On Wed, 09 May 2007 11:30:17 -0700, Joe wrote:

Jeff Dege wrote:

I've been looking at the second bedroom, and considering my options.
I'm leaning towards laminating with 1/4 drywall.

[...]

I have three main questions.

1: Is this a reasonable way of dealing with the problem? The existing
plaster is firmly in place, it seems absurd to go through the work of
tearing it out simply to replace it with a lower quality substitute like
drywall.

2: What fasteners should I use? Drywall screws? Drywall nails?
Something else? Through the plaster into the joists, of course, but how
far apart? Should I add additional fasteners along the edges between
the joists? In the interior of each panel, not along the joists?

3: How do I treat the corners? Run joint tape and compound along the
valley?

Given your situation, I would call a competent plastering contractor and
get an estimate for redoing previous patch work to a better standard. For
the inexperienced DIY person, ceiling work is the worst possible
introduction to the craft. Sure it will cost some $$ more, but you will be
far happier with the results.

Hiring a contractor is out of the question. The choice is between trying
to patch, trying to plaster myself, laminating, or leaving it as-is.

--
We can found no scientific discipline, nor a healthy profession on the
technical mistakes of the Department of Defense and IBM.
-- Edsger Dijkstra