In message , GMM
writes
I have a lath and plaster ceiling that has seen better days and so I'm
considering overboarding and skimming.

Just trying to think through how this is done: Presumably it's
possible to find the joists because that's where all the nails are,
holding the laths in place but screwing through the pb into them would
run a better than avaerage chance of hitting a nail.

So how is it done? Aim for the timbers and accept that many screws
will hit nails or just screw through at random and rely on hitting
laths more often than not?

The nails are small, the screw just goes in regardless of the nails

You don't want to screw into the lathe it won't give a secure fixing. I
worked out the position of the joists at each end near the wall and
marked on the walls so I could see where they were. (now I'd use my
laser level to then put a line across the boards to follow.

a light cordless screwdriver is useful since you are holding it up all
the time (my Bosch 10.8V corless is nice


--
Chris French