master bedroom (4m x 4m) has a lath and plaster ceiling. When we bought the renovated house in the late 90's there was no obvious problems with the ceiling, but for what ever reason about 10 years ago minor cracks started appearing in the ceiling (which I duly ignored). Last year these 'cracks' became significant and started 'hanging' down from the ceiling. I've finally got up to the ceiling to try to deal with it to find the following. 
What was hanging down was some newspaper coated with stucco, which I could peel off in irregular (say 0.25 sq  m) sheets. I've been able to strip the stucco layer from approximately one third of the ceiling by directly peeling it off or by using a scraper, but the rest of the stucco seems firmly attached. 
Given what been revealed I'm guessing at some point in time (1939 based upon the newspaper dates) someone put cloth tape over the cracks in the original ceiling, pasted one or two layers of newspaper onto the ceiling and then applied a (approx 1mm) stucco coat on to the newspaper. The stucco has then been painted. I'm assuming that this was the ceiling equivalent of wallpapering cracked lath and plaster walls. Movement of the house has meant that this additional (newspaper + stucco + paint) layer has gradually separated from the original lath and plaster. It's especially followed the line of the cloth repair tape, which still adheres well to the newspaper, but not to the lath and plaster. The lath and plaster (apart from the cracking) still seems sound enough and is solidly attached to the ceiling. 
At this stage I'm looking for advice as to what to do next. My preference is to repair the section where the stucco was removed, but how do you do this? Is it possible to repair/stabilise the cracks in the lath and plaster and the repeat what was done before (apply newpaper to the ceiling and then stucco to the newspaper). The edge of the removed stucco is rather irregular, so I'm not too sure how well I'll be able to match the edge of the removed sections, or will the addition of stucco hide any irregularities? Or is there some better way? 
Thanks for reading all this and any forthcoming advice.

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## droog

If the newspaper and stucco is lifting in one place it probably will elsewhere, the lathe and plaster may have had a calsomine finish at some time, I would remove all of it.
Then assess if the lathe and plaster is solid and repairable.

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