How would you fix this ceiling

[Yellow1949]

Getting the kitchen redone in our new house. Various extensions/wall removals have gone on before our ownerships and most of the ceilings look a bit like the picture. Having done a major refurb before I was planning on having most of the ceilings skimmed. Builder came round today to have a look and said ‘skimming won’t make that better and the new plaster might pull the paint off below a good decorator could fix it with sanding’. . I’ve never heard of plaster pulling paint off, and I really don’t think any amount of sanding is going to create a smooth ceiling. I kind of know the builder (i know he’s never had any formal building training) and think he’s talking out of his arse (and has way lower standards than me). We know an absolutely awesome decorator and I don’t think he could fix this.

We had a plasterer skim ceilings in 3 rooms in our last house, & a few walls, all had paint on and it wasn’t a problem.
Maybe the builder can’t do ceilings? Get a plasterer round & ask for a quote and see what he says.

Another option if they don't think skimming would work is to overboard - basically put another layer of plasterboard over the ceiling, held with screws and 'glue' then skim that. We did it in a number of rooms in our house and it looked perfect. If you have coving this may not work too well though.

Its more that I think no painter can sand this flat? Would MNers agree? I honestly think the builder is talking shite when he says it can’t be skimmed and can just be sanded. Maybe if you never look at your ceilings you wouldn’t care

It just needs skimming. You would never sand that flat.