On Thu, 09 Mar 2006 16:25:16 +0000, Dave Page
wrote:

* Regardless of which option above is best, is it cost-effective to do
the plasterboarding myself and then pay a plasterer to do the skimming,
or should I just get the plasterer to do the whole job if I'm not
planning on skimming it myself?

I plasterboarded over an existing cracked/sagging lath and plaster
ceiling about 18 months ago. I didn't skim it at all - just used
plasterboard jointing compound on all the joins, sanded to a smooth
finish, PVA'd it and painted it (using some Polyfiller-branded "no
cracks" ceiling paint). So far, so good; not a single crack or blemish.

If you don't mind a fair bit of mess, pulling down the old ceiling first
would be preferable. It is a blimmin' messy job though.
--
Chris Cowley