Can anything be done about ahem ceiling bling?

[silversixpence]

We are looking at this house but the kitchen is putting me off a bit. It has a fancy Leicht handless kitchen with this ceiling. If we bought the house I'd want to change the kitchen (looks fab but not my style). Can the ceiling be plastered and repainted?

I can't work out what is on the ceiling - some sort of tile? If so, those would have to be removed and then underneath skimmed - not a major job. If the ceiling is made up of those pieces (rather than those pieces are stuck onto the existing ceiling, iyswim), then you'd need to plasterboard the whole thing and then skim so bigger job but not terrifyingly so.

I'm more concerned about the spotlights because of plastering is required they'd probably need to be redone, unless there's some way round it.

it appears to be boarded. To my eye it looks oppressively low, a flat, matt ceiling will be less obtrusive. It might be plasterboard dressed up to look like wood, or it might be MDF, or planks, or it might be some kind of plastic. It might be glued up or nailed on. It is probably not a suspended ceiling unless this is an old house with high or vaulted ceilings. There might be a plaster ceiling above. Plaster is fireproof, wood, MDF and plastic aren't. A thick plaster ceiling is heavy and will reduce noise transmission.

Anyway, you can pull it off and replaster the ceiling. It might cost a few hundred. You might change the lighting and the insulation while it's open. Pulling ceilings down is usually very dirty.

If it is a very old house (doesn't look it) then assume it was done to hide bad plaster. If it is a flat-roofed extension then consult a roofer because there are different ways of building a flat roof to prevent condensation forming between the ceiling and the deck.

Can I have first dibs on the kitchen pls??

The spotlights pull down so your plasterer will just pull them out of their holes, skim over the ceiling and they can be clipped up again.

The spotlights pull down so your plasterer will just pull them out of their holes, skim over the ceiling and they can be clipped up again.

But do make sure they understand that that is what you expect, or they are just as likely to board them up in the ceiling. (Been there, done that.)

if the boards are wood, mdf or plastic, they can't be skimmed.

Looks like the stuff we have on the ceiling of our en-suite. Ours is a plasticky false ceiling, I assume our old ceiling s under there and it was the easiest way to put in spotlights and brighten it up.

I agree with Lucked - it's been done to put the spots in easily and possibly to cover up artex or something else hideous. How odd does the pendant light in the centre look as a result? I'm guessing the pendant rose is fixed to the original ceiling, which is quite a way above the false one by the look of things.

When did the house last sell? You might be able to see what was there on old sales particulars online.