Hi All,

We had a plasterer fix some cracks in our cornices and popped screws in our ceiling about 2 months ago, but now some of the repaired areas started showing signs of dimpled screws again. Does anyone know why this might be happening? Here's an attached photo.



Any advice appreciated.

 

The ceiling is still moving, did he add a screw next to each nail pop?

 

Very much so. I didn't watch him all the way. Is this a big issue? Can I just add a few more screws?

 

What is above this room? Living space? Attic? If attic, do you use it for storage? As Mark mentioned, looks like something is moving.

 

It's just a one-storey house. Could the plaster be sagging somehow?

 

Can you access that part of the attic and see what the framing looks like? Has the ceiling ever gotten wet?

 

Unfortunately I've just had knee surgery and I'm still on crutches. Yes, there was a roof leak in that area several months ago. Are you suggesting that it might just be wet plaster? Or does the whole board need to be replaced?

 

I'm assuming you have drywall and not plaster. Drywall weakens when it gets wet and that could cause the ceiling to sag. Sometimes the board can be saved but if it's soft and the drywall can't be secured tightly to the ceiling joist - it will need to be replace ..... but it's not urgent.

 

Like Mark, I'm thinking it's probably drywall, not plaster, but doesn't matter a whole lot right now. And like he said, I don't think it's urgent, and wouldn't throw screws at it until I saw what was actually going on up there. Sorry to hear about your surgery, but follow your doctor's orders, stick with your therapy, and I know quite a number of guys who have had it done and are doing great. Meanwhile, if you know someone who you trust to look at it, great, but if not I wouldn't worry about it. I don't think it's going any place for 6 months or longer. My first guess would be though that the water ponded in that area, and softened the drywall, but would want to know how large the affected area is. I would also want to look at where the drywall meets the bottom of the joists, to make sure that it isn't slowly pulling away, which could be indicative of a larger problem, but keep in mind this would also be a much less likely scenario. Just some things to check out when you are able.